Shalom House Inc

“The finance director and other agency staff members assist the auditing firm with preparation of the annual form 990. The finance director and accounting manager review a draft of the form 990 for completeness, accuracy, and reconciliation with the audited financial statements. They also review the narratives describing the agency's mission, programs, policies and procedures to ensure that they are up to date and accurate. The finance director then reviews the form 990 with the executive director. The agency's finance committee is charged by the board of directors with oversight of both the audit and the preparation of the form 990. All committee members have significant expertise and experience regarding financial and regulatory reporting. The committee members are provided with a draft of the form 990 for their review. Feedback from the members is collected by the committee chairperson, who then meets with the auditors and management, as deemed necessary, to resolve any questions or concerns. When the finance committee chairperson's review is complete, the form 990 is filed by the agency management.”

“The agency's directors are required by board policies to complete an annual questionnaire designed to identify any existing or potential conflicts of interest with the agency. These questionnaires are reviewed by the board president and the executive director. Any recommended corrective action, if necessary, would be brought to the board for discussion and final resolution.”

“Shalom house, inc., uses the maine association for non-profits compensation handbook to assess appropriate compensation levels and provide comparability data regarding compensation. The maine association for non-profits publishes its compensation survey bi-annually. The board of directors reviews and approves the total agency salaries (including executive director compensation) during the annual budget process. The agency benefits package is reviewed by the board as a part of the annual health insurance renewal; all management and staff are eligible for the same benefits in accordance with the personnel policies. The executive director and management team are charged with development of the specific positions within the agency, the job descriptions, and the appropriate salary range for each. These are reviewed by the board of directors as necessary as well as in conjunction with budget preparation.”

“Shalom house, inc., makes available, upon request, its form 990 and all other information and documents required by law to be available for public inspection. At this time there are no plans to include this information on the agency's website. Information may also be accessed on the internet at the guidestar.com website.”

“Shalom house, inc., does not have a formal policy regarding public disclosure of governing documents, policies, and financial statements. Requests for that information are addressed on a case by case basis by agency management.”

“The finance committee of the board of directors is charged with selecting the audit firm; final approval to engage the firm rests with the board. The finance committee is responsible for overseeing the audit and communicating with the audit firm, on the board's behalf, through its completion. The finance committee reviews and approves the audited financial statements prior to their presentation to the board of directors. These responsibilities and procedures have not changed from previous years. During the fiscal year the finance committee issued a request for proposal for audit services from several area audit firms and, upon review of the competitive bids, chose to retain its current audit firm.”