Bookkeeping for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nonprofit Accounting

If a donor does not restrict the donations they provide, that money can be added to your organization’s annual fund and used for overhead, programs, or any other expenses. Decimal is staffed with the best bookkeeping for nonprofits accountants who understand the specifics of non-profit bookkeeping. Our bookkeepers provide up-to-date financial statements, as well as helpful insights into your organization’s unique processes.

Managing your nonprofit means sticking to your plan to stay organized and run efficiently. Does your nonprofit have a dedicated team member with both the skillset and capacity to handle your accounting needs? Many small to midsize organizations struggle to find someone to fill this role. Actually, 18% of nonprofits listed limited staff as their greatest challenge in 2019. This means that finding someone to take on these responsibilities (especially as you grow) can be immensely challenging. Because nonprofits operate the same as a for-profit business, overhead is necessary for any nonprofit organization to function.

A Guide to Nonprofit Accounting (for Non-Accountants)

These financial reports provide essential information for your finance committee to rely upon during its quarterly, biannual or annual meetings to make high level decisions about the future of your organization. As part of your cash flow report, you need to account for any restricted https://www.bookstime.com/ grants so they can be separated in the cash accounts. A nonprofit’s statement of financial position is similar to a for-profit’s balance sheet. Unlike for-profits, a nonprofit does not have ‘equity’ but ‘net assets.’ Net assets are left after subtracting liabilities from assets.

Nonprofits must also track these types of donations so the funds can be matched. Paying attention to the fine details in the nonprofit bookkeeping process will make your organization Audit-Ready all year long, and your year-end process a dream. But if you’ve ever had an audit, you may have noticed that the auditors don’t spend much time with your income and expense accounts. Sure, they want to know about contributions of $5,000 and above, and they’ll pay more attention to restricted or government grants. When the application is approved, the IRS sends confirmation the nonprofit is exempt from federal taxes as related to section 501(c)(3).

The Basics of Nonprofit Bookkeeping

It should be based on a combination of your history, upcoming plans, and other factors as well. Every business, including nonprofits, must protect themselves from fraud. While you’d obviously like to trust everyone that volunteers or works for your organization, you cannot assume that you’re immune from these types of problems. Most nonprofits know that they’re supposed to keep track of monetary donations. While I never assume anything, I’m hoping that you’re already doing this. Both are reliable organizations where you can find the latest bookkeeping principles.

As the bookkeeper, you need a system in place that not only records a transaction; you need a system that helps you record every transaction. A missing transaction is a bigger problem than an incorrectly recorded transaction. Both of these positions are vital to your organization’s success, but they shouldn’t be lumped together. While a volunteer or staff member might be able to take on their organization’s bookkeeping duties, they’d be hard-pressed to take on an accountant’s responsibilities. Get the latest nonprofit news, funding opportunities, job openings, and more delivered to your inbox with Philanthropy News Digest newsletters. Join over 1 million businesses scanning receipts, creating expense reports, and reclaiming multiple hours every week—with Shoeboxed.

Nonprofit accounting: an overview

Depending on the size of your nonprofit organization and the number of transactions, it may be wise to do bank reconciliations once a month. That way, you’ll identify potential bank errors, help track cash flow, and prevent fraud. Bookkeeping for a nonprofit is vital because it proves how an organization is spending its funds. Learning how to do nonprofit accounting and understanding which statements a nonprofit needs to prepare is crucial for anyone who wants to run a successful nonprofit. QuickBooks offers a discount on its QuickBooks Online software through TechSoup.

For example, tax reporting can be an extremely complex process that must be taken care of error-free. Several factors will determine the expenses of bookkeeping for a small company or non-profit. Implementing internal controls and policies, your nonprofit can take the first step to protect itself against fraud. If you view reporting as a hierarchy, FASB reports fall higher on the spectrum than the GAAP reports. They follow the guidelines set by GAAP but are even more specialized. But lots of nonprofits forget to track other types of contributions.