Volunteer Bookkeeper

Volunteer Bookkeeper

Organization: SAFE – Survivor Advocates for Empowerment

Position Type: Volunteer / Unpaid

Location: Halton Region, Ontario / Primarily Remote

Time Commitment: Approximately 2–4 hours per week, with some variation around month-end and year-end

Works with: Treasurer and SAFE's external financial partner, with access to professional accounting and controllership support

Anticipated Start: November 2026

Commitment: Ideally a minimum of 12 months

About SAFE

SAFE – Survivor Advocates for Empowerment is a survivor-led non-profit organization supporting and advocating for survivors of gender-based violence in Halton Region and beyond.

Created for survivors, by survivors, SAFE provides survivor-run peer support, education and advocacy informed by lived experience. We collaborate with organizations supporting people affected by gender-based violence and work to amplify survivor voices and experiences.

Our approach is compassionate, non-judgmental and survivor-led. We meet survivors where they are and follow what they need rather than deciding for them.

As a growing organization, we are strengthening our financial systems and infrastructure to support SAFE's next stage of development.

The Opportunity

SAFE is seeking an experienced, dependable Volunteer Bookkeeper to maintain accurate financial records and manage our routine bookkeeping processes.

This is an operational bookkeeping position and is not a Board or Treasurer role. Our

Treasurer provides financial governance and oversight on behalf of the Board, while the Bookkeeper maintains the day-to-day accounting records and performs assigned financial transactions.

You won't be doing this alone.

SAFE is establishing an ongoing relationship with an external financial partner that will provide professional accounting and controllership support.

The Volunteer Bookkeeper will work collaboratively with this financial team and will have access to both an Accountant and Controller for ongoing guidance, review and support with accounting matters, financial reporting, compliance and more complex financial questions.

This means we are looking for someone with solid practical bookkeeping skills, but we are not expecting our Volunteer Bookkeeper to be SAFE's accounting expert.

Professional accounting expertise, oversight and support will be available as part of the role.

Our financial structure is intentionally designed to provide appropriate support, accountability and separation of responsibilities:

Bookkeeper → maintains the books and performs routine financial processing

Accountant/Controller → provides professional accounting support, review, analysis and guidance

Treasurer → provides financial governance and oversight

Board → retains governance and fiduciary responsibility

Our outgoing Treasurer has also documented SAFE's current financial processes and will be available during the initial transition to help transfer knowledge to the new Bookkeeper.

What You'll Do

As SAFE's Volunteer Bookkeeper, you will be responsible for routine bookkeeping and financial recordkeeping activities. These are expected to include:

maintaining complete and accurate records in QuickBooks Online; recording revenues, expenses, payments, deposits, transfers and other financial transactions; ensuring transactions are appropriately categorized and supported by invoices, receipts or other documentation; preparing monthly bank reconciliations; preparing credit-card reconciliations;

maintaining organized electronic financial records and supporting documentation; preparing client invoices and recording payments received; monitoring accounts receivable and identifying outstanding amounts; preparing accounts payable and payments for approval;

preparing EFTs, e-transfers or other payments in accordance with SAFE's financial controls;

processing approved volunteer/committee payments and expense reimbursements; maintaining underlying HST records and supporting documentation; recording and reconciling donations;

maintaining accounting information relating to restricted funding, contracts or projects where applicable;

ensuring the books are complete and current for month-end reporting;

providing accurate and timely accounting records to SAFE's external financial partner; working with the Accountant and Controller to address questions, discrepancies or required adjustments; assisting the Accountant, Controller and Treasurer with year-end, reporting and other accounting requirements; supporting the preparation of information required for budgets and budget-to-actual reporting; and identifying discrepancies, missing documentation or unusual transactions and bringing them forward for review.

The role may evolve as SAFE's financial systems and processes mature and as recommendations from our external financial partner are implemented.

Professional Support Available to You

We recognize that a volunteer should not be expected to carry the financial responsibilities of an organization alone.

SAFE's Volunteer Bookkeeper will have the benefit of an established financial support structure.

Our external financial partner will provide access to professional accounting and controllership expertise, including support with accounting questions, financial processes, reporting, compliance, internal controls and other matters within their engagement with SAFE.

The Accountant and Controller will also review SAFE's financial information and work with the Bookkeeper to help ensure our records and processes support accurate and meaningful financial reporting.

The Treasurer will provide Board-level financial oversight but will not perform the Bookkeeper's day-to-day responsibilities.

This structure allows the Volunteer Bookkeeper to focus on what they do well— maintaining accurate, organized and timely books—while having experienced financial professionals available when additional expertise is needed.

What You Will Not Be Responsible For

We believe good financial stewardship includes clear separation of responsibilities.

The Volunteer Bookkeeper will not be expected to: