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Let’s talk about tech

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Posted on 18 July 2016

If someone said to me today “Right, you need to go away and write a health and safety plan for our organisation, chop chop!” I wouldn’t have a clue where to start, especially in terms of what needs to be included and what format it should take! I expect that is the way that a lot of charities are feeling right now about where to start with their Performance Report*. With this I mind, I thought I would list some of the electronic tools that I have come across that you can use to ease you through the process:

The External Reporting Board(external link) ( XRB) Excel Template

This is probably the most straightforward tool available. The XRB have used the Tier 3 and 4 standards and have developed a simple template so that if you fill it out correctly, you can be assured you’ve complied with the standards. The templates for Tier 4 and Tier 3 can be found on our website. There are also instructional videos for Tier 4 and Tier 3 to show you how to use the templates in excel, and if you prefer, we have also developed the same template in Word for Tier 4 and a PDF version for both Tiers. These can be found on our website with the Excel versions.

Xero and MYOB Templates

Xero and MYOB are two of the more commonly used accounting software packages, and are often used by charities to manage their finances. Both of these companies have introduced Performance Report templates for Tiers 3 and 4 into their software, however, they are both in the versions that accountants use, rather than individual subscribers (Xero Partner Edition(external link) and MYOB Accountants Office(external link)). This means that if you have engaged an accountant to do your year-end Performance Report, and they subscribe to these products, they will be able to access this template and drop your numbers into it without too much hassle. They may need some input from you however, in order to complete the Statement of Service Performance as this includes non-financial information that your accountant will not have direct access to.

Calxa

If you don’t have an accountant but use accounting software and you are a little bit tech savvy, this could be a good option for you. Calxa is a piece of software specifically designed for not-for-profit organisations that integrates with your existing accounting package. It takes the data from the package, and produces reports including budgets, cash-flow forecasts and most excitingly, Performance Reports which are compliant with the Tier 3 and 4 standards. Calxa(external link) integrates with Xero, MYOB, and Reckon (Quickbooks). They also have a useful webinar(external link) which explains how their Tier 3 and 4 reporting templates work.

Others?

We’d also love to hear from you about any useful tools you have been using to complete your reporting. The more we know, the more we can share and help others do things as efficiently as possible. Please call us on 0508 CHARITIES or e-mail info@charities.govt.nz if you have any questions or would like to share what has worked well for your organisation.

*The Performance Report is the new name for the report containing financial and non-financial information which is prepared in accordance with the new reporting standards relevant for your charity. This report is attached to your annual return instead of the financial statements which used to be submitted. Information about the new reporting standards can be found on our website.