ACTION THIS DAY

Monthly checks of expenses

Every month a member of ACTION THIS DAY’s Transparency & Accountability Committee will check the expenses records from operations in Mombasa. This includes cross-referencing expenses with withdrawals made from the charity’s operational account, and checking for any unusual activity in comparison with previous months.

Any open questions will be directed back to the Executive Management to explain. If the committee member is not satisfied with the answer provided, the rest of the committee will be informed and next steps discussed.

Restrictions on use of funds

Funds donated to implement the infrastructure required to obtain self-sustainability are held in restricted accounts in Australia. These funds cannot be accessed by the Executive Management without the approval of the Boards of Trustees.

Record-keeping

Kenya is a cash society which makes transparent record-keeping through bank accounts challenging.  ACTION THIS DAY is working on measures to bring the utmost transparency to our records, while in the interim we have introduced the best alternatives:

1. Staff pay-slips

ACTION THIS DAY currently pays its staff salaries in cash at the beginning of each month. Each employee receives a payment slip which they are required to counter-sign and the records are kept.

2. Diligent record-keeping

All expenses, including costs for food & water as well as salaries & rent, are recorded diligently by ACTION THIS DAY’s Executive Management.

Accounting measures currently being researched

Seeking utmost accountability for its supporters, ACTION THIS DAY is conducting research into two options for even more transparent record-keeping:

• Bank accounts

Opening bank accounts for the staff of Kookkaburra Community School in which salaries can be deposited.

• Mobile banking

Use mobile banking to pay salaries, rent and other expenses that can be paid using the M-Pesa service.

Both of these options would bring financial services to staff, create clearly visible records of ACTION THIS DAY’s costs, and reduce security risks by not having to pay salaries in cash.