Primary Policies and Procedures of The Orthodox Church in America

Effective November 27, 2005

THE METROPOLITAN.

On a day to day basis, the Metropolitan, as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America will review and approve all expenditures of the church.

THE CHANCELLOR.

All finance and expense requests are to be submitted through the chancellor's office. The chancellor will discuss each item with the treasurer who will then forward them on to the Metropolitan for his review and approval.

THE TREASURER.

As one of the Officers of the Church, the Treasurer shall be directly responsible to the Metropolitan.

The work of the Treasurer shall be conducted in a manner independent from any other Office or Officer of the Church other than the Metropolitan.

In his management of the financial affairs of the Church, the Treasurer shall also be responsible and accountable to the Holy Synod of Bishops, the Metropolitan Council and the Auditors elected by the All-American Council.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for insuring that all expenditures are properly pre-approved and comply with the limitations imposed by the Annual Budget established by the Holy Synod and Metropolitan Council.

All checks and transfers shall bare the signature of the Metropolitan and Treasurer, unless otherwise determined by the Metropolitan.

THE COMPTROLLER.

The Comptroller shall function directly under the authority of the Treasurer.

At the direction of the Treasurer, he shall be responsible for executing the day to day financial activities of the Treasurer's Office.

He shall be assisted by all members of the chancery staff involved in any way in the area of finance who shall be responsible to him unless determined otherwise by the Treasurer. The Metropolitan shall reserve final authority in all financial matters managed by the Treasurer's Office.

PROPOSALS FOR MAJOR EVENTS, MEETINGS AND TRAVEL

All proposals for major events, meetings and travel, must be submitted in writing to the Chancellor well in advance. The Chancellor will forward the request to the Treasurer, who will in turn present the request to the Metropolitan.

Lodging and travel expenses for members of our Church traveling on our behalf, and the lodging and travel expenses for individuals or groups coming as guests of the Church, must be planned well in advance.

In both cases, such proposals should include (1) a proposed list of participants, (2) the cost of registration, airfare, lodging and meals (if not covered by hosting Church or organization), (3) what gifts, how many, and the cost.

Airfares should be booked as far in advance of an approved trip as possible to avoid higher fares for late bookings. Visas should also be obtained well in advance of trip. Air flights should be booked in coach class unless authorized otherwise by the Metropolitan.

Authorized travel should be arranged through the auspices of FOS Tours unless it is deemed in our best interest to do otherwise.

The per diem allowance for food should not exceed $35 to $40.

All travel should be substantiated with receipts and relevant documents. Tips should be appropriately modest and recorded in a short summary. Materials should be submitted within one week of return to the Treasurer's/Comptroller's office.

Gifts to dignitaries, etc. in foreign countries or those visiting the Orthodox Church in America shall be determined by the Metropolitan.

All checks shall be issued to a payee. No checks will be made payable to a third party for conversion into cash.

Charitable gifts destined for foreign institutions or dignitaries on behalf of the Orthodox Church in America shall be transferred from our Operating Account to their respective banking institution.

In very exceptional cases where it may be deemed appropriate to distribute charitable gifts in cash especially during travel abroad, the transfer of the gift from the United States must comply with US Government regulations concerning such matters. In this case, the receipt of cash gifts must be verified in writing by the recipient. This verification shall become a part of the financial records of the Orthodox Church in America.

Reimbursements related to major events, meetings and travel shall be rendered by the Comptroller on behalf of the Treasurer only after receiving proper receipts or documents substantiating the expense are received.

Checks shall be made payable to chancery personnel for such purposes only with the approval of the Metropolitan.

The use of personal credit cards for Church-related activities without pre-approval may result in non-payment of the expense.

The Primary Policies and Procedures listed above is an initial attempt to apply some of the generally accepted standards used by other not-for-profit entities. As determined by the Metropolitan Council, "Best Practices for Financial Accountability" will serve as our standard for reviewing our present Primary Policies and Procedures in the future, and in adjusting and expanding them as appropriate to our activity.