Fast Offering Question

During the Christmas season, our Relief Society President, under the direction of our Bishop, purchased food and other items for eleven needy families in our ward. We had a "Sub for Santa" Other account, but this fund was depleted.It seems reasonable to us that these expenses should be charged to the Fast Offering Fund. These families have serious financial problems and have received help from Fast Offerings in the past. However, because this bill ($500) to a grocery store is for more than one recipient, I would like to pay the bill with one check. Can I set up a Fast Offering Recipient consisting of a group of individuals and call it Chrismas Help, Needy Families, or something like that. The only other option, if we go this route, is to pay the bill with eleven checks.

No groups in MLS. Cut eleven checks, or attribute all of it to a smaller set of people. This would, in my opinion, only be correct IF the $500 applied to a smaller set of people, for example if the Sub for Santa funds (before being depleted) had been used to pay entirely for some (x) of those families, leaving only the rest (n-x) to be handled by Fast Offerings.
AB

Take a look at the rules for fast offerings and who can receive them. There is no provision for a group. It is for individuals or families (the HoH is the one usually designated as the FO recipient for families). The payment of the fast offering funds may be to an organization for the benefit of an individual. The solution I see is to cut as many checks as needed to cover each family.

The problem that may arise is that the receipt(s) necessary for each FO disbursement record may be hard to break down to show who received what goods. There may be a potential problem for the required record keeping. If the RS president can identify what was given to each family and if there was one purchase with one receipt then each disbursement authorization for each FO recipient can refer to that receipt. Or a copy of the receipt with a note stating the location of the original (attached to the first disbursement request) would suffice.

I would council with the stake audit committee chairman for his recommendation. Since he will provide instruction to the auditors and should seek instruction from the area auditor for special circumstances such as this, if needed.

Thank You!

My additional suggestion is to make sure your designated other account is depleted BEFORE using FO funds

khasay wrote: We had a "Sub for Santa" Other account, but this fund was depleted.

While this may seem like a worthy cause it is an inappropriate use of the "Other Category". I suggest you review the information in the Handbooks and on the Wiki Site about the proper use of the other category .https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Other_category

As well as the on line training: http://www.lds.org/pa/e-learn/mp/other2008/index.htm

khasay wrote:It seems reasonable to us that these expenses should be charged to the Fast Offering Fund.

This would have been the correct category to charge the expenses as well as collect the donations under.

khasay wrote:These families have serious financial problems and have received help from Fast Offerings in the past. However, because this bill ($500) to a grocery store is for more than one recipient,

Purchases for groceries should be done through the "Bishops Store House" when ever possible.