How to Take Over as Treasurer: A Guide for New Board Treasurers

It’s a recording job, not a math job. You write down every dollar as it moves, and once a month you tell the members where things stand. That’s it. Nobody tells you that part, which is why the job feels so much bigger than it is when it lands on you.

The handover, your first month, and the rhythm

The handover — get these

The books, whatever shape they’re in, and the ending balance. Could be a spreadsheet, could be a shoebox. You just need the number.
The last few bank statements, plus the checkbook or the debit card.
The budget and the bylaws. Last year’s review too, if anybody did one.
A note of anything already promised. Bills that are due, reimbursements somebody is still waiting on, a deposit that hasn’t landed yet.

Your first month

Change the signers at the bank. They’ll want the meeting minutes that name you, so ask the secretary for a signed copy before you go.
Start from the bank statement’s balance and put the date on it. That’s your opening balance.
Log every dollar as it moves, one line each. Keep the receipt for anything you pay out.

Every month after

Reconcile: your balance against the bank statement. They should agree down to the penny.
Give a short report at each meeting: the five numbers below.
File the report with the minutes. A year of those filed away is what makes the year-end review painless instead of a scramble.

The monthly report is five numbers

Nobody wants a lecture and nobody’s grading you. Ninety seconds at the meeting, five numbers, done:

1. Started with. Where last month’s report ended.
2. Money in. Dues and fundraisers, plus anything donated.
3. Money out. Every payment, including reimbursements.
4. Ended with. It matches the bank statement. Say that out loud, because it’s the part the members are actually listening for.
5. Against the budget. One sentence. On track or not, and why.

There’s a whole page on the report itself, with a layout you can copy and the ninety-second version you read out loud: the monthly treasurer report, with a template.

If the books arrive a mess

It happens more than anyone admits, and none of it is yours to carry:

Draw a line. Start your books from the bank statement’s balance, date it, and write down that the older records are incomplete.
Ask the board for a review of last year. Two people, neither of them a treasurer. It protects whoever had the job before you as much as it protects you.
Don’t spend your term rebuilding someone else’s year. Your books start at the line you drew.
Say it plainly at your first meeting, then move on. Something like: “The records before March are incomplete. Here’s where we start.” You don’t owe anyone more than that.

What it was actually like

I was a PTA treasurer before I built any of this. Here’s what the job was like from the inside.

What did you get from the treasurer before you? A binder, check stock, some green tea, envelopes, and a USB key for Quicken. The binder was physical, with tons of printed-out pages in it, but it was pretty organized. We had to use AirDrop for the USB key, since computers don’t have USB anymore.

How hard was it to get on the bank account? It was somewhat difficult. Someone at the school needed to grant access, and the school is always very busy with much more important things.

What did you get wrong at first? I didn’t know I had to sign the packets. I didn’t understand how budget approval worked, and I didn’t understand what parts of the budget people were vested in vs. not.

What did nobody tell you? People do care about the budget and the money, and they will ask questions that surprise you. You need to be on top of things as the treasurer. The money matters. The budget matters.

What do people react to at the meeting? They ask about the things they care about for sure.

What happens when the numbers don’t match? Mistakes happen, and you have to take a deep breath, because it’s going to take more time than you planned for. Then you figure out what formula or math was wrong, or put in the wrong place.

What do people ask you about reimbursements? They ask about timing. Where is their check, what can they reimburse?

Do you get audited? We audit at the end of the year with the business office, and every quarter too.

What took the most time? Cutting checks. That’s why Marinette started.

What would you tell a friend who just got voted in? Automate as much as possible, and just review and check everything as you go. You can’t automate 100%, but probably 80%.

That 80% is what the Treasurer Spreadsheet is: you log money as it moves, and the Balance, the who-owes list and the monthly Report fill themselves in. Still running meetings on paper? The Treasurer Binder is the print side, with report forms, a money log, cash counts and the year-end checklist.

Words people will say

Reconcile

Your balance against the bank’s. They have to agree.

Opening balance

Last year’s ending number.

Budget vs actual

The plan, next to what happened.

Fiscal year

The twelve months the books run on.

Restricted funds

Raised for one thing. Spent on that thing.

Review (audit)

Two people check the books. Not the treasurer.

Two-signer rule

Big payments need two signatures.

Reimbursement

No receipt, no reimbursement.

Somebody else on your board is just as lost as you were. There’s a free one-page guide for taking over as president, and one for taking over as secretary. Same deal: one page, no email.

Questions

New treasurer questions, answered

Record every dollar that moves, in and out, and show the members where things stand. In practice that's one line in the books per transaction, a monthly check that your balance matches the bank statement, and a short report at each meeting. You don't need accounting training for any of it.

The books in whatever form they exist, with the ending balance. The last few bank statements, the checkbook and any debit card. The budget and the bylaws, plus last year's review or audit if anybody did one. And a note of anything already promised: bills that are due, reimbursements somebody's waiting on, deposits still on their way. If some of that doesn't exist, start from the bank statement's balance and note the gap.

The board votes you in and the secretary records it in the minutes. Take a signed copy of those minutes and your ID to the bank, and ask them to update the signers: you on, the outgoing treasurer off. Do it in your first month, because until it's done you can't actually pay anybody. Plenty of organizations keep two signers on the account, which protects everyone, you included. If your group runs through a school, expect it to take longer. Someone at the school needs to grant access, and schools are busy with much more important things.

Five numbers: what you started with, money in, money out, what you ended with, and how that sits against the budget. The ending balance should match the bank statement, and it's worth saying so out loud at the meeting. Ninety seconds is a perfectly good treasurer report.

Draw a line. Start your books from the bank statement's balance, date it, and note that the older records are incomplete. Ask the board for a review of the prior year, done by two people who aren't the treasurer, old or new. It protects whoever had the job before you as much as it protects you. Then move forward from the line you drew, instead of spending your term rebuilding someone else's year.

Yes, even small ones. It isn't an accusation. It's an afternoon where two people who aren't the treasurer look through the year's records and check that they add up. It protects the treasurer more than anyone else, and it makes the next handover cleaner. Your bylaws may already require one, so it's worth checking, and if you run through a school it may be more often than yearly. We audit at the end of the year with the business office, and every quarter too.

If you want the rest of it

The Treasurer Kit

The same thinking, built so the arithmetic happens on its own. This guide stays free either way.

If you want it counted

A Google Sheet™

Log money as it moves. The Balance, the who-owes list and the monthly Report keep themselves. There’s a full sample year in there so you can see how it all works.

If you use Excel

An Excel edition

The same spreadsheet for Microsoft Excel, no Google account needed. It’s in the same download.

If you like paper

A 21-page binder

Monthly report forms, money log, deposit log, cash box counts, the year-end review checklist, spine labels. Three-hole punch and go.

See the Treasurer Spreadsheet on Etsy →

Prefer the paper side? The Treasurer Binder is its own listing →

One purchase, no subscription · Made by a former PTA treasurer and secretary, who answers her own messages

The one page nobody hands the new treasurer.