Having a trained accountant on staff has led to an improvement in our finance and accounting practices. For instance, we have nearly completed our move from cash to accrual accounting, which will allow us to more accurately track our finances than our current system. This transition will be complete at the beginning of our fiscal year on July 1. Another financial improvement resulting from our grant is the availability of budgets and financial reports for each program and funding source. Previously, we could only produce reports according to funding source. This increased detail allows us to create budgets with much more accuracy.

In the future, we look forward to using our improved fiscal capabilities to scrutinize our spending patterns to allow us to cut unnecessary spending. Also, we will be able use our strong financial abilities as one of the strengths we can show the community in our marketing and fundraising efforts.