Nonprofits face unique accounting rules — fund accounting, restricted donations, Form 990. Here's how to handle it all without a full-time accountant.
Nonprofits follow different accounting rules than for-profit businesses:
Fund accounting is the core of nonprofit bookkeeping. Here's how it works:
Donations with no restrictions. The board decides how to spend them. Most general operating donations and individual gifts fall here.
Donations restricted by the donor for a specific purpose or time period. Example: A grant for a youth literacy program. You must spend it on that program. Once spent, it "releases" from restriction and becomes unrestricted.
Endowments and similar donations where the principal must be preserved forever and only investment earnings can be spent. Rare for small nonprofits.
If a donor gives you $10,000 for a specific program and you spend it on overhead, that's a breach of trust (and potentially illegal). Track restricted funds separately to ensure compliance.
Hivebooks lets you create separate entities or projects for restricted funds. See exactly how much of each grant or restricted donation has been spent, and generate reports for donors and grantmakers.
Start Free →Nonprofits categorize expenses into three buckets for reporting:
Costs directly related to your mission. For an animal shelter: veterinary care, food, supplies, adoption coordinators. For a literacy nonprofit: books, tutors, classroom space.
Goal: 60-80% of expenses should be program-related. Donors want most of their money going to the mission, not overhead.
General operations: executive director salary, accounting fees, office rent, insurance, legal fees, board meetings.
Target: 15-25% of total expenses. Too high and donors question your efficiency.
Costs to raise money: event expenses, donor management software, marketing, development staff salaries.
Target: 10-20% of total expenses. A fundraising expense ratio over 25% raises red flags.
Some costs (like the executive director's salary) span multiple categories. Allocate based on time spent: if the ED spends 60% on programs, 20% on admin, and 20% on fundraising, split the salary accordingly.
Track each donor, amount, date, and whether restricted or unrestricted. You'll need this for donor acknowledgment letters (required for donations over $250) and for relationship management.
Create a separate fund or project for each grant. Track all expenses against that grant. Most grants require detailed expense reports and proof of how funds were used.
Donated goods or services (pro bono legal, donated supplies, volunteer time). In-kind donations can be recorded on your books at fair market value, but volunteer time is NOT counted (GAAP rule). Track in-kind donations separately for your annual report.
A gala might gross $50,000 but cost $15,000 to put on. Your net revenue is $35,000. Record gross revenue and event expenses separately to show true fundraising efficiency.
If you charge membership dues, track them separately. Memberships are often partly donation (tax-deductible) and partly payment for benefits (not deductible).
"Is this volunteer appreciation dinner a program expense or admin?" "How do I record an in-kind donation?" "What about grant application fees?" Buzz — the AI in Hivebooks — helps you categorize nonprofit expenses correctly.
Try Buzz Free →Form 990 is the annual information return most nonprofits must file with the IRS. It's public — anyone can look it up on GuideStar or ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Your 990 is public. Donors, grantmakers, board members, and journalists read it. If your books are messy, your 990 will be too — and that damages trust. Clean bookkeeping makes 990 preparation straightforward.
Most grants require interim and final reports showing how funds were spent. Here's how to stay compliant:
When a grant arrives, set up a separate tracking mechanism (fund, project, or entity) in your books. Tag all related expenses to that grant.
Most grants come with a detailed budget (personnel, supplies, travel, etc.). Your books should mirror that budget structure. When the foundation asks for a report, you can pull expenses by category and compare to budget.
Grants are often audited. Keep receipts, invoices, timesheets, and vendor contracts for every expense charged to a grant. Digital storage (Dropbox, Google Drive) works fine — just stay organized.
When you spend restricted grant funds, "release" them: reduce the restricted fund and increase unrestricted net assets by the amount spent. This shows the restriction has been satisfied.
Commingling restricted and unrestricted funds leads to compliance violations. Use fund accounting to keep them separate.
Recording the ED's entire salary as "program expense" when they spend 30% of time fundraising inflates program percentages and misleads donors. Allocate shared costs accurately.
Donated goods and services strengthen your annual report and show community support. Track them even if they don't hit your bank account.
990 is due the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends (May 15 for calendar-year nonprofits). Miss it three years in a row and the IRS automatically revokes your 501(c)(3) status.
Nonprofits must have a dedicated bank account in the organization's name. Using a founder's personal account is a red flag for the IRS and donors.
Hivebooks supports multiple entities and projects — perfect for tracking restricted grants, program funds, and unrestricted operating money. Generate reports by fund, see program vs. admin expenses, and prepare for Form 990 with clean books.
Start Free →Free bookkeeping for nonprofits. Track restricted funds, program expenses, and grants. Built for 501(c)(3) organizations.
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