Financial Controls

Financial Controls for Churches & NFPs

Practical financial oversight — spending policies, approval workflows, and Xero setup — built for ministry finance, not generic corporate templates.

What Your Review Covers

  • Spending and approval policies
  • Segregation of duties
  • Xero setup and chart of accounts review
  • Financial reporting workflows
  • Petty cash and reimbursement processes
Who This Is For

Built for both boards we work with

Church finance teams and NFP boards manage money differently — but both need controls that are practical, not just theoretical.

For Churches

Often run by a volunteer treasurer managing tithes, offerings, and ministry spending — we build controls that are simple enough to actually follow, without needing a finance department to run them.

For NFPs

With multiple funding sources and grant conditions to track separately, we set up reporting structures and approval workflows that keep each funding stream accountable and auditable.

The Process

How your financial controls review works

Every organisation's finance setup is different, so the depth of work varies — but every engagement follows the same clear shape.

1

Free 13-Point Compliance Assessment

We start with a no-obligation review across 13 key compliance and financial areas — the same starting point for every church or NFP we work with.

2

A Straightforward Conversation

We walk you through what the assessment found, in plain English — including any gaps in spending controls or reporting workflows.

3

A Review Scoped to You

If a deeper review makes sense, we scope it to your actual setup — volunteer-run church finances or a multi-funded NFP. No generic templates.

4

A Plain-English Findings Report

You receive a clear, prioritised report on your financial controls, spending policies, and Xero setup — what needs fixing first, and why.

5

Support Implementing Controls (Optional)

If you'd like hands-on help setting up Xero, approval workflows, or spending policies, we can support you through it — at your pace, not ours.

Why Cross Inspired Solutions

Nearly two decades of audit and compliance experience

Cross Inspired Solutions was built on hands-on audit and accounting experience, not general business consulting applied to the sector as an afterthought. Co-founded by Matt Williams and Kim, we bring over 40 years of combined audit and accounting experience — plus active involvement in church ministry — to every engagement, so we understand both the financial realities and the pressures a volunteer treasurer or finance team is actually working under.

25+ years as an auditor (Matt) and 20+ years as an accountant (Kim)

Bachelor of Commerce and deep familiarity with financial systems including Xero

Active in church ministry — we understand this world from the inside, not just on paper

Read our full story →
Common Questions

Before you get started

Do you set up Xero for us, or just review it?

Both are possible. We can review your existing Xero setup and flag gaps, or work with you hands-on to configure your chart of accounts, approval workflows, and reporting structure — depending on what you need after your free assessment.

We're a small church with a volunteer treasurer — is this still relevant?

Yes — often more so. Smaller, volunteer-run finance teams are exactly where simple, practical controls matter most, since there's usually less built-in oversight than a larger organisation with dedicated finance staff.

What is "segregation of duties" and why does it matter for a small organisation?

It means no single person controls a financial process from start to finish — for example, the person approving a payment shouldn't also be the one who processes it. Even in small teams, simple checks can be built in without needing extra staff.

How is this different from an audit?

An audit checks whether past financial statements are accurate. This review looks forward — assessing whether your current policies, workflows, and systems are set up to prevent problems before they happen.

Free Compliance Health Check

Start with a free assessment

See where your church or NFP stands across 13 key compliance and governance areas — at no cost, with no obligation.

Claim Your Free Assessment