A Christian peer accountability group is scheduled to introduce itself to Jamaica this morning in an expansion of its mission to help churches aceoss the region better manage their financial and governance accountability systems.

Officials of the group, Caribbean Council for Ethical and Financial Accountability (CCEFA), will explain how it functions and the services it provides during a launch event at The University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters, starting at 7:00 am.

“It’s a kind of soft launch for awareness [and] pre-registration because we’re also using it to interest some possible board members and volunteers and so on, while at the same time letting the churches and denominations and ministry organisations know that we are here to help them in dealing with their compliance and set up their board, and income, attracting donor funds and so forth, how to handle all those things,” spokesman for the group John Rhoomes told the
Jamaica Observer on Monday.

Rhoomes, who is the regional facilitator for Global Trust Partners (GTP) in 28 Caribbean countries, is scheduled to be a speaker at the event. His GTP colleagues, Gary Hoag, president and CEO; and Horace Bennett, country co-ordinator, Jamaica, are also listed as speakers.

On its website GTP states that it “empowers national church and ministry workers to build trust and to grow local, generous giving to God’s work”.

Asked how he would respond to possible pushback from some churches that they already have accountability systems in place, Rhoomes said the feedback the group has been getting, especially since the Government implemented new rules for charities, is that some churches are not compliant.

“Most churches are having difficulty becoming compliant because of all that is required; most churches and ministries don’t have the resources,” he said, adding that just before he spoke with the newspaper he received a call from a woman who, after seeing the group’s interview on television, told him that she needed to be at the launch because her denomination and others she knows of need help in this area.

The Charities Regulations, 2022 was introduced to address the need for improved governance practices, financial accountability, transparency, and compliance with the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Terrorism Prevention Act.

The regulations require that charities register with the Companies Office of Jamaica; designate a compliance officer to oversee operations and ensure compliance with regulations; keep donation records for at least seven years; issue receipts for every donation; confirm the identity and good standing of donors; file annual returns and financial audits by March 31; file financial statements that are compliant with international financial reporting standards and signed off by an independent registered accountant/auditor; provide accurate information to donors and the public about the charitable purpose of donations, how donations will be used, and how donations are solicited; keep financial and corporate records; and allow the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies to audit their management, operations, finances, and accounts.

The Charities Act requires that churches which receive donations be registered.

Rhoomes explained that CCEFA will use qualified individuals to provide the required services to churches and he expects that today’s launch will bring some of those skilled individuals to the fore, whether as volunteers or paid professionals.

“They will be there to do the assessments and to provide help, and we have layers of accreditation where we — if we see where the organisation is moving in the right direction [and] needs some help — can even help to raise some money to move them along to the state of readiness,” he said.

“After accreditation it’s just a matter of monitoring, and while we are monitoring them we will help where we can. But here’s the real kicker: Once they become compliant and they have the stamp of approval from CCEFA, they become attractive to donors. So donors, seeing the stamp of approval, will know they have been accredited and therefore, without looking further, they often deliver the money for projects or just make contributions to those things you can prioitise,” he explained.

“And then we guide them in making sure that they produce the necessary reports on an annual basis. We re-accredit them each year — which is a simpler process, just part of the monitoring process — they pay a small accreditation fee, and they’re out there. So, it’s a win-win situation,” he said.

Today’s launch in Jamaica comes after CCEFA’s introduction in Belize and the Cayman Islands where, Rhoomes said, interest was high.

“Part of the issues with governance in churches and financial accountability is that where these things do not exist, you have split up of churches and organisations, and Belize has been having those kinds of problems,” he said.

“So, this was a wonderful opportunity for them to look to the future in terms of how they can develop standards and so on to ensure sustainable church development and church growth.

“In Cayman we met with the regulator of charities, and before hearing what we had to offer they indicated to us the kind of standards they were pushing for. It turned out that the standards were almost an exact match to the standards we were promoting, and they were very happy to know that… the church is thinking now of coming with its own
peer accountability group to monitor the ministries, and to do so in keeping with the regulations, so that they will see that the churches themselves are compliant with those regulations,” he told the
Observer.

He said that locally, CCEFA has had conversations with Jamaica Evangelical Association and the umbrella group of churches ,“And both these organisations are giving us the thumbs up.”

After Jamaica the group will be going to Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, Rhoomes added.