Volunteer Accountants

Accounting for International Development (A f I D) arranges voluntary placements tailor-made to fit your availability, skills and preferences. We are now supporting more than 150 NGOs and charities across 28 countries and we desperately need the assistance of more volunteer accountants to coach and mentor some amazing local people.

Candidates from all age ranges, levels of experience and specialisms are needed

Volunteer assignments last between 2 weeks and 12 months in length. They form part of an on-going strategy to build the financial management capacity and long term sustainability of development organisations across Africa, Asia and South America. These organisations, which include street-child centres, health clinics, international charities, social enterprises and microfinance institutes, are doing amazing work to tackle extreme poverty in their communities but sadly have little or no access to vital accounting skills and services.

Customisable Assignments range from 2 to 52 weeks with a focus on issues such as:

• Organisational needs assessment and internal audit
• Understanding financial statements
• Bookkeeping and cash management
• Creating, Monitoring & Evaluating budgets
• Cash flow forecasting
• Debt & credit management and control
• Internal controls and financial procedures
• Management information systems
• Training on accounting systems
• Division of staff duties and responsibilities
• Confidential tutoring of non-finance staff including members of the management committee
• Business development & young entrepreneur skills training

The need for skilled accountants is largely driven by a lack of training at local level, combined with the complex reporting requirements of overseas charities (donors). This is further complicated by the fact that these donors will typically restrict funding to individual projects and limit the allocation for core costs. When you are a headmistress, a doctor or a nun trying to run an small NGO with very limited resources, it can be very difficult to keep accurate records and perform your normal duties - with a different set of accounts, reports and sometimes bank accounts required by each donor, of which there can be many, the task becomes impossible.

Additional responsibilities may include;

• International donor reporting & relations
• Sourcing new local NGO partners
• Assessment & Implementation of financial controls & procedures
• Assisting partners with funding proposal budgets and assessments
• Teaching English, Sports & Microsoft Office i.e Excel & Word skills

To help volunteers prepare for the challenges and complexities they are likely to encounter, volunteer workshops are available with leading NGO sector trainer John Cammack. John has been involved with international development work for over 20 years, previously as Head of International Finance at Oxfam GB and then Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Financial Management at Oxford Brookes University.

Believe it or not it’s surprisingly easy for seemingly normal people to achieve amazing results, changing lives for the better. All you need is a little belief, the time and of course the will. We can’t promise to change your life for the better however we can guarantee a truly inspiring experience that you will never forget.

For more information on volunteering, including Volunteer Blogs, FAQs and partner details please visit our website www.afid.org.uk, e-mail your CV to info@afid.org.uk or call +44 (0) 208 741 7000

How to apply:

Please visit our website www.afid.org.uk, e-mail your CV to info@afid.org.uk or call +44 (0) 208 741 7000