Did you know that you can use your accounting data to estimate your schools' carbon footprint? While carbon accounting may feel new, the demand for it is quickly increasing, with many organisations and schools throughout New Zealand enjoying numerous benefits, from cost savings and resource optimisation to enhanced reputation through environmental responsibility, just to name a few. The good news is you don’t have to have all your ducks in a row to get started! Xero simplifies carbon accounting with its selection of excellent apps (carbon calculators) available via the online app store, providing you with a streamlined and transparent way to measure and manage your environmental impact. Simply connect a carbon calculator app to your Xero account, and let it do the hard work for you. Easy! Visit apps.xero.com to explore the carbon apps available in your area. Once you understand your carbon footprint, you can start working on plans to reduce and offset your emissions. Learn how to do this at Xero's #SustainableBusiness hub: https://www.xero.com/us/sustainability/small-business/ ?

Did you know that the Ministry of Education has a schools buying team that can help your school save money and time, while also reducing risk, when buying goods and services? This service can assist your school with: - Joining and using the Ministry's wider Government common goods and services contracts for purchasing of printing equipment, office supplies, banking services, vehicles, IT hardware, and more. - Finding the 'right supplier' for the 'right price' when purchasing many other goods and services, like bus transport and uniform apparel. If you would like to learn more or have any questions about purchasing goods and services, you can contact the Ministry at school.buying@education.govt.nz, or you can access their website by visiting the link below. https://www.education.govt.nz/.../buying-goods-and.../

Did you know you can customise your Xero Dashboard? With the 'Edit Dashboard' feature, you can easily rearrange or remove irrelevant tiles. To edit the tiles on the Dashboard, click ‘Edit Dashboard’ in the top right corner. From there, drag items to your preferred position or select “Hide” or “Show” to adjust visibility. In addition to this, you can also reorder your school's bank accounts so that the ones you use the most are at the top. To do this go to 'Accounting' - 'Bank Accounts' and use the arrows on the bottom right hand corner to move the accounts up and down. 

View our Chalkboard - March 2024: - 2023 Annual Accounts - Important Notices - Banking Reminder - Accessing Higher Interest Rates - WRPPA Conference: 4-5 April 2024 Tākina Convention and Exhibition Centre - Xero Tip of the Month: How to Customise Your Dashboard in Xero - Looking ahead https://public2.bomamarketing.com/email/XGMn

Planning a school fundraiser can be a challenging and daunting task, requiring both time and effort. From brainstorming ideas to working within your budget, there are multiple factors to consider. However, at Accounting For Schools, we believe that with the right guidance and support, this process can evolve into a rewarding and successful experience. Below, we've compiled some insightful tips to assist you in planning and executing an effective school fundraiser. Whether you're aiming to raise funds for a specific cause, school improvements, or extracurricular activities, these tips will help you maximise your efforts and achieve your fundraising goals 1. Start at the end: When you're planning your fundraising, a good place to start is by working out your outcomes. What do you need to raise money for? How much do you need to raise and what are the end goals? 2. Make the budget work: Work out your budget (we can help you with this) and generate ideas that will work with it. If you are on a shoestring budget, then low or zero cost fundraisers like sponsored walks could be a step in the right direction. 3. Be resourceful: What resources do you have access to? Pull out those inventories and consider any resources you can use to generate income. 4. Choose a type of fundraiser to meet your schools needs: With your objectives and audience in mind, it’s time to determine what strategy works best for your needs. There are multiple different ways of fundraising, each of which has its own distinct pros and cons. From product sales like cookie dough and spices to dedicated events like car washes, casino nights, and auctions, and even online crowdfunding, knowing which avenue best suits your needs and capabilities is essential for success. Consider combining multiple approaches to diversify your reach, and be prepared to continue to innovate and refine in the future. 5. Think strategically: When you have an idea you like, work out what the return on investment is. Calculate the number of attendees you aim to attract and multiply this against the amount you hope to raise per person, then deduct any estimated costs. Is this fundraiser likely to achieve your targets? If not, you may need to revise the idea or explore other fundraising channels instead. As well as generating income through entry fees, stallholder fees, raffles, tombolas and through any products or services you sell, you could also appeal for donations. 6. Add extra value: Can you raise attainment as well as raise money? If you can add educational value to your fundraiser then you really are on to a winner! If for example, your school needs to boost literacy levels then a scrabble tournament or story evening could be just what you need.

Overexposure to fluorescent or low quality lighting is harmful to employees and impacts their performance. Many people suffer from headaches, migraines, and vision problems from looking at computer screens all day under poor lighting conditions. This reduces their performance by making them uncomfortable, and it can also cause trouble sleeping which contributes to overtiredness at work. Natural lighting is known to enhance the quality of energy and sleep for people in the workplace. Incorporating sufficient natural light and optimising working space around windows will improve conditions and productivity for your staff.

As a proud sponsor, Accounting For Schools is excited to announce our attendance at the upcoming Wellington Regional Primary Principals Association (WRPPA) Conference on April 4-5, 2024! If you plan on attending too, we would love for you to stop by and reconnect with us at booth #25. While there, you can grab some of our delicious fan-favourite chocolates and fantastic new product giveaways! This year, we'll be bringing a large variety of goodies, ranging from awesome Xero gear to our popular AFS products, such as our native seed kits, reusable toggle bags, and hard copies of our newly released Board of Trustees Finance Handbook. We'll see you there! 

For some time now, Xero has offered its users two invoicing options: classic invoicing and new invoicing. However, in line with its ongoing commitment to innovation and to make way for enhanced features and improved functionalities, Xero has announced that it will retire the classic invoicing option, effective September 2, 2024. We understand that change can be an unsettling thing, but we assure you that Xero's new invoicing option is packed with time-saving tools designed to make invoicing more efficient. While some things may look a little different, all of your settings and invoice templates will seamlessly carry over. If you are not already using new invoicing, now is the perfect time to make the switch. By familiarising yourself with the new version early on, you'll have plenty of time to adjust and get comfortable with the new interface. How do I make the switch: You can make the switch to the new version of invoicing by clicking on the 'switch to new version', button in classic invoicing. You can also switch back to classic invoicing until it's retired, giving you the flexibility to choose which version works best for you. Xero also offers helpful resources and support to guide you through the transition process. What features can you expect in the new version? Xero is continuously working on adding new features to the new version of invoicing. Before the retirement of classic invoicing, they will be incorporating many of the features that are currently available in classic invoicing, such as the ability to copy invoices to other documents, create overpayments, and view detailed history and notes. Additionally, there will be exclusive features in the new version, including more flexible invoice customisation tools, improved email templates for faster payments, and an easier way to personalise payment methods directly from your invoice. We're here to help: If you need any assistance with the transition, please don't hesitate to contact our team on 04 909 7729. We're here to help.