Trust Isn't a Control: Protecting Your Organisation from Financial Misconduct

Trust is important in any organisation, but it shouldn’t be your only financial control. Financial misconduct, fraud and cyber-enabled scams can occur even within trusted, long-standing teams.

In this practical webinar, Brendan Lucas explores how boards and leaders can strengthen financial controls, identify warning signs earlier, and reduce opportunities for financial misconduct, with a focus on practical measures that work for not-for-profits, including organisations with smaller finance teams and limited resources.

In this practical webinar, we’ll explore how boards and leaders can strengthen financial controls, identify warning signs earlier, and reduce opportunities for financial misconduct — with a focus on practical measures that work for not-for-profits, including organisations with smaller finance teams and limited resources.

Attendees will learn about:

• Understanding segregation of duties and the risks created when one person controls multiple steps in a financial process;
• Strengthening payment approvals, supplier verification, and controls around changes to bank details;
• Using technology and system controls to create stronger oversight and clear audit trails;
• Identifying unusual transactions, financial variances, and other warning signs; and
• The board’s role in financial oversight and the questions directors should be asking management.

Brendan will also distinguish between preventive controls, designed to reduce the opportunity for misconduct, and detective controls, designed to quickly identify issues when something doesn’t look right.

The key message: trust your people, but design your financial systems so that trust is never your only form of control.

About the Presenter

Brendan Lucas is the Founder & Head of Strategy at Next Dimension Accounting, where he leads a specialist team supporting not-for-profit organisations with outsourced finance, bookkeeping, and strategic CFO services. Brendan founded Next Dimension Accounting with a vision to deliver high-quality financial expertise in a practical, collaborative, and accessible way. Today, he leads a team of accountants, bookkeepers and CFOs who partner with charities and purpose-driven organisations across Australia to strengthen financial governance, improve internal controls and provide greater visibility over their finances. Brendan works closely with boards, CEOs and leadership teams to simplify financial complexity, strengthen financial processes and reporting, and ensure the right systems and controls are in place to protect organisational resources. His approach extends beyond compliance, helping leaders better understand their financial information, identify risks and ask the right questions to support sound governance and confident decision-making. With extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, Brendan brings a practical understanding of the financial risks organisations face and the importance of balancing trust with appropriate oversight and accountability. He also remains actively involved in the community through volunteer leadership roles, including Chair of the Cronulla Sutherland Rugby League Referees Association. His commitment to ethical advice, strong governance and practical outcomes continues to shape the culture and approach of the Next Dimension Accounting team. Brendan is a Chartered Accountant, a Registered Tax Agent, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting).

When

Friday 04 September 2026 @ 1pm - 2pm (AEST)

What is included:

Everyone who registers for the webinar (even if you can’t make the live stream) will receive access to:

• A recording of the webinar*
• A PDF copy of the slide deck

*for up to one month after the live webinar date

Pricing
All amounts are in AUD

Individual (1 - 3 people): $79.00 per person
Whole board (4 - 10 people): $280.00 for the group
Max. group size of 10 ppl per group registration. Must all be from the same organisation