MENTOR THE TREASURER PROGRAM

Transcription

1 MENTOR THE TREASURER PROGRAM FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - MENTORS What is a Mentor expected to do? Please describe the mentoring role. What is the role of CPA Australia in the mentoring relationship? Must I have a Public Practice Certificate to be a Mentor? How will I be matched with a Mentee Organisation? I am not a member of CPA Australia but I am a member of the ICAA. Can I participate in this Program? As a Mentor, do I have a say in which Organisations or persons I Mentor? What is the typical size of organisations I may be working with? How many Organisations would I be expected to mentor? What time commitment will be expected of me? With whom is my primary relationship, the NFP, the Mentee Treasurer, or CPA Australia? As a Mentor, am I expected to drive the relationship, or simply respond to requests for information as they occur? What will be the length of my involvement with the Mentee Organisation? Can I insist that the Mentee do as I advise? What feedback will you be seeking from me? Will I be expected to maintain up-to-date information on government regulatory requirements as they apply to small Not-for-Profit Organisations? Can I claim CPD hours for time spent as a Mentor? I am on the retired list and so do not currently have to maintain CPD. Will this change if I agree to become a Mentor? How does mentoring affect my Continuing Professional Development obligations? How do I apply to become a Mentor?

2 Once I am registered as a Mentor, will the system automatically match me in a mentoring relationship with an Organisation? How do I cease the mentoring relationship if my circumstances change? How do I resign from the Mentor the Treasurer Program? What do I do when I go on leave? Can I suspend my registration? Am I provided with any training or tools to help me with the mentoring role? I am a CPA, but not very familiar with regulatory requirements specific to the NFP sector. Is there a reference source I can refer to? Am I required to keep notes of my meetings with the Mentee? Do I need Professional Indemnity Insurance? Would I be covered by the CPA professional indemnity program for this activity? Will I be paid a fee for providing mentoring? Am I permitted to provide additional services to the Organisation, beyond the mentoring role? I understand that there is no payment involved with role as Mentor. Can I accept gifts, treats, payment in kind (E.G. free membership of the Organisation) as a Mentor? Can I act as auditor for an Organisation for which I am a Mentor?

3 What is a Mentor expected to do? Please describe the mentoring role? A Mentor is intended to provide guidance and assistance to the Mentee, but is not expected to do the work or accept responsibility for it. The Mentor should work as closely as necessary with the Mentee as appears to be necessary, educating and encouraging them to acquire the skills and knowledge to fulfil their role as Treasurer as well as a member of the relevant Organisation. The Mentor is encouraged to convey both technical financial skills and principles of good governance. What is the role of CPA Australia in the mentoring relationship? CPA Australia supports the Mentor the Treasurer Program administered by Pro Bono Australia and confirms a Mentor s membership and PI Insurance status. As the range of possible Organisations requiring mentoring may be broad, general information and resources are provided. Must I have a Public Practice Certificate to be a Mentor? NO. A Public Practice Certificate is not required. How will I be matched with a Mentee Organisation? Mentoring relationships are established in one of two ways: 1. You may select a suitable Organisation from those listed on the Mentor the Treasurer webpage, or 2. An Organisation seeking a Mentor may apply to you via the webpage, and it is up to you whether or not you accept the invitation. To access the listing of mentoring positions available, click on the Search for a position button on the Program webpage (made available once your registration, as a Mentor is complete.) I am not a member of CPA Australia but I am a member of the ICAA. Can I participate in this Program? No. This Program is an initiative of CPA Australia and, as such, participation in the Mentor the Treasurer Program is open to members of CPA Australia only. Non-members can mentor treasurers external to the Program of course, but they will not be able to do so using the Program webpage, and will not have access to the resources provided to CPAs. As a Mentor, do I have a say in which Organisations or persons I Mentor? YES. You can select an Organisation via the Program website and, where Organisations make a request to you for assistance; it is your choice as to whether or not to accept. We do encourage you to be available to Organisations of all types, however, as this will greatly enhance your mentoring experience. What is the typical size of organisations I may be working with? Most will be small with a turnover of only a few thousand dollars. The Program is limited to organisations with a turnover not exceeding $250,000. How many Organisations would I be expected to mentor? You can decide this for yourself, based upon your availability. We suggest you start off with one or two mentoring relationships and see how it goes.

4 What time commitment will be expected of me? This will vary considerably from relationship to relationship, depending on how much assistance the respective Mentees may require and the Mentor is capable of providing. As a rule of thumb, however, a couple of hours a month might be appropriate and slightly more in the early stages of the mentoring relationship. With whom is my primary relationship, the NFP, the Mentee Treasurer, or CPA Australia? The mentoring relationship is between you and the Organisation s Treasurer (your Mentee) or other agreed person within the Organisation. As a Mentor, am I expected to drive the relationship, or simply respond to requests for information as they occur? While it is expected that the Mentor will initiate the first mentoring session and arrange a mutually suitable time to work through the Program manual and the tools provided, it is the Mentee s responsibility to drive the mentoring relationship and the Mentor will rely on the Mentee to ask for assistance as needed. What will be the length of my involvement with the Mentee Organisation? Your role as Mentor commences on the date of your Application Form and continues for one calendar year, after which it is deemed to have lapsed, unless reinstated by agreement of Mentor and the Organisation. Can I insist that the Mentee do as I advise? NO. This is a voluntary service through which guidance on financial and governance issues is provided. It is not intended to be an executive role. It would be prudent to document significant instances where your advice was rejected/ignored, however (for example: failure to register actual or deemed employees for Workers Compensation). Sample documents for use in such situations are available in the 'Mentor Toolkit'. What feedback will you be seeking from me? Generally, we will seek your opinion on how well your guidance was received and implemented and any suggestions about improvements we could make. Will I be expected to maintain up-to-date information on government regulatory requirements as they apply to small Not-for-Profit Organisations? As a professional, you are expected to keep abreast of matters that are of relevance. However, updates to relevant matters may be provided on a regular basis via the website. Can I claim CPD hours for time spent as a Mentor? Yes. Any time you spend being involved in a mentoring program, whether it is through the practical experience requirement or another program, can be claimed toward your CPD obligations. This includes time you spend reading The Practical Experience Guide or any material about mentoring as well as time with your mentee. When you record mentoring activities for CPD, use Code K. Please visit continuing professional development for more

5 information. To support your claim, we recommend you minute your mentoring session using the 'File Note _ Mentoring Session' included in your Mentor Toolkit and have it signed by your treasurer mentee. I am on the retired list and so do not currently have to maintain CPD. Will this change if I agree to become a Mentor? No. Your role as a Mentor is to provide your knowledge and suggestions only. It is expected, however, that you will make yourself familiar with the tools provided and the content of the Program manual, and that you keep yourself up to date with regard to requirements for not- for- profit organisations via the CPA Australia website. How does mentoring affect my Continuing Professional Development obligations? The mentoring relationship does not affect your existing obligations to maintain Continuing Professional Development requirements. If you are on the retired list, you are no longer required to maintain your CPD hours. You are expected, however, to familiarise yourself with the contents of the 'Mentor Toolkit' and the links it provides to further information relevant to not-for-profit organisations. How do I apply to become a Mentor? As a CPA Australia member, you can apply to become a Mentor via the link on the CPA Australia website which will pass you through to the appropriate page on the Pro Bono Australia website. You then just follow the prompts. Once I am registered as a Mentor, will the system automatically match me in a mentoring relationship with an Organisation? No. Mentoring relationships are not established automatically. Either you as a Mentor or an Organisation seeking a Mentor must initiate primary contact. Mentoring relationships are established in one of two ways: 1. You may select a suitable Organisation from those listed on the Mentor the Treasurer webpage, or 2. Organisations seeking Mentors may apply to you via the webpage, and it is up to you whether or not you accept the invitation. How do I cease the mentoring relationship if my circumstances change? The mentoring relationship with a specific mentee organisation, once established, automatically lapses after one calendar year from date of appointment. Should your circumstances change such that you wish to terminate the relationship earlier, you must give the Organisation 5 working days written notice that you are ceasing as its Mentor. A sample letter of resignation is included in the Mentor Toolkit. Please be sure to advise the Program Coordinator of your resignation by copying it to: mentor.thetreasurer@cpaaustralia.com.au. How do I resign from the Mentor the Treasurer Program? Should you wish to resign from the Program, you may simply go to My Profile select Resign from Program and press submit, or via mentor.thetreasurer@cpaaustralia.com.au.

6 What do I do when I go on leave? Can I suspend my registration? Yes. Once registered as a Mentor on the Mentor the Treasurer web page, you can temporarily suspend your public mentor listing by completing the fields included under the heading Disable my profile unit on the My Profile page. You will be asked to nominate your return date (first field) and time (second field), at which time your registration will automatically resume. Am I provided with any training or tools to help me with the mentoring role? Mentor Toolkit' containing information and tools, which will assist you in the role of Mentor. The 'Mentor Toolkit' includes: a Mentor Guide Book a Volunteer Treasurer Guide Book, which includes a concise listing of major known regulatory matters relevant to small not-for-profit organisations; a simple Excel based book keeping system that you may provide to Mentees as you wish. a Treasurer Audit Checklist, and Some standard form documents You are encouraged to consider undertaking additional training in commonly used external accounting packages, such as QuickBooks and MYOB, which may be claimed as part of your CPD commitment. I am a CPA, but not very familiar with regulatory requirements specific to the NFP sector. Is there a reference source I can refer to? This will be covered in the Volunteer Treasurer Guide Book which provides useful links. You will also be able to contact the Program coordinator for guidance via should you require further assistance at mentor.thetreasurer@cpaaustralia.com.au. Am I required to keep notes of my meetings with the Mentee? Note taking of topics discussed at a mentoring meeting is a sound professional discipline and is encouraged. It is especially prudent where advice is provided in relation to a regulatory oversight. Sample documents for use in such situations are available in the 'Mentor Toolkit'. To support your claim for CPD hours relating to you mentoring activity, we recommend that you minute each session using the form File Note _ Mentoring Session included in the Mentor Toolkit and have your mentee sign it. Do I need Professional Indemnity Insurance? YES. Either through CPA Australia or as privately arranged. If you wish to use CPA Australia s complimentary PI insurance, you will need to indicate your preferences in application form or opt- in via to PII@cpaaustralia.com.au. Would I be covered by the CPA professional indemnity program for this activity? Yes. To be covered you must indicate your preferences in application form or opt in via to PII@cpaaustralia.com.au.

7 Will I be paid a fee for providing mentoring? No. You may not solicit or accept payment as a Mentor. You may however, accept from the Organisation, reimbursement for any reasonable incidental expenses incurred and pre-approved by the Organisation. Am I permitted to provide additional services to the Organisation, beyond the mentoring role? Yes. However, to avoid any conflict of interest, you must first cease your mentoring role under this Program. I understand that there is no payment involved with role as Mentor. Can I accept gifts, treats, payment in kind (E.G. free membership of the Organisation) as a Mentor? Yes. But, any such acceptance must be in accord with CPA Australia s professional guidelines and obligations that relate to you as a member of CPA Australia. Can I act as auditor for an Organisation for which I am a Mentor? NO. You are required to formally cease your mentoring role with the Organisation, before accepting additional work, whether paid or unpaid, including acting as auditor for the Mentee Organisation.