When we think of stressful jobs, we tend to think of occupations such as soldiers, and first responders such as police officers or firefighters, because they directly risk their lives in the course of doing their job. Their lives and the lives of others are often directly on the line, whether or not they personally make a mistake or miscalculate the risks.

The role of volunteer treasurer is often an invisible one, and the work performed by treasurers often goes unnoticed unless an error or mistake occurs. It is a rare thing indeed for a volunteer treasurer to act in such a way that could ever directly result in the loss of their life, or the lives of others. So, most of us don’t consider the role of treasurer to be a particularly stressful one.

Deadlines, Constant Pressure and the High Cost of Stress

Just because their lives aren’t on the line every day, however, doesn’t mean that volunteer treasurers aren’t under an enormous amount of pressure. As they go about their days performing job-related duties and tasks, there is an enormous amount of worry, strain and hassle that goes along with the job and can lead to tension and stress.

One of the main duties of the treasurer is to oversee the handling and safekeeping of cash and other assets. Depending on the size of the non-profit, anywhere from a few hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars could be on the line each day. For particularly large charities and associations, there is the potential loss of millions of dollars should the treasurer fail to perform their duties well.

The treasurer is also tasked with putting controls in place and monitoring and tracking cash and other assets to minimise risk, as well as forecasting cash flows and creating budgets, statements and financial reports. There is a myriad of rules, regulations, guidelines and best practices that treasurers must follow, as well as various deadlines for filings and reports.

Should a treasurer fail in their duties and not use due diligence and care, there is the potential for the treasurer, as well as the nonprofit itself and its board, to face various penalties, fines, and even possibly civil and criminal legal charges. This is not to mention the potential impact a mistake or error could have on the NFP’s service community and other stakeholders should the NFP become insolvent or not have enough remaining funds to provide all of its services and benefits.

Over time, the stress that treasurers typically face each day can lead to a number of serious conditions and illnesses, including high blood pressure, heart disease and even stroke. Stress also tends to increase the number of call-ins and sick leave taken at work, and, over time, can lead to burnout and job abandonment.

How to Beat the Stress and Get Relief

While the role of volunteer treasurer is a significant one, there are steps that treasurers and boards can take to relieve the stress and strain related to the role and its responsibilities. Apps and other tools that increase office productivity, and software that is cloud-based and fully automated, minimise the chances that data entry errors and other mistakes will occur. Automation also reduces the amount of time that it takes for volunteer treasurers and others to complete typical tasks associated with the role, which greatly increases the chances that filings and reports will be made on time.

Are you ready to reduce the time and difficulty that it takes to keep up with the books and all of your other duties as volunteer treasurer? Admin Bandit software comes with a free 55-day trial so that you can see just how fast and easy it is to fully automate many of your most time-consuming and stressful tasks and duties! Get in touch today to learn more about how cloud-based automation can help you beat the stress and get relief and go back to enjoying your life and your role as volunteer treasurer!