When Your Staff Make Purchases
Many congregational staff are responsible for purchasing items needed by their program areas or making arrangements to support their professional development. At this time of year, staff may be stocking up on supplies, expanding the music library, buying curricula, or signing up for a course or conference.
In some congregations, the staff member makes purchases with their own money and then gets reimbursed. But expecting an employee to pay out of pocket assumes a level of privilege that is far from universal. In effect, the staff member is being asked to provide an interest-free loan to the congregation. An employee may not want to admit to their employer that putting a purchase on their credit card could force them to pay additional interest or bring them scarily close to their credit limit – or that paying by personal check or cash could mean overdrawing on their checking account. Unfortunately, such things happen too often to staff of UU congregations.
Even when it's what some might consider a small amount of money, and even if the reimbursement turnaround time seems relatively short, please make sure that there is another way – for instance, through a credit card, a debit card, or a petty cash account. Creating policies and procedures that work for all staff, regardless of their financial circumstances, is a matter of economic justice and a way of countering classism in your congregation.
Are you a supervisor or head of staff? Please check that all staff who need to make purchases are given a way to do so that does not require them to use their own money. Advocate for new procedures as needed.
Are you a congregational staff member? Do not feel compelled to pay for congregational purchases up front. You do not need to explain your financial situation. It is enough to say that this is not something you are willing to do. For those comfortable and accustomed to using a personal card or your own cash or check, please remind congregational leaders that this isn't an expectation they should make of their staff. Consider declining to do it yourself, even if you are able to, until it is clear that there are alternatives for all staff.
Are you a lay leader with personnel or finance responsibilities? How can you work to make your congregation's purchasing policies and procedures work well for your current and potential staff?
