Finance and Business Blog

If you run your own nonprofit, you know how important good accounting is, but may be wondering what practices you should implement. Since nonprofits have unique tax requirements, keeping up with finances is essential to your organization’s success. Take a look at three ways you can easily handle your nonprofit’s accounting.

1. Try Cloud-Based Technology

If doing all of your bookkeeping on paper sounds like a hassle, consider using cloud-based technology like mip fund accounting. With everything in one place, you’ll be able to track your income, report expenses and manage your finances without having to flip back and forth through paper records.

2. Create an Annual Operating Budget

The best way to keep a handle on your finances is to create a thorough budget. Your budget helps you allocate your resources ahead of time and can be your guide to staying on the right financial track. You’ll want to create a budget each year, and list out your expected income sources and expenses. Be sure to take into account what your goals are for the year, how much achieving those goals will probably cost and whether you expect to have the income to pay for everything. As you move through the year, you can compare your actual income with your expectations and adjust the budget accordingly.

3. Use a Separate Bank Account

Make sure you have a dedicated bank account, separate from your personal one, to handle all your professional transactions. Using your personal bank account for these purposes can cause you a headache later on as you try to disentangle your finances, so separating them now can actually save you time later on. You may also want to ask whether you can get a checking account tailored specifically to nonprofits.

Accounting is essential to the health and success of any nonprofit organization, and it doesn’t have to be as complicated as it might sound. Try these tips and you’ll be setting your organization up for a financially sound future!

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