A nonprofit client with annual revenue of under $500,000 per year began working with Streamlined Accounting Strategies in 2011. The organization was using QuickBooks Desktop and a series of time-consuming manual procedures to perform routine bookkeeping. This created holes in the client’s audit trail, putting them at risk as an organization.

Our goal for this nonprofit was to reduce their overhead costs and ensure they maintained a clean audit trail going forward. We converted the organization to QuickBooks Online and started using a QuickBooks-compatible, cloud-based application to approve and process accounts payable. Partly as a result, iIn 2013, the organization was awarded a multi-year, $5 million federal grant. Streamlined Accounting Strategies worked closely with the nonprofit through the federal pre-grant audit, making sure all procedures were documented according to federal requirements.

We also created specialized reports, using QuickBooks Data, that produce the information this client needs to report its progress to the federal government each yearquarter. Building on the flexible base system initially created, we were easily able to augment our process to accommodate the client’s expanded reporting needs, incorporating cloud-based time tracking tools for staff and contractors to meet the requirements of the federal grant related to quarterly allocations of overhead and cost-sharing.

We recently worked closely with the client to revise their chart of accounts and class structure in QuickBooks to streamline the budgeting and reporting process. The client has successfully completed two federal audits and is about to undergo a third. Cloud-based tools have been indispensable in reducing overhead costs for this nonprofit and simplifying its reporting procedures. Happily, the organization has recently received additional private grants to expand its work to additional countries. Using the established accounting workflow, Streamlined is already prepared to track and manage expenses related to each new grant and contract.

“If your nonprofit works with Meredith and her firm, Streamlined Accounting Strategies, you can expect her to provide broad knowledge and lots of experience in the field. She has a feel for both systems and people. You can also expect her to guide you to cloud-based tools that will make your small nonprofit really efficient.”