Finding 2022-003 ? General Oversite ? Material Weakness Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization create policies and procedures to ensure proper oversight of the financial reporting function. In addition, we would recommend the Organization to consider the costs and benefits of restruct...
Finding 2022-003 ? General Oversite ? Material Weakness Recommendation: We recommend that the Organization create policies and procedures to ensure proper oversight of the financial reporting function. In addition, we would recommend the Organization to consider the costs and benefits of restructuring the finance department. This could include allocating additional resources to hire additional employees, reallocation of responsibilities within the organization and less reliance on the contracted accounting services. View of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: The Executive Director has worked with the Director of Grants and Finance to review and revise the agency?s accounting policies and procures. To ensure proper oversight, all procedures and reports will be reviewed by the Board?s Finance Committee, followed by a final review and approval of the Full Board of Directors of Joseph?s House & Shelter. Beginning in Q1 2022, agency leadership took necessary action to begin restructuring the Finance Department following a change in staffing with the contracted accounting service. In Q2 2022, the agency promoted a long-tenured staff member to the newly-created Director of Grants and Finance position, which separated and removed all finance duties from the Director of Administration. To support the Director of Grants and Finance, a full time Grants and Finance Specialist staff position was created in Q3 of 2022. The organization has scaled back reliance on the contracted accounting service and has ensured that all claims, with the implementation of personnel time tracking systems, are submitted through our Finance Department. We continue to use a contracted accounting service for higher-level accounting duties and for on-going advisement that supplements, instead of replaces, the work of internal staff. We are confident these changes have improved the agency?s ability to provide adequate management oversight in the financial reporting process. This was completed in Q2 of 2023.