NBOA President and CEO
It’s summer and I suspect that in early July, many of you are returning from a hard-earned break, following end-of-school-year ceremonies while your upcoming audit and facilities projects loom. Even so, campus may be quieter, even with summer camps unfolding, and administrative offices may feel more relaxed. It’s the perfect time to make use of a truly exciting new resource from NBOA, the Business Office Policies and Procedures resource hub.
Three Big Resources To Help You — and Many Smaller Ones Too
For many business leaders, the task of developing and maintaining both current and comprehensive business office policies and procedures can be daunting. Always on the proverbial “to-do” list but delayed by other competing priorities. We get it. NBOA’s new resource collection was designed to make your work easier and your independent school’s business operations stronger. Here’s how, the hub includes:
- A robust Word document that can serve as a foundational financial policy manual.
- A PDF with comments on how to customize policies for your school.
- An interactive checklist to help you track the status of existing policies, if they are in good shape, need review or need to be developed.
Even if you don’t need to develop a policy from scratch, you can find an ideal starting point in the comprehensive policy template OR in a wide collection of sample policies organized by area, such as contributions, purchasing cards, fixed assets, payroll and more.
A Source You Can Trust
And, these policies have been vetted by your peers and industry experts within the NBOA community. I can assure you that they are sound and the collection is thorough, unlike results generated from the wilds of the internet. Resources of this caliber are only possible through the collective knowledge, experience, and generosity of your professional community.
This one-stop shop for independent school business office policies and procedures reflects what NBOA does best — harnessing the brain trust of our diverse community. It was developed by NBOA’s Controllers Council — with a special thank you and shout out to Scott Cohen of the Madeira School — alongside NBOA subject-matter experts. It's also been vetted by four leading accounting and consulting firms that know independent school business inside out: Armanino, CLA, Forvis Mazars and PKF O’Connor Davies. NBOA staff did the leg work in collating these high-quality resources to make your workload easier. That’s our goal every single day.
More Time and Peace of Mind
NBOA’s Business Office Policies and Procedures offer benefits that go beyond efficiency and compliance. They provide clarity and assurance that your school’s business office is operating with the highest degree of professionalism and accountability. Business officers, controllers and business office staff can use the collection to:
- Benchmark their policies against industry best practices.
- Identify areas that need attention or improvement.
- Streamline onboarding and training for new business office staff.
- Demonstrate good governance for boards and accrediting bodies.
- Reduce risk by standardizing procedures and reinforcing internal controls.
- Save time by accessing templates and checklists that eliminate guesswork.
Working for You
As we enter a new fiscal year, I can’t help but note that the creation of these Business Office Policies and Procedures is a perfect demonstration of the value of NBOA membership: access to expert knowledge, practical resources, time-saving solutions, and a nationwide community of peers dedicated to supporting each other’s independent school.
Whether you’re new to your role or a seasoned business officer or controller seeking to enhance your school’s practices, these resources were carefully developed to support you. Together we’re building a foundation for business excellence, integrity and sustainability in our schools, one policy, one procedure and one member at a time. You’ll want to write this one down as a major accomplishment this summer!
Follow NBOA President and CEO Jeff Shields on LinkedIn.
