How-To Guides

A step-by-step guide to building a fund-based nonprofit budget — separating restricted and unrestricted revenue, allocating indirect costs, projecting cash flow, and tracking variances monthly.

A step-by-step guide to gathering financial data, completing key sections, and filing Form 990 with the IRS.

How to set up a nonprofit chart of accounts with net asset classes, functional expense categories, fund codes, and Form 990 mapping — including a standard account numbering template.

A step-by-step guide to setting up fund categories, coding transactions, reconciling balances, and preparing compliant reports for restricted donations and grants.

A guide to the four required nonprofit financial statements — Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, Statement of Functional Expenses, and Statement of Cash Flows — with example structures and Form 990 alignment.

How to design and implement internal controls for a nonprofit — segregation of duties, dual authorization, bank reconciliation, fund access restrictions, board review, and annual testing — with practical advice for small organizations with limited staff.

A practical guide to migrating from QuickBooks to nonprofit fund accounting software — auditing your current setup, exporting data, mapping Classes to fund codes, handling beginning balances, and running parallel systems before cutover.

Fund accounting tracks each designated pool of money as a separate accounting entity. This primer explains why nonprofits need it, how it differs from standard accounting, and what to look for in software.

Most nonprofits track grants in spreadsheets or disconnected grant management tools. The right approach is fund accounting software that treats each grant as a restricted fund with its own balance and budget.