Specialty CFO, in conjunction with the Not For Profit Resource Center of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County held its first seminar in Williamsville, New York on Tuesday, November 15,2005.  Attendees included financial, and non-financial executives and directors desiring to better understand how to get meaningful and timely information from their accounting staff.

Topics included:

• What you should expect from your accounting personnel.  Do you have properly trained staff?
• When you should expect financial information.  Is it delivered in time to be a meaningful decision making tool for you?
• Understanding the information you receive.  What do the financial statements tell you?  What should they tell you?
• Appropriate policies and procedures regardless of the size of your organization.  Are the procedures in place to protect the assets of the agency?
• Which checks and balances are necessary to insure proper recording of financial transactions.  Are there key check points where you can test activity?
• Directors’ & Officers’ fiduciary responsibility.  Are you aware of the responsibilities you have regarding financial reporting and payroll taxes?

Executives and directors from various not for profit agencies attended.  The seminar was presented by Mark Hoffman, Jean Gaulin and Linda DelleDonne from Specialty CFO.