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Debit card for our charity?

Hello -please move this to another forum if you think it would help. I am a trustee of a charity employing one person. She needs to purchase things frequently like craft materials/books/shelving and son on. In the past this was fine, most people took cheques, but now she could do with a debit or credit card as any items she buys online or from a big retailer she has to use her own money and claim back on expenses. This isn't ideal. Problem is like most charities our constitution says we need 2 signatures for authorising spending money. Modern retailing just doesn't suit this. Any ideas on how we can make things easier for her - and us - what do others do? Any bank accounts that might work for us? All ideas welcome!
Thanks very much

Comments

  • Might be better to ask in the Charities / Small business sub forum, this one's more for people doing fundraising.

    The Small Biz & Charities' MoneySaving Board
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27
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  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 45,938
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    Who is your organisation's bank account with, and do they offer a business credit card?

    It's not ideal, because as you say, it doesn't require two signatures.

    The alternative, if she's willing, is to use a personal credit card and submit a claim for that each month. If she keeps it for work spending it can work quite well.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • Hi
    We're with a Clubs and Community groups style account at Yorkshire Bank. They do offer a business account, but will charge for it - currently we pay no charges. If we want a card, however we have to change our constitution, which is the difficulty!
    I wondered about a personal card, but although this might suit her, new or subsequent staff won't always be able to or want to have a credit card.
    Thanks for the help, though
  • If the signing instruction for your organisation is for 2 or more to sign withdrawals then you can't have a card or full internet access to make payments.
    You can change the bank mandate but you always run the risk of having one rogue member doing the dirty on you.
    The post about using a personal credit card then claiming the money back is the best option so far.
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 45,938
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    The problem you're going to have is the 'two people to authorise' thing - unless you set up credit accounts and get invoices from suppliers, that is not going to happen, BUT do you have a petty cash system? You might argue that small sums are allowable from Petty Cash (although they will always be verified by another person afterwards), or for spending on a business credit card (again with another person checking that all payments made on it were valid, or you can get business prepayment cards (treat it like petty cash, load it up, get purchases checked and approved later).

    Our charity has the same 'two to sign' requirement, BUT we do use business credit cards, which only need one person to authorise. However a manager checks and signs off our statements, and we have to sign when we get a card to confirm that we understand that any personal use will be gross misconduct.

    We do get any large expenditure pre-authorised, so you could set limits on its use?

    We bank with Unity Trust, btw. Not all banks have 'two to authorise' for online banking, but they do.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,055
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    If the signing instruction for your organisation is for 2 or more to sign withdrawals then you can't have a card or full internet access to make payments.

    The Barclays Internet runs on a two to sign basis - the first person makes the payment which is on hold until the second person completes the payment process.
    Never pay on an estimated bill
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