The "A" TEAM — (Front row) Kristie Shapiro, Dolores Coleman, Marlene Bradley, Judith Arnheim. (Back row) Donna Johnson, Barry Holmes, Valerie O'Dell and Graham Goffin. — Photo by Colleen Brescia

Financial wizardry streamlines PEF
Meet the ‘A’ team

By DEBORAH A. MILES
If you think of accountants as traditional bean counters, you need to take a closer look at the innovations being implemented at PEF. The Accounting Department is shifting direction, streamlining the way it does business, and increasing how it supports PEF members and staff.

“Instead of reacting to financial demands, this department’s philosophy is to be proactive,” said Graham Goffin, PEF’s director of finance.
What that means to members is more support service and an easier way for divisions to keep the books in order, all, of course, with a click of the mouse.

New banking solutions
Goffin said the department, which operates under PEF Secretary-Treasurer Arlea Igoe, is in the final stages of developing a new banking solution.

“It will dramatically reduce the work divisional treasurers are required to do, while simultaneously allowing them to earn interest income in their accounts.

“This is a radical departure from the way we are currently conducting business,” Goffin said. “Almost everything will be done electronically. Division leaders will receive electronic debit cards and that information will feed into our system. We will be able to monitor everything while offering more support service to division members, such as writing checks, preparing financial reports and setting-up automatic bank deposits.”

A lot of the support service comes from Goffin’s staff. The accounting department includes Judith Arnheim, an accounts receivable clerk; Marlene Bradley, payroll clerk; Barry Holmes, bookkeeper; Donna Johnson, accounts payable clerk; and Valerie O’Dell, staff accountant. The department also includes a Divisions Unit with divisions information account clerk Dolores Coleman and divisions information assistant Kristie Shapiro.

“These people are very hard-working, focused and member-service orientated,” Goffin said. “They have very defined roles and responsibilities, but there is some cross-training in the event we need someone to fill in.

“We view the PEF organization as a whole and are always looking for solutions to improve our service,” Goffin said.

Sign-up for direct deposit
Since PEF has the ability to directly deposit money into an account, Goffin said it makes life easier for divisions and convention delegates. This year, instead of receiving a stipend check, delegates can sign-up for this service on the PEF Web site under ‘PEF documents.’

“Offering them one less trip to the bank to deposit a check is something we can do,” Goffin said.

And for PEF staff, life will be made easier with electronic timesheets in the near future.

Goffin said the department’s goals are to reduce administrative burdens, increase productivity and increase information access for improved decision making and planning for members and staff.

Now that’s a lot more than just counting beans.

The Communicator April 2007

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