Group Network Treasurers’ Survey
Compiled 21 May 2013
Contents
1
2
3
4
5
Executive Summary ......................................................................................... 2
1.1 Purpose of the survey ................................................................................ 2
1.2 Summary of results and recommendations ............................................... 2
1.3 Evaluation Methodology and Response Rate ............................................ 3
Data analysis ................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Information on current treasurers............................................................... 4
2.2 Feedback on current training and support on offer .................................... 6
2.3 Feedback on future training needs of treasurers ....................................... 8
Interpretation ...................................................................................................10
3.1 What can we tell about our treasurers? ....................................................10
3.2 What do they think of our current training and support? ...........................10
3.3 What training or support would they use if on offer? .................................11
Recommendations ..........................................................................................12
4.1 Plan, advertise and encourage use of existing training and support .........12
4.2 Developing new training and support........................................................13
Taking this forward ..........................................................................................14
5.1 Focus group ..............................................................................................14
–1–
1 Executive Summary
1.1
Purpose of the survey
The survey was designed to capture data on the network of treasurers1 in order to
establish learning and development needs, allowing the charity to be better placed to
make informed decisions on how to deliver financial training and support in the future.
The data gathering focused on three areas:
1. Information on current treasurers (length of service, skills etc.)
2. Feedback on current training and support on offer
3. Feedback on future training needs of treasurers (particularly the usefulness of
online/web based training).
The current training and support on offer consists of:




Face-to-face regional training days – these are usually based around four
hours of material and are booked by the regional and country teams when
they identify a need
Newly revised Treasurer’s guide
Treasurer’s resources webpage
Ad hoc support by phone, post and email
The survey made proposals for potential future training and support to gauge
interest.
1.2 Summary of results and recommendations
From the results of the survey we were able to see that the network of treasurers are
on the whole confident and experienced in their duties and committed (generally
staying in the role for a minimum of two years). The majority of treasurers are
computer literate and the guide is being widely used, which is very encouraging.
The guide has received wide praise and the face to face training sessions are seen
by nearly all as valuable, with attendees rating the content and delivery very highly.
The results indicate that if we can increase availability of sessions and encourage
more treasurers to attend the face to face sessions, the treasurers will be happier
and feel better supported.
Further to this, a majority of treasurers would like to see the introduction of a peer to
peer support network, and there is some interest in a DVD and interactive exercises.
Please note that the term ‘treasurer’ will be used to refer to the volunteer either in the post of
treasurer, acting treasurer, or contact responsible for finances for a support group
1
–2–
The key recommendations from this survey are as follows:
1. Development of a network of peer to peer support should be investigated
2. Formalise and advertise a regional calendar of face to face training sessions
3. Ensure that all treasurers are made aware, at the point of taking on the role, of
all of the training and support on offer to them
4. Clear information on budgeting and the Financial Framework to be added to
the Treasurer’s guide and incorporated into the current treasurer’s information
sessions
5. Development of some interactive exercises on key areas
For more information of the results, interpretation and for all recommendations please
see the corresponding sections of this report.
1.3
Evaluation Methodology and Response Rate
1.3.1 Methodology

Target: current treasurers for all Parkinson’s UK groups. There are
currently 365 treasurers - this survey contacted 320.

Format: a questionnaire created using SurveyMonkey that was sent out by
e-mail or post to treasurers.
o Where we had an email address for a treasurer, a link to the online
questionnaire was sent. Where we did not have an email, a paper
copy of the questionnaire was posted

Timing: first questionnaires sent out 21 February, with a deadline of 30
April 2013. The final batch of questionnaires (and reminders) was sent 19
April.
o So as to not impact on the Annual Financial Return process, the
questionnaires were only sent out to a group once all queries with
their financial return had been resolved.
1.3.2 Response rate
Results are based on 170 fully completed responses, representing 47% of our 365
treasurers.
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2 Data analysis
Questions on the survey were not compulsory, and many questions were skipped or
part completed. Unless otherwise stated, all percentages are based on the responses
to the question, and not the total number of returned surveys. Any question where
there were a significant number of missing answers will be highlighted.
2.1
Information on current treasurers
2.1.1 How long have you been a treasurer for Parkinson’s UK?
 59% have been held the position of treasurer for over two years
 83% have been in post for more than a year
2.1.2 Do you have any previous experience working with figures or finance?
 Percentages are based on the 167 responses to this question, and
respondents could select more than one answer
 High percentages of those that responded have experience in accounting
or finance
 Only 13.8% have no previous relevant experience
Type of experience
As a volunteer treasurer for another organisation
Other (please specify)
As an accountant (by qualification or experience)
As an employee in a bank
As a bookkeepers
No previous relevant experience
–4–
Percentage of respondents
38.9%
30.5%
19.2%
18.0%
16.2%
13.8%

‘Other’ responses included:
o Many stating they owned or were involved in management of a
business
o Work in insurance, civil service, as a civil engineer
o University degree in mathematics
2.1.3 Confidence Levels
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: I am
confident…
 99.4% either agree or strongly agree that they are confident with record
keeping
 99.4% either agree or strongly agree that they are confident with advising
and reporting to their group
 97.5% either agree or strongly agree that they are confident with the
internal control and financial procedures of their group
2.1.4 Do you use a computer (desktop, laptop or tablet)?

Majority of respondents use a computer

Of those that responded ‘no’ to using a computer:
o 64% had been in post for more than five years
o By percentage, they were more likely to have no previous financial
experience (27% vs 12% of those who do use a computer).
–5–

2.2
Of those that responded ‘yes’ to using a computer, the chart below shows
their confidence at using different applications:
Feedback on current training and support on offer
2.2.1 How would you rate the financial guidance and advice you receive?

85% think Group Network Finance team support good or excellent
o Of those that use a computer, 89% rate support good or excellent,
with 8% rating ‘fair’
o Of those that do not use a computer, only 60% rate support good or
excellent, with 30% rating ‘fair’
o Of the 7 respondents that rated the support ‘poor’:
 5 had not attended a treasurer’s information session and 3 of
these respondents had not been informed about a session in
their area
 6 had read all or part of the Treasurer’s guide and thought the
key sections were ‘useful’ or higher - only 1 had not read the
Treasurer’s guide

69% think regional team financial support good or excellent

Only 5 respondents (3%) to both questions thought the financial support
they receive from both the Group Network Finance Team and the regional
team was ‘poor’
–6–
2.2.2 When did you last attend a Parkinson’s UK treasurers’ training or information
session?

Of those that have not attended a session, why not?
o Percentages are based on the 72 responses to this question, and
respondents could select more than one answer
Answer Options
I had not been informed about a session in my area
Other (please specify)
I am not interested in attending a session
I did not know this was available
I work full-time
It was too far away to attend
I was booked to attend but had to cancel
I have booked to attend a session in 2013
Response Percent
37.5%
26.4%
20.8%
18.1%
18.1%
13.9%
2.8%
1.4%
o ‘Other’ responses included: time commitment related to being a
carer, “start time too early”, “too old and set in my ways”, and where
a treasurer has very recently been appointed

Of those that have attended, how would you rate the most recent
treasurers’ training or information session?
o 93.4% rated the relevance of content as excellent or good
o 90% rated the communication style as excellent or good
o 92.1% rated the competence of the trainer as excellent or good
o Comments included: “very helpful”, “trainer excellent”, “more focus
needed on areas of low confidence”, “fewer attendees would make it
easier to absorb more information”
–7–
2.2.3 Do you think a treasurers’ training or a financial information session is…?
 95.7% think training for treasurers is either helpful or essential
 Due to error with question formatting, treasurers were unable to tick more
than one option. Only 2.4% indicated that it would be useful for other
committee members, although comments supported this option as well.
2.2.4 Treasurer’s guide
 90% of respondents have read all or part of the Treasurer’s guide
o Of these, an average of 91% respondents felt that each of the key
sections were useful
o The ‘Handover’, ‘Reference guide’ and ‘Templates’ sections were
less widely used by respondents with 36%, 18% and 17% ‘not read’
respectively
o There does not seem to be a significant difference in usage of the
guide between those that use a computer, and those that do not
2.3
Feedback on future training needs of treasurers
2.3.1 Would you use the following learning and development options?


Treasurer’s guide and face to face training most sought after options
However, 55% would be likely to use support from other treasurers. This is
not currently available.
–8–
2.3.2 Financial framework training
 Percentages are based on the 166 responses to this question, and
respondents could select more than one answer
Answer Options
If a template and step-by-step instructions are added to
the treasurer's guide, this will be fine
None required - I am confident with this process
It would be useful for me if this was included in the existing
training
I would like to attend a standalone session on this
Other comments
–9–
Response Percent
51.2%
38.0%
26.5%
9.0%
9.0%
3 Interpretation
3.1
What can we tell about our treasurers?
3.1.1 What are their characteristics?
i.
Committed – the vast majority of our treasurers stay in the role for more
than a year, with the majority of treasurers filling the role for two to five
years.
o Conversely, 17% of our treasurers are ‘new’ (i.e. have been in post
less than a year) and so require a good handover
ii.
Skilled and experienced – they generally have some experience of
finances or bookkeeping, with close to 1 in 5 treasurers having worked or
qualified as accountants and only 14% stating they had no previous
experience
iii.
Confident – they feel confident in their ability to fulfil the three core duties
of the treasurer role
3.1.2 How confident are they with computers?
iv.
Computer literate – the majority (88%) of treasurers use a computer:
o In this area we can see that they are comfortable with email, the
internet and DVDs, but some will require support with Excel,
Powerpoint or Windows Media Player.
v.
Computer use will increase – there is a higher incidence of non-computer
use in those treasurers who have been in post for longer.
vi.
‘Off-line’ training required – importantly, those treasurers that do not use
a computer are also more likely to have no previous financial experience,
indicating that there may be a need for a greater level of training and
support.
3.2
What do they think of our current training and support?
3.2.1 What is their overall impression of our support?
i.
Excellent or good – the majority of treasurers are happy with the support
they are receiving from both the Group Network Finance and regional
teams
ii.
Our ‘online’ support is better – treasurers that use a computer are
happier with the support they are receiving than those that do not
iii.
The Treasurer’s guide is not perceived to be part of the support
offered – of those that consider the Group Network Finance team support
poor, the vast majority had read the guide and all of those thought the key
sections were useful
3.2.2 What do they think of the face-to-face training or information sessions?
iv.
Face-to-face sessions are invaluable – 96% of treasurers think training
either helpful or essential
– 10 –
v.
vi.
vii.
o Those who had not attended a face to face training were more likely
to rate our overall support as ‘poor’.
Training is excellent or good – vast majority of attendees happy with
content, communication style and competence of trainer
Divided attendance – there is an even split between those that have
attended recently, and those that have never attended
More needs to be done to advertise – of those that did not attend, over a
third had not been informed about a session in their area, and nearly 1 in 5
did not know face-to-face sessions were available
3.2.3 What do they think of the Treasurer’s guide?
viii.
Widely used – vast majority have read some or all
ix.
Clear and useful – of those that have read it, the vast majority think the
key sections are useful
x.
Templates not as widely used – higher percentage of treasurers said
they had not looked at the templates
3.3
What training or support would they use if on offer?
i.
Treasurer’s guide and face-to-face sessions – vast majority likely to use
o Of those unlikely to use the guide, they are unlikely to use any form
of support offered
o Of those unlikely to use face to face training: majority will use guide,
strong interest in support from other treasurers and some interest in
a DVD and interactive exercises
ii.
Support from other treasurers – next highest requested form of training
(with 47% of non-computer users likely to use)
iii.
DVDs – over 50% likely to use (with only 24% of non-computer users likely
to use)
iv.
Less likely to use interactive exercises – although around 40% of
treasurers would be interested
v.
More info on budgeting – need to increase the support around budgeting
and planning ahead of the Financial Framework.
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4 Recommendations
4.1
Plan, advertise and encourage use of existing training and support
4.1.1 Face to face training
Face to face training was considered invaluable by respondents, and received very
positive feedback from all attendees relating to content and delivery. The issue
surrounding face to face training is therefore increasing uptake and
participation.
We have seen that a large proportion of treasurers had not attended training, either
because they did not know about sessions taking place in their regions, or they were
not aware that such support existed. The survey has also identified that there are
regional differences.
As such, we need to:
 ensure that at least one information session date per region/country is set
well in advance
 create a calendar of the sessions planned, and circulate this to all the
regional teams
 promote and open all sessions to all treasurers, to make sessions more
accessible
 make all new treasurers aware, at the point of taking on the role, of the
sessions. If they are unable to attend the session in their region, or it is too
late in the year, they should be able to attend a session in another region
 Encourage all treasurers to attend a session at least once every three
years.
4.1.2 Treasurer’s guide and templates
The new Treasurer’s guide has been very widely read, received highly positive
feedback, and nearly all respondent indicated they were likely to use the guide in the
future. Whilst the majority of treasurers found the key sections useful, many also
thought there was room for improvement. Interestingly, the templates section,
including cashbook template, remittance advice etc was less widely used.
We know from the treasurer resources webpage that in a two month period there
were 198 downloads, with the three most popular being the cashbook (70 times), the
expenses claim form (41 times) and the budget template (31 times)
As such, we need to:
 make all new treasurers aware, at the point of taking on the role, of the
Treasurer’s resources webpage and the availability and benefits of using
templates provided
 keep key sections up to date and include additional information (e.g. the
Financial Framework)
– 12 –

use the sending out of updates to highlight key sections and their benefits,
such as the templates section.
4.2 Developing new training and support
We have seen that there is no real problem with focusing the development of our
training and support on computer-based methods, as long as we also make
provisions for those who do not use a computer.
Ranked in order of preference, treasurers would like:
 Treasurer’s guide
 Face to face training
 Support from other treasurers
 DVD
 Interactive exercises
Further to this, there is a need to include detailed guidance on budgeting and the
financial framework process within the current guide and face to face sessions.
4.2.1 Support from other treasurers
Benefits:
 Most sought after form of support that is not currently available
 Many treasurers are highly skilled and experienced, and peer support
would utilise this
 Potential to dramatically increase support available to treasurers
Challenges:
 Resource intensive to set up, establish and manage volunteer support
system
 Strong level of support and training from national office for the volunteers
recruited is vital to ensure information shared is correct and up to date
 Reasonable expectations and boundaries need to be set and
communicated to treasurers using this system, to ensure that the
volunteers recruited are not over burdened
 Capacity for national office staff member managing volunteers recruited
and capacity for volunteers recruited supporting treasurers
Summary:
A sought-after and high-impact approach. However, this is a new approach so could
take some time and resource to implement effectively. Once well-established this
may result in a relatively resource light approach to delivering support.
4.2.2 DVD
Benefits:
 Just over 50% of people are likely to use
 Useful as a handover document for new treasurers
 A quick and convenient tool for treasurers, enabling national office to
convey key information to those unable to attend face to face sessions
– 13 –
Challenges:
 Just under 50% would not use
 Large investment of time and resources: to plan content, development,
create and distribute
 Material would need updating over time, and this would similarly require
time and resources
Unlikely to be used by those who do not use a computer and those who are unlikely
to attend a face to face session. So these treasurers are still not being reached
Summary:
It would be a useful and additional tool to complement the face to face sessions.
However, it will require extensive planning and will be relatively costly. As only half of
treasurers would use it (and only 20% of the treasurers who would not attend face to
face training), there is no strong indication that a DVD would successfully ‘fill the gap’
left by other training and support on offer, but would predominantly be used by those
already receiving (or interested in) support of another kind.
4.2.3 Interactive exercises
Benefits:
 Around 40% of treasurers would use this
 There is already some content available, that could be adapted to do this,
so implementation would be relatively straightforward
 Complements existing training and support
Challenges:
 Unlikely to reach many of the treasurers not currently engaged with the
support on offer
Summary:
Will help to reinforce current training and support on offer, and can be added to
existing material.
5 Taking this forward
5.1 Focus group
32 people were interested in being involved in a focus group.
Additional input will be required from the Volunteer Learning and Development
Project Manager and the Volunteer management team.
– 14 –