Charities need expense rules that staff can find in seconds and auditors can test later. This template puts staff and volunteer limits, restricted-fund rules, approval levels and claim deadlines into one Google Docs file of seven pages. Each page covers one part of the policy: who may claim what, how volunteers are repaid, how restricted grants are protected, who signs off, and how claims are filed.

The sample follows Greystone Partners, a fictional nonprofit, and uses a $500 manager limit, meal caps, a $180 hotel cap and a 30-day claim window. The figures are examples, not advice. Replace the names, rates and approvers with your own, then delete any section you do not use, such as volunteer expenses if you have no volunteers.