Nonprofits
Fund accounting, Form 990 preparation, and board-ready financials for nonprofits across the Carolinas.
The Mission Comes First
Nonprofit leaders sign up for the mission. Feeding families, supporting a congregation, funding scholarships, preserving a community resource. The accounting is what comes with the territory, and it tends to get squeezed in between the work that actually matters.
The trouble is that nonprofit accounting is not the same as small business accounting. You have restricted funds that can only be used for specific purposes. You have grant reports with deadlines. You have a board that needs to see reliable financial statements every month. You have a Form 990 due each year, and missing it three years in a row costs you your tax-exempt status.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
Charities, churches, foundations, civic associations, and other 501(c) organizations across the Carolinas. Both organizations with paid staff and those run entirely by volunteers and a board.
What Makes It Different
What Makes It Different
Fund accounting separates restricted from unrestricted dollars. Donor records need to support contribution acknowledgments. Grant funds have reporting requirements tied to specific programs. Board members rely on the financials to govern, not just to know.
What We Handle
We set up QuickBooks Online so it actually works for a nonprofit. That means classes or locations to track programs, proper fund tracking for restricted contributions, and a chart of accounts that maps directly to the categories on Form 990. Done right at the start, monthly bookkeeping stops being a guessing game and the year-end filing falls out of the books with minimal rework.
We also prepare the Form 990 or 990-N when the time comes. Gina is an IRS Enrolled Agent, which means she can represent the organization directly with the IRS if questions ever come up. For organizations with grant funders or audit requirements, we keep records in the shape an auditor expects to find them.
Fund and Program Tracking
Fund and Program Tracking
Restricted contributions tracked separately so the dollars are spent on what donors and grantors intended. Program-level reporting so the board can see what each area of the mission actually costs.
Form 990 and Board Reports
Form 990 and Board Reports
Annual Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-N preparation. Monthly financial packets the board can read without a finance background. Statements of activities and financial position formatted the way nonprofits are supposed to present them.
Where It Goes Wrong
The most common problem we see is restricted funds getting mixed in with general operating money. A capital campaign donation gets deposited and used to cover payroll because cash was tight. It is rarely intentional, but it creates real exposure when the donor asks how their gift was used or when an auditor traces the spending.
The other one is the volunteer treasurer who tries hard but is stretched thin. Books fall behind. Reconciliations get skipped. The Form 990 deadline passes. Three missed years and the IRS automatically revokes the exempt status, and getting it back is paperwork no one wants to deal with.
Restricted Funds Not Tracked
Restricted Funds Not Tracked
Without proper fund accounting, restricted gifts and grant money blend into the general checking account. The organization loses the ability to report on how specific dollars were used, which damages donor trust and creates problems with funders.
Treasurer Turnover
Treasurer Turnover
Board treasurers rotate. Each one has a different system, a different spreadsheet, and a different way of doing things. Institutional knowledge walks out the door, and the new treasurer spends six months figuring out what the last one did.
Late or Missed 990 Filings
Late or Missed 990 Filings
Form 990 is due five months and 15 days after fiscal year-end. Miss three years and the IRS revokes exempt status automatically. Reinstatement is possible but costly and time-consuming.
Board Reports That Raise More Questions
Board Reports That Raise More Questions
Financials presented as a single bank balance or a basic profit and loss statement do not give the board what they need. Without program-level detail and fund balances, the board cannot govern with confidence.
What Changes
Board meetings get easier. The treasurer pulls up a clean financial packet, the numbers reconcile, and the conversation moves to mission and strategy instead of explaining last month’s discrepancies. New board members come up to speed faster because the records actually tell the story.
Grant reports and donor acknowledgments come out of the system instead of being rebuilt from memory. The Form 990 gets filed on time every year. When a major donor or a foundation asks how their funds were used, the answer is in the books and easy to produce.
Audit and Funder Readiness
Audit and Funder Readiness
If your funders require audited financials or a reviewed statement, the records are already in the shape an auditor expects. Less back-and-forth, lower professional fees, and less stress for the staff and board.
Continuity Through Board Changes
Continuity Through Board Changes
The bookkeeping does not depend on which volunteer happens to be treasurer this year. The systems and records stay consistent so new board members inherit something they can actually use.
Trusted Accounting for Small Businesses
First Step:
Start With a Call
Tell us about your business and what you need help with. We'll ask a few questions, evaluate your current situation, and let you know how GMJ can support your books, taxes, and day-to-day operations.
