Nonprofit accounting is in a league of its own. It is different in a lot of ways, but I want to be clear that running a nonprofit is VERY much like running a business. In fact, if you don’t run it like a business, your organization won’t last long, or it will last but you’ll be funding it all with your own money.
If you’re a small nonprofit (under $50,000 total revenue for the year) and you’re interested in getting serious about your accounting needs, including setting up QuickBooks Online, you’ve come to the right place. You may not be in a position to hire a bookkeeper – it likely would not be a fiscally responsible thing to do with your organization’s money – but you probably recognize that you need a little help. How about enlisting a trusted advisor to help you get on the right track?
First, read this article about setting up QuickBooks Online for use in your nonprofit. It goes over how to set up your file and start using it.
Then, if you decide it’s too much for you to tackle, you can schedule a consultation (below) to get help. I’m currently the treasurer of a busy homeschool support group, so I’ve been in your shoes and I’ve felt that overwhelm!
Please note that nonprofits are my passion and in the spirit of that, my fees are reduced so I can try to help as many overwhelmed boards as possible without stretching myself too thin. Your organization must have 501(c)(3) status or have it pending with the IRS (this requires submitting a 1023-EZ). This will be verified before you’re invoiced for services.
There are three options for my nonprofit clients. These are special offers for 501(c)(3) nonprofits only (pending or already determined exempt by the IRS).
Nonprofit QuickBooks Online Setup Service
If you would like to cut to the chase and have me set up your QuickBooks file for you, please book a 15-minute call so I can gather the necessary info. This phone call is for the purpose of having me set up your QuickBooks Online file – it is not software training, and it does not include advisory services beyond what I think your file will require for setup. You will be sent a link to a pre-call information form as part of your appointment confirmation and you must fill that out ahead of time or else I cannot do the call.
An engagement letter and the exact fee amount will be sent by email after we discuss your needs on the phone call. My nonprofit QuickBooks Online Setup rate starts at $100, which is a discount of $50 off the normal QuickBooks Online Setup fee, and may be higher after we talk about what your needs are.
If you have general questions, please ask them before scheduling – hello at sixarrowsbiz.com.
Nonprofit QuickBooks Online Setup Consult
If you are looking more for advisory services and need a hand in understanding what it takes to set up your nonprofit accounting correctly, these are one-hour appointments and you can choose from just one or a set of four to help you through your first year.
You can schedule your first call by scrolling down on this page for my one-hour time slots.
Single Call
Receive a one-hour consultation to help you get set up on QuickBooks Online. The fee for this consultation is $75 and you will be sent a scope of work and an invoice prior to our call. You will also receive a short form so I can start understanding your needs.
What we will cover during your nonprofit QuickBooks Online consultation:
- A review of what your organization offers to the community
- How to best divide up and categorize your income streams and their corresponding expenses
- Which classes you could utilize in QuickBooks Online to help you get the best information out of the data
- Setting up products and services and mapping them to the correct income and expense accounts
- What your particular Chart of Accounts needs to include
- How to use QuickBooks alongside other software
If time allows, we can discuss:
- Best practices on segregation of duties to help prevent fraud and theft
- Budget creation for your general budget and also any classes
- IRS filing requirements
- Use of volunteers vs. employees and independent contractors
This is NOT a software training session. This is a brainstorming session that will give you the tools and knowledge to set up your QuickBooks file with confidence. If you have any questions about the scope of this call, please email me before scheduling at hello at sixarrowsbiz.com.
Set of Four Calls
Receive 4 one-hour consultations to give you the tools you need to use QuickBooks Online as well as help you gain an understanding of nonprofit accounting concepts. The fee for this set of consultations is $275 and you will be sent a scope of work and an invoice prior to our first call. This is a discounted rate for purchasing multiple sessions, and these can be used over the course of 15 months after the initial purchase, so there can be no refunds on unused sessions.
Ideally, the timeline looks like this:
- The initial call will be booked immediately and payment made. See above for what we will cover on the first call.
- A month or two after you’ve begun using QuickBooks Online, we will talk again and I’ll help you hone your workflow and ensure you’ve got things set up correctly.
- Around eight months after our first call, we will touch base again to tackle anything that’s come up since the last call.
- The last call will be around the time of your fiscal year-end so we can go over reports, budgeting for next year, and the narrative your treasurer will need to present at your annual Board meeting.
These are NOT software training sessions. The goal is to give you the tools and knowledge to set up your QuickBooks file correctly, begin using it as you feel out what suits your organization best, hone your utilization of it and put best practices into play, and create budgets and reports with confidence.
If you have any questions about the scope of this offering, please email me before scheduling your first call at hello at sixarrowsbiz.com.
I currently only work with nonprofits in Florida.