Non-profit organizations should maintain administrative documents alongside the documents that regulate internal procedures, including those related to health and safety, rights and grievances, child protection, and communications.

In this context, our site discusses how to write financial documents, and the tips provided earlier for writing various internal documents can also be applied here. However, before we begin drafting the internal law, you will first need to find the appropriate template, as well as a collection of papers, pens, and sticky notes for brainstorming, and some time to conduct simple research.

  1. Find a template:

Just like writing administrative documents, using ready-made templates makes it easier to accomplish these tasks.

While the spirit of managing non-profit organizations differs slightly by country, the regulations and financial services available in those countries may vary due to certain legal points. However, these templates play an important role in shortening the path and saving time.

  1. Don't forget to work with the principle of keeping the document concise, attractive, and simple:

This principle is very important when writing documents related to internal procedures because individuals cannot deal with documents they do not understand; recommendations must be clear and concise for a person to remember the content of the document.

It’s worth noting that some people might unintentionally ignore directives simply because they weren't clearly written, or because important points got lost among many pages. While it may be necessary to write certain official documents strictly and legally, applying this method to internal procedures could have adverse results. The main purpose of using language is to enable people to understand it easily.

  1. Practice brainstorming to anticipate worst-case scenarios:

Most internal policies are set as a preventive measure. As long as individuals follow the rules, the worst-case scenarios can be avoided. To write an internal system that achieves this goal, it is essential to take the worst potential scenarios into account.

Practicing brainstorming sessions with colleagues is one of the best ways to do this, and it is also useful to involve long-time volunteers in your organization. Then think of all the things that have happened in the past that relate to financial procedures, and question what prompted you to write this document? Have you lost money in the past? Or has your organization's credit card been misused? Or was the organization's card stolen? Or does it take too long to sign checks? If you have had negative experiences in the past, record them.

Then distribute sticky notes to the team, and give them enough time to brainstorm potential risks in certain aspects or weaknesses related to financial procedures. At the end of this task, stick those notes on a sheet on the wall, and group similar sticky notes together. The more similar the content of those sticky notes, the more it indicates an interesting flaw in your organization that more than one person has noticed.

  1. Preventive measures:

Once you have completed some research on potential risks present within your organization, it is time to search among those templates and ensure they address the aforementioned issues. After compiling the challenges your organization may face, you can summarize your major concerns in the form of statements, then identify some strong, effective preventive measures, and finally ensure that the written procedures include these measures.

  1. If the worst happens

If you have established internal procedures to avoid worst-case scenarios, only a few may be effective. Therefore, it is essential to include some details regarding the actions to be taken if that procedure is breached, such as indicating who should be notified when a violation occurs, how they should be informed, and the method for resolving disputes should one arise regarding the content of the procedure.

  1. Subject the procedures to testing, observation, and review:

If you are satisfied with the internal procedures you have prepared, and they appear readable, logical, and legal, you can put them to the test and monitor them to verify their robustness and clarity.

To achieve this goal, you can envision some scenarios, or listen to some scenarios from people around you, or refer back to events that occurred in the past. Ask yourself: If this procedure is followed, will that scenario occur or not? If it cannot occur, what are the reasons? If the violation happens, what are the expected damages? How can they be avoided? What is the most suitable procedure for handling them?

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Site: Know How Nonprofit