| Home | “This will stop the embezzling that is going on.” |
When I was the temple treasurer in Boston in 1976 (Aja Prabhu was
the temple president), I had the following letter from Śrīla
Prabhupāda posted on the wall of the treasury office (To find it in the Vedabase, search for “petty cash,” including the quotes):
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9 September, 1975 75-09-09 Los Angeles My Dear Satsvarupa Goswami: Please accept my blessings. … Also I want that all centers follow the following procedure for handling the money. Whatever income is there, every cent must be given to the treasurer. Immediately he records it in the book. Then daily he deposits everything in the bank. For the expenditures, he withdraws from the bank the petty cash by check signed by himself and the President. Then the expenditures are checked by the President to see how the money is being spent. The important thing is that all monies must be given to the treasurer and he records it and every day deposits everything in the bank. And whatever is spent that also is withdrawn from the bank. This will stop the embezzling that is going on. Please arrange for this and inform me. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs |
I couldn’t find it on the Vedabase, but another letter that
Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote on how to do the treasury was in 1970 to Śrī
Govinda Prabhu, then temple treasurer of ISKCON Detroit. Śrī
Govinda had written to Prabhupāda describing a petty cash system
involving little envelopes and slips of paper. Śrīla Prabhupāda
wrote back and said, as I recall, “What is the need for such a
system? Everything should simply be provided.”
It was upon the above stated instructions from Śrīla Prabhupāda that I based my running of the temple treasury in Boston, in 1976:
1. Every penny that anyone collected or received in any way must immediately be turned in to the temple treasurer and immediately deposited.
2. Every check was signed by both the temple president and the temple treasurer.
3. No one was allowed (including grihasthas) to have any of their own money.
4. No one, as far as possible, was given any money for anything.
5. Anyone who needed something purchased, simply filled out a slip of paper (one item per slip), deposited the slip(s) through a slot in the treasury office door, and then could pick up the item(s) the next day at the latest.
I kept very good books, sent monthly financial reports to the BBT headquarters in Los Angeles, did all of the shopping for the entire temple, including bhoga, every day, seven days a week, maintained and cleaned all of the half dozen or so temple vehicles, did all of the photocopying, mailing, banking, etc.
I turned this service over to Śrutakīrti Prabhu. Perhaps he might recall also.
My question is, “How many temples are still following these clear instructions from Śrīla Prabhupāda?”
Your servant,
Pratyatoṣa Dāsa
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