Your First Month

Welcome to your first month using Jewel! In this section, we will discuss one of the most common duties you have as a treasurer - entering the church offering from week to week. We hope you will see how Jewel has made a fairly complicated process quite simple - it only takes a few steps to complete the offering every week. We will also discuss what you will need to do - and what Jewel does for you - at each month end.

The NextStep button in the center of your Jewel Home Screen is your guide through the monthly accounting process. The item listed beside NextStep will change according to where you are in the accounting process - reminding you of where you left off and what your next step is. During most of the monthly cycle, that next step is Start New Offering...

Receiving and Handling Offerings

Counting the Offering

Before you can enter an offering in Jewel, though, the offering must be counted. This is a critical step that must be done following Internal Controls to prevent dishonesty, help avoid accusations, and to catch potential counting errors. Dual Counting--having two people present whenever an offering is being counted--is a critical part of those controls. If you have any questions regarding safe, correct procedures for counting the offering, please consult your conference treasury or auditing department.

Start New Offering - Recording Offering in Jewel

To begin entering a new offering, click the NextStep button when it reads “Start New Offering.” In the window that opens, select the date the offering was collected. Jewel automatically brings up the offering date of the Sabbath after your last offering entry. If you need to change the date, use the up and down arrows or type in the appropriate date manually.

If you are not using the Deposit Slip feature of Jewel, enter the offering total here, as calculated by counting the offering, and then click OK. If you ARE using the Deposit Slip, click OK now and the offering total will be calculated in the Deposit Slip. The Deposit Slip feature can be toggled on and off by going to Maintenance -> Properties -> General tab.

If you are entering an AdventistGiving offering, simply click "Import Offering". You do not need to enter a date or a total, as Jewel will get those details from the import. Next steps for AdventistGiving imports are found here.

Deposit Slip

The deposit slip in Jewel is a great way to simplify the counting process. Once the envelope totals have been verified by counting their contents, you can use the deposit slip as a re-count of all of the cash and checks to ensure that no mistakes were made in the first steps of counting. You will come to a grand total, which should equal the total already arrived at by adding together the envelope totals.

On the Deposit Slip Screen in the upper left corner, note the offering date, date of deposit, and the bank you will be depositing into and change if needed. Now, notice there are columns for coins, bills, and checks. Enter in the total number of pennies, dimes, dollar bills, etc in the respective text boxes. Then type in each check, pressing enter after each to make a new field. Entering the check number is optional, but provides a better record on year-end donation receipts. As you see on the right-hand side of the screen, Jewel calculates a grand total for you. Compare this with the totals from the previous counting, ensuring that they are equal. Once finished, you can click Print Deposit Slip in the upper right hand corner, and use this deposit slip when depositing the money in the bank. When you have finished and printed, click OK. Like nearly everything in Jewel, if for some reason you need to make a change later, you will be able to do so until you have completed the month-end closing process.

Contribution Entry

In this step, you will be entering the data from each individual tithe envelope. Jewel will use this data to make financial reports (thereby keeping track of budget and cash flow) and to make receipts at the end of the year for each donor.

Follow these simple steps for entering envelopes:

1. First, select the donor. You can start typing in the name, or click the small down arrow at the end of the text box and select from the list. You can also add a donor by clicking the (+) sign next to the down arrow. Once have entered the new donor's information in the Edit Names screen, click OK to return to Contribution Entry.
2. Enter the amount of Cash and/or Checks included in this envelope. If you are using the Deposit Slip feature, Jewel will transfer the check numbers for you. Otherwise, enter them yourself. If you are entering electronic donations, use the Check field, and enter the source of the donation (AdventistGiving, etc) in the Check Number field.
3. Next, select the appropriate account(s) this envelope is for. As with selecting the donor name, either type in the account name (or number) or click the down arrow and select from the list. You can also Edit/Add accounts by clicking the (+) sign, which takes you to the Edit Accounts screen. Click OK to save changes, and you will be returned to Contribution Entry. After entering the amount donated, press Enter to open another account line.
4. Jewel will automatically start a New Envelope as soon as your account Running Total matches the Envelope Total. Jewel will not allow you to move to a New Envelope until those two totals match.
5. Follow these steps for all envelopes, being very careful to enter the correct amounts into the correct accounts. Once the Amount Entered (the total of envelopes entered) equals the Offering Total, Jewel will prompt you to proceed to Make Deposit.

Trial Deposit

If your envelope total equals the offering total, a trial deposit may not be necessary. However, if you're having trouble getting the Amount Entered to equal the Offering Total, Trial Deposit (in the upper right corner of the Contribution Entry screen) will aid you in finding the problem. Compare your paper envelopes with the list of envelopes entered into Jewel on the Trial Deposit screen. If an envelope was mis-entered, click on that envelope in the list, click Edit Envelope, and make your corrections. If the problem is the offering total, click Make Corrections. Then check the Edit box at the top left of the Contribution Entry screen to change the deposit total. Or click Edit Deposit Slip, if you are using that feature, and make your corrections there. Once you are satisfied that all data has been entered correctly, click Make Deposit.

Make Deposit

This step completes the process of entering your offering. When you click "OK", the Jewel software makes the appropriate accounting entries according to the envelopes you have entered. Jewel will enter the total into your checking account record, and distribute funds into your church and conference funds as indicated on each envelope. The envelopes entered will not actually appear on your records in Jewel until this step has been completed.

Review the information shown on the screen. You can click Make Corrections to go back to Contribution Entry. You can also change the deposit date, memo, and checking account information if necessary. If all information is correct, click "OK" to complete the recording of the deposit in Jewel.

Checks and Transfers

Checks and other Payments

In Jewel, all payments are made in the Write Checks screen, whether they are made via paper check, electronic transfer, or credit card. Checking the Electronic Payment box removes the Check Number field, so use that for anything that is not a paper check. Otherwise, fill out the check as usual. Note that the total check amount must equal the Running Total of the Accounts listed in the bottom portion of the check.

Checking the Print this Check box at the right means that the current check will be included the next time you click Print Checks. Whether this option is automatically checked or not can be toggled on and off in Maintenance -> Properties -> General tab.

Best practice is to enter all of your checks for the month before starting the month-end closing process. Doing this means that your Remittance check will be the last check written for the month, and that all checks will show on your Bank Reconciliation report. However, it is possible to enter checks at any time during the month, up until you Print Monthly Reports.

For more detailed information on entering payments, see Chapter 5.

Transfers

Jewel allows two types of transfers, both done in the Transfer Funds screen. You can transfer funds between two Bank Accounts, such as from checking to savings. Or you can transfer funds between two Local Funds, such as from Church Budget to Utilities. Use the Memo field to indicate the reason for the transfer, such as "Per board vote on 5/17/26".

Best practice for transfers is also to enter them before starting the month-end closing process, but they also can be entered at any time during the month, up until you Print Monthly Reports.

For more detailed information on entering transfers, see Chapter 5.

Month End

The great thing about Jewel is that you do not need to remember the steps to follow at the end of the month, because the NextStep button will guide you through them.

There are two ways to begin the month end process. The easiest and most common is that after you have clicked "Make Deposit" for the last Sabbath of the month, a text box will come up asking if you have entered all offerings for the month. Double-check the list, making sure to include AdventistGiving if appropriate. If all deposits have been entered, click 'Yes' to begin the month end process.

If you mistakenly clicked the wrong option, go to Offerings in the top menu bar, and select Start New Offering or No More Offerings This Month, depending on which you need.

Remit to Conference

Your NextStep button now says Remit to Conference. This is the point where you send the tithes and other conference funds to the conference. Under no circumstances are funds intended for conference use to be removed and used for local church purposes. Clicking Remit to Conference brings up the actual check or ACH remittance you will send in to the conference. Jewel has already calculated how much you owe the conference for this month, as well as how the funds are to be disbursed at the conference (note list of accounts with respective values in bottom half of check). You should never need to change the amount! Jewel automatically accounts for any corrections that have been made, NSF checks received, etc.

If you write your checks by hand, double-check that the Check Number is correct. If you send your remittance via ACH, check that the Electronic Payment box is checked. If you need to change one of these things, click Edit Check and make your change.

NOTE: The remittance check CANNOT be written under Write Checks, as Conference Funds cannot be selected in that screen. In the unlikely circumstance that you need to write a remittance check outside of the monthly cycle, you must go to Accounting -> Make Manual Remittance.

Send Remittance Report

If your conference uses Jewel as its official treasury software, your next step is to Send Remittance Report. This sends the breakdown of funds on the remittance check to the conference in electronic form. If you have not set up ACH with your conference, the report saves the them from having to deal with a physical report in addition to your physical check. If you have set up ACH, the report also tells the conference how much to withdraw from your bank account.

Make Budget Allocations

If you have set up a budget in Jewel, your next step will be to confirm those allocations for the next month. This screen shows the budget allocations that Jewel will make for the next month, based on what you have entered. Simply click OK to record the transfer. If you need to make changes, click Cancel, go to the menu bar at the top of the main screen, select Maintenance → Budget Allocations and make necessary changes. If you have not set up a budget, click the NextStep button anyway, then confirm that you wish to continue without setting up budget allocations.

Reconcile Bank Statements

The next step in the month-end closing process is Reconcile Bank Statements. The purpose of the Bank Reconciliation is to verify that your records in Jewel agree with what actually happened in your bank account. Reconciling makes sure that you entered all transactions to Jewel and that you entered them correctly, as well as giving you a chance to catch any errors the bank may have made, or any fraudulent transactions.

Please note that while best practice is to reconcile monthly before closing the month, it is not imperative to do so. If you cannot reconcile during your month-end closing for some reason, click Reconcile Bank Statements, then click Finished All Bank Reconciliations to move on to the next step in the closing process. Do reconcile as soon as you can, though, using the Reconcile link on the Jewel Home Page.

Here are the steps to follow when performing your Bank Reconciliation:

1. On the Jewel Home Screen, click Reconcile.
2. Double-click on the account you are reconciling, or select the account and click Reconcile.
3. Look at your Bank Statement and find the Ending Date. Make sure it matches the Ending Date pre-filled in Jewel. If the difference is only a few days, correct the date in Jewel. If Jewel's date is in the wrong month, figure out why by looking at Previous Bank Recs or contact technical support for help.
4. Look at your Bank Statement and find the Beginning Balance for this period. Make sure that it matches the Beginning balance pre-filled in Jewel. If not, contact technical support for help.
5. Look at your Bank Statement and find the Ending Balance for this period. Enter this amount in the Ending text box.
6. Compare the transactions on your Bank Statement to the transactions in Jewel. Every transaction on your bank statement should be recorded in Jewel, exactly as it appears on your bank statement. Work your way down the bank statement, matching each transaction with a corresponding transaction in Jewel, and checking off each transaction in Jewel as you find it.
7. When you have checked off a corresponding entry in Jewel for each and every transaction on the bank statement, the Difference in Jewel (just above the sunset picture) will be $0.00. Click OK to complete the Bank Reconciliation and print your Bank Reconciliation Report.
8. Repeat for each bank account needing reconciliation. Then click Finished All Bank Reconciliations to proceed to the next step.

If you wish to leave the reconciliation at any point before reaching a Difference of $0.00, click Cancel, then Yes to save your work.

If a transaction on the bank statement is missing from Jewel, it must be added. Follow the link to instructions for adding missing transactions here.

If the bank's transaction doesn't match what's recorded in Jewel, then Jewel must be corrected. Follow the link to instructions for specific corrections here, noting that the Bank Reconciliation screen has shortcuts to the Check and Deposit reports, to Write Checks, and to Make General Journal entry, which can help make corrections faster.

Print Monthly Reports

Next, a box will pop up stating that you are about to print monthly reports and close the month. Jewel is pre-set to print the typical monthly reports, which include: Financial Summary (month AND year-to-date), Contribution Report, Deposit Report, Checks Written Report, and Transfer/Allocation Report. However, you can always change which reports will print by going to Properties → Reports Tab (see Chapter 7). Check with your Church Board to find out which reports they require.

As noted in the pop-up, you cannot make any changes after the month has been closed. Make sure you have entered ALL contributions, and written all your checks for the month BEFORE completing this step. The only way to make corrections would be for you to make a correcting entry in the following month, or ask support for help.

Back Up Data

Your next step is to make a back up of the data you have entered for the month. This will ensure that, even if something goes wrong with the Jewel application or your computer, you will have your data stored elsewhere, so as to not lose it. Simply insert a USB drive (memory stick) into the appropriate space on your computer, then click Back Up Data by the NextStep button. Keep your USB drive in a safe place but NOT with the computer.

Send Backup to Conference

The last monthly step is sending a back up to your Conference server. This is one more assurance that you will not lose your data. Just click the NextStep where it says "Send Back Up to Conference", and your backup will automatically be sent. (If you bought Jewel independently of your conference, then your backup goes to Jewel's server. In this case it is not a report to your conference, but is still an extra assurance that your data will not be lost.)

FAQs

How do I set the backup path?

Insert your USB drive or other removable media. Then in Jewel, go to Maintenance → Properties → General tab and click Browse. Find and select the USB drive. Click Make New Folder, and name the new folder Jewel Backups. Click OK to select the backup path, then OK to leave Properties.

I accidentally closed the month too soon. Can it be reopened?

Yes. Contact your auditor/tech support. They can reset your NextStep button and allow you to finish and reclose the month.