Monthly bookkeeping starts at $300. Final pricing depends on account activity, reporting needs, the condition of the existing records, and the responsibilities included in your service agreement.
Clear pricing before work begins
A clear point of contact
Work with us from anywhere in the U.S.
Know what is included before service begins
Donations and contributed revenue
Keep individual donations, recurring contributions, fundraising proceeds, sponsorships, and other contributed revenue consistently organized.
Grant and program-related activity
Preserve useful information about grants, funding sources, and program-related expenses when those responsibilities are included in the service scope.
Administrative and operating expenses
Keep routine operating costs separate and consistently categorized so leadership can more easily understand how resources are being used.
Financial information for leadership
Maintain records and reports that are easier for executive directors, treasurers, boards, and tax professionals to review.
Donations and Contributions
Nonprofits may receive revenue through individual donations, recurring contributions, fundraising campaigns, sponsorships, grants, and other sources. These transactions should be recorded consistently so reports provide a meaningful view of organizational activity.
Restricted and Unrestricted Funds
Some contributions or grants may include donor-imposed restrictions on how money can be used. When applicable, the bookkeeping structure should preserve the information needed to distinguish restricted activity based on the documentation the organization provides.
Programs, Administration, and Fundraising
Leadership may need to understand how resources are being used across programs, general administration, and fundraising activity. A consistent chart of accounts and classification process makes those expenses easier to identify and review.
Grant and Funding Activity
Organizations receiving grants may need records that make it easier to identify revenue and expenses associated with particular funding sources. The bookkeeping setup should support the organization’s practical reporting needs without forcing every nonprofit into the same structure.
- Review and categorization of agreed nonprofit transactions
- Reconciliation of included bank and credit-card accounts
- Recording donations and other revenue according to the agreed bookkeeping structure
- Tracking agreed grant or funding activity when included in the service scope
- Maintenance of an organized chart of accounts
- Review of transfers and transactions requiring clarification
- Monthly profit-and-loss or statement-of-activities reporting, as appropriate
- Balance-sheet or statement-of-financial-position reporting, as appropriate
- Follow-up communication regarding missing documents or unanswered questions
- Organized bookkeeping records that are easier to provide to your CPA or tax preparer
Additional services when needed: Cleanup, catch-up bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, migration, and other responsibilities can be quoted separately and included when they are specifically listed in your service agreement.
Statement of Financial Position
Provides a view of assets, liabilities, and net assets at a particular point in time. A consistent bookkeeping structure helps make the balances easier for leadership and tax professionals to review.
Statement of Activities
Shows revenue and expenses during a period and helps leadership see how the organization’s financial activity changed. The usefulness of the report depends on transactions being classified and reconciled consistently.
Internal Management Reporting
Depending on the bookkeeping setup and service scope, additional reports may help leadership review programs, funding sources, or other areas that matter to the organization.
Bright Trail can help keep financial information organized for regular leadership review, but we do not replace the organization’s board, grant administrator, CPA, attorney, or other professional advisers. Reporting requirements that involve legal, tax, audit, or grant-compliance interpretation should be reviewed with the appropriate professional.
The goal is to make year-end handoff easier: reconciled accounts, more consistent classifications, clearer supporting records, and fewer unresolved bookkeeping questions for your tax professional to sort through.
Donations are being recorded inconsistently
Different types of contributions have accumulated without a consistent method of classification, making monthly reports harder to interpret.
Restricted activity is difficult to identify
The bookkeeping system does not clearly preserve available information about donor or grant restrictions, so leadership has difficulty seeing which funds are available for general use.
Programs and operating expenses are mixed together
Leadership cannot easily understand where organizational resources are being used because program, administrative, and fundraising activity is not classified consistently.
Accounts have not been reconciled
The balances in the bookkeeping system do not clearly agree with bank or credit-card statements, leaving uncertainty about whether transactions are missing or duplicated.
Prior periods contain unresolved activity
Old transactions, opening-balance issues, uncategorized activity, or missing documentation can make current reporting more difficult until earlier periods are reviewed.
Cleanup or catch-up bookkeeping can be quoted separately when prior records need attention before recurring monthly service begins. The initial review helps determine what needs to be corrected and what can remain part of the normal monthly process.
1. Information Is Gathered
Statements and requested documentation are provided through the agreed digital process.
2. Transactions Are Reviewed
Revenue, expenses, transfers, and other activity are reviewed and categorized using the agreed bookkeeping structure.
3. Accounts Are Reconciled
Included bank and credit-card accounts are compared with statements so recorded activity can be checked for completeness.
4. Questions Are Resolved
Bright Trail provides a clear list of items requiring clarification, supporting documents, or an owner or leadership decision.
5. Reports Are Prepared
Financial reports are provided according to the timing and responsibilities established in the service agreement.
Community Nonprofit Organizations
Charitable Organizations
Foundations
Membership Organizations
Arts and Cultural Organizations
Youth and Educational Organizations
Animal Welfare Organizations
Churches and Faith-Based Organizations
Churches and faith-based organizations can have additional bookkeeping needs related to offerings, designated funds, ministry activity, payroll, and reporting. The initial review is used to determine whether the organization’s current structure fits Bright Trail’s service scope.
What is nonprofit bookkeeping?
Nonprofit bookkeeping is the process of recording, categorizing, reconciling, and maintaining an organization’s financial activity while preserving information relevant to contributions, grants, programs, operating expenses, and other nonprofit-specific activity.
How is nonprofit bookkeeping different from small-business bookkeeping?
Both require organized transactions and reconciled financial accounts, but nonprofits may also need to distinguish funding sources, donor restrictions, programs, grants, fundraising activity, and other information important to nonprofit reporting.
Can you track restricted funds?
When the organization’s bookkeeping system and available documentation support it, restricted activity can be tracked as part of an agreed bookkeeping structure. The exact method depends on the organization’s funding sources, documentation, and reporting needs.
Can you help with grant bookkeeping?
Yes, bookkeeping can be structured to help identify agreed grant-related income and expenses. Grant compliance requirements themselves should be reviewed with the appropriate grant administrator, CPA, attorney, or other professional when necessary.
Does Bright Trail prepare Form 990?
No. Bright Trail Bookkeeping does not prepare tax returns. We maintain organized bookkeeping records and financial reports that your CPA, enrolled agent, or tax preparer can use when preparing required filings.
Can you help if our nonprofit books are behind?
Yes. We can review the condition of the existing records and determine whether cleanup or catch-up bookkeeping is needed before ongoing monthly bookkeeping begins. That additional work is quoted separately.
Do you work with nonprofits outside Kentucky?
Yes. Bright Trail provides remote bookkeeping services to qualifying organizations throughout the United States. Routine communication, document sharing, monthly bookkeeping, and reporting can be handled remotely.
How much do nonprofit bookkeeping services cost?
Recurring monthly bookkeeping starts at $300 per month. Pricing depends on factors such as transaction activity, the number of financial accounts, reporting needs, grant or fund tracking requirements, and the other responsibilities included in the service agreement.
