Donors, grantors, boards of directors, and regulators all expect a full accounting of how your organization uses money. Fund accounting is an accounting method that groups assets and liabilities according to the functional purpose for which they are to be used.

It keeps restricted and unrestricted funds separate for nonprofit accountability and management.

You will be able to manage, prepare and maintain fund balance reports manually or with a computerized accounting system. Prepare for A-133 audit requirements of some non-profit organizations depending on size of federal funding, and prepare and support grant fund allocations for funding sources. You will also learn to provide fund reports to management, auditors, funding sources and the board of directors, work with the executive director and project managers in understanding the financial aspects of the program and become aware of the need for budget revisions.

Most all Funding sources (Grant providers) have very specific reporting requirements in accounting for funds you have received from their sources. These funds are generally obtained from a Federal, State, Local government and/or private sources designating your funding as the administrator of these grants.

The skills and information you will get from this guide will help to ensure you are prepared for your A-133 Audit, provide documentation of receipts and expenditures for your funding sources, provide the organization with invaluable information on the performance of your programs, and help to determine when budget revisions are required. Accurate accounting for funds received can be a determining factor in ongoing funding for your programs; therefore, it is imperative that the methods used to account for grant funds received are in compliance with the guideline set by the governing entities and/or funding sources in the case of restricted funds received from private donors.

As an accounting professional, executive director, board member or project manager you will greatly benefit from the information contained in this guide.

Included are worksheets that you can use for your organization or use to prepare preliminary information to be transferred to an electronic system of accounting and document maintenance such as Excel or Word and others.

About the Author

The author, M. Letha Daniels began her accounting career in 1973 in the for-profit Corporate America.

She has spent 17 years working for major companies in the food industry, manufacturing, distribution, and the financial industry and moved from entry level accounting positions to Mid-West Regional Budget manager in a major communications corporation.

One of her positions with a prominent Accounting firm was with a non-profit agency. She found that she enjoyed non-profit accounting and was blessed with the ability to understand the process of non-profit accounting, compliance, and systems and unlike many in the field she has been able to accomplish her goals to contribute to the non-profit community thru accounting.

As an accountant, she worked with non-profit organizations providing services that include A-133 audit preparation, organizational compliance with OMB and other regulating agencies including compliance with GAAP and FASB regulations. With a programming background she specializes in setting up and implementing accounting systems and processes specifically for fund/grant accounting.

She has been fortunate in participating and managing in various areas of non-profit operations, program management, finance, accounting, and ongoing concerns in helping to ensure compliance and success of reaching and maintaining the goals and missions of the organizations she has managed.