Free kit · Finance and funding
Nonprofit Financial and Reserve Policy Templates: free financial policy template in Word, Excel and PDF
Put a short set of written financial policies in front of your board, a few at a time, each with a named owner. The kit has policies for signing authority, expense reimbursement, cash receipts and gifts, and an operating reserve, with an internal controls checklist, a Form 990 check and a worksheet that sets your reserve target.
Word, Excel and PDF · 15 pages · For executive directors and treasurers
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What is inside
- Policy register and Form 990 check. Who proposes, runs and checks each policy, and your answers to the policy questions on Form 990.
- Board cover memo. One page per policy for the board: the risk it covers, who owns it and the vote you are asking for.
- Signing and spending authority. Who approves spending and who signs, up to what amount, with wording for the minutes.
- Expense reimbursement. What you repay staff, volunteers and board members, how to claim it, and a request form.
- Cash receipts and gift acceptance. How every check and gift is logged, deposited and acknowledged, and which gifts get a review first.
- Internal controls checklist. The four money jobs split across a small staff, a 13-point checklist and a monthly bank reconciliation log.
- Reserve policy. A one-page operating reserve policy: the target, how you fund it, who may draw on it and how it is repaid.
- Reserve target worksheet. Your reserve today in months of expenses, three target levels and a plan to fund the gap.
How to use it
- Before the first vote: the executive director and treasurer fill in the policy register and the Form 990 check (Form A).
- First round: the board adopts signing authority and expense reimbursement (Forms C and D), each with a cover memo (Form B).
- Second round: cash receipts and gift acceptance (Form E).
- Before the reserve vote: the bookkeeper's numbers go into the reserve worksheet (Form H), then the board adopts the reserve policy (Form G).
- Every year: run the controls checklist (Form F) and review each policy on its date.
Not legal, tax or accounting advice. These are templates. Federal and state law, your bylaws and your grant agreements decide what each policy must say. Never adopt a policy without a thorough review of your organization's risks, operations and structure, and have your accountant or attorney review each one before the board votes.
Questions
Is the kit free?
Yes. Enter your name, email and organization once, and every kit in the library opens on this browser.
Can I edit it?
Yes. The Word and Excel files are fully editable: change the dollar limits, the people named in each role and the reserve target to fit your bylaws and your budget.
Does it work in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs; the tables and ruled lines carry over.
Can I share it inside my organization?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it and share it with your board and staff.
Read the guide
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Whistleblower and Document Retention Policy TemplatesBoth policies with each choice marked, a report log, a retention schedule with the federal minimums and a hold notice
With financial policies, the template is rarely where it goes wrong. The conversations are: proposing controls without the board hearing distrust, and asking for a reserve line in a lean year. A coach works on the leadership side of it; the accounting stays with your accountant.
Six sessions of executive coaching: $300, $400 or $600, set by your organization's yearly operating expenses.
