Administration & Forms

What You Need to Know Before You Spend Money on Behalf of a St. Mark's Parish Group

Whether you intend to spend your own money and ask for a reimbursement, or ask St. Mark's to pay for your expenditure directly, you need to know the following:

1. Please remember to obtain advance approval for your expenditure from the parish group on whose behalf you are making the expenditure. Please note that St. Mark's Bookkeeper cannot give you a check if your purchase exceeds the amount of money in your group’s account - even if the check is to reimburse you for an expenditure you have already made.
   
   
2. Please remember that St. Mark's is exempt from sales tax. While some vendors will be satisfied with a recitation of St. Mark’s “sales tax exemption number,” others will require a copy of St. Mark's Certificate of Tax Exemption and/or a letter on St. Mark’s stationary authorizing the purchase. The Parish Administrator can provide any of these items for you and can fax a copy of the certificate or a letter directly to the vendor. While savings from the tax exemption can be substantial, many parishioners would rather not take the time and trouble required to obtain the exemption. Please ask your group’s treasurer for advice. Please also remember that calling vendors ahead of time to ask what documentation they require can help save you time and that if you forget to ask for tax exemption at the time of purchase, some vendors will adjust their bill afterwards.
   
   
3. If you pay for your purchase with a personal check or personal charge account: Please complete a St. Mark’s Expense Voucher asking for reimbursement (directions are on the back of every Voucher) and forward it to the Bookkeeper with your receipt or invoice.
   
   
4. If you need a check from St. Mark’s for the future delivery of goods and services: At least two weeks before you need your check, please complete a St. Mark’s Expense Voucher asking for a check (directions are on the back of every Voucher) and forward it to the Bookkeeper.
   
   
5. If you wish to charge a purchase to a St. Mark’s vendor account (store charge):
   • Please do not use St. Mark's vendor charge accounts unless it is absolutely necessary.
   • As soon as possible after making your charge, please call or email the Bookkeeper and the Parish Adminstrator to notify them of the purchase so that the bill can be sent to you as soon as it is received. Please list the name of the vendor, the date and amount of purchase, and the goods or services purchased. (Please note that most vendors are unable to put your name or your group's name on their statements--even though they may say they can--so please do not rely on the vendor to tell Baxter House who made your purchase.)
   • You will be sent a copy of the vendor's statement as soon as Baxter House receives it. Please complete a St. Mark’s Expense Voucher to authorize payment of the bill (directions are on the back of every Voucher) and forward it to the Bookkeeper with your receipt or invoice as quickly as possible. Please remember that late payments damage St. Mark’s credit rating.
   
   
6. Please obtain the signature of your parish group's authorized signer on your Expense Voucher.
   • If you do not know who your group's authorized signer is, please call the Parish Administrator.
   • Unsigned Vouchers will be returned to you, which will delay your check.

Questions?

The Bookkeeper:

Warren O'Hearn
wohearn@hotmail.com

The Parish Administrator:

Susan Block
202/543-0053 ext 305
susan.block@stmarks.net