[hanamizu]

I worked with a woman whose husband was connected with the athletic department of a public university. He was caught embezzling 100s of thousands of dollars. Turns out he’d been fired at a previous job for doing the same thing at a university in another state. Later he was charged for embezzling money from a charity someone put him in charge of.

Never met him, but he must have been able to really spin things.

[PGalt]

Thanks for your posts, ransomnote.

[Paved Paradise]

There seems to be no shortage of these people. I don’t know how they sleep at night.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

This is why you have audits.

Yearly is best but even every three years is enough to keep most people honest.

Yeah, I know honest people do not require audits, you would not insult them by suggesting they are not honest, how dare I, blah, blah, blah.

Heard it all. Nearly every time I suggest an audit in fact.

Are the people who run charities bad people who will steal money from the mouths of children? Some are. But most are just weak and a bit careless and then astonished at how easy it is to steal.

They use the company card because they don't have quite enough on their debit for something and they really do intend to pay it back but something else crops up and they are really working hard and no one appreciated all they do and before you know it you have a real mess.

Find the first couple of fiddles, make them pay it back and oddly enough they will not try again. At least as long as they know another audit looms.

So... audits.

For your church, your charity, your business and especially for your government.

[RightField]

Sheesh, who can you trust these days? My little knit/crochet group just donated 35 finished blankets to the local Project Linus group.

[CaptainPhilFan]

I’ve worked in various accounting positions over the years and I’ve seen it and suspected it.

If you don’t have 6 eyes on the piggy bank, and monthly reconciliation proved and presented to at least 6 more eyeballs, you’re asking for trouble.

Even the best people get tempted and believe they can square things.

Having multiple people watching can save both the money and the person who might take it.