Monthly bookkeeping · Restricted fund tracking
Your donors deserve to see exactly where their money went.
Clear, careful bookkeeping that separates every restricted and unrestricted fund — so your trustees, supporters, and board can follow the money without having to ask.
What this service delivers
Orderly books that your whole board can trust
With proper fund tracking in place, something shifts. Your treasurer stops second-guessing the numbers. Your board chair can answer a donor's question without having to chase records for a week. Your grant-makers see accounts that make sense — and come back.
Fund separation that holds up
Restricted grants and general donations stay clearly apart. No accidental mixing, no awkward explanations at audit time.
Monthly records you can actually read
No impenetrable spreadsheets. Each month you get a clear picture of where things stand — income, spending, and remaining fund balances.
Confidence for your committee
When the numbers are clean and well-explained, your volunteer finance committee can focus on governance — not on chasing down transaction details.
What often gets in the way
The bookkeeping situation that grew harder to manage
Many small and mid-size charities start out with a spreadsheet and good intentions. For a while, it works. Then a new grant comes in, a volunteer changes, or the year-end suddenly feels close — and the records quietly become a source of unease rather than confidence.
Restricted and unrestricted funds ending up in one pot
It happens gradually. When records are combined, it gets hard to explain to a grant-maker what their money actually funded — even when nothing was misused.
The treasurer who left without a handover
Volunteer-run organizations know this one well. When the person who understood the system moves on, you often inherit records that are incomplete or inconsistently organized.
Year-end that feels like a scramble
When monthly records haven't been kept consistently, pulling together accounts for the regulator becomes a stressful reconstruction rather than a straightforward task.
Board members who can't quite follow the numbers
If trustees can't easily read the financial reports they're responsible for, it creates a quiet anxiety — and makes it harder to make good decisions as a board.
How Reckonly approaches this
Bookkeeping built around how charity finance actually works
Charity bookkeeping isn't the same as business bookkeeping. Restricted funds, project codes, grant conditions, volunteer expenses — these need a specific approach. We've been working in this space for years and we understand its patterns.
Fund-by-fund tracking as standard
Every fund — whether restricted by a grant condition or held as unrestricted reserve — is tracked separately from the start. You always know what's available for what purpose, and so does anyone who reviews your accounts.
Monthly reconciliation, every month
We reconcile your accounts each month rather than leaving things to accumulate. This keeps the records accurate in real time and means year-end is a calm review, not a marathon catch-up.
Notes written for trustees, not accountants
We document what matters in plain language. When a trustee or committee member has a question at a board meeting, the answer should be findable quickly — without needing to interpret technical jargon.
Comfortable working alongside volunteers
Volunteer treasurers and finance committee members often have limited time and variable backgrounds in finance. We work at a pace that suits your setup — patient, clear, and without any expectation that you already know the terminology.
What working together looks like
A steady rhythm, month after month
Bookkeeping works best when it's consistent — not done in bursts. Here's how we keep things on track together, month by month.
You send us what came in and went out
Bank statements, receipts, donation records, grant drawdowns — we'll tell you exactly what we need and how to share it. There's no complicated system to learn.
We code, reconcile, and track by fund
Every transaction goes to the right fund and the right category. If anything is unclear — an unusual payment, a donor condition we need to check — we'll ask rather than guess.
You receive a clear monthly summary
A summary showing income and expenditure by fund, running balances, and any notes worth flagging to your board or committee. Readable, not overwhelming.
Year-end is straightforward
Because the records are up to date throughout the year, there's no scramble in March or whenever your year-end falls. The figures are already there, organized and ready.
Investment
What this service costs — and what it covers
Charity Bookkeeping & Fund Tracking
Ongoing monthly engagement
$210
per month
The monthly fee covers all the bookkeeping work described here — no surprises and no separate charges for routine questions. If your organization's situation changes, we can discuss whether the scope needs to adjust.
What's included each month
- Full categorization and coding of all transactions
- Separation and tracking of restricted versus unrestricted funds
- Bank reconciliation
- Monthly financial summary for board or committee use
- Plain-language notes on any items worth flagging
- Availability to answer routine bookkeeping questions
- Records kept tidy and ready for year-end
This service is suited to small and mid-size charities. If you'd like to discuss whether it fits your organization's size and situation, we're happy to talk it through first.
How it works in practice
What tidy books actually change for a charity
Good bookkeeping is quieter than it sounds. When it's working well, you don't notice it — things just flow more smoothly. Here's what that tends to look like over time.
Within the first month
Records are set up cleanly with funds separated and a consistent coding system in place. Your starting position is clear and documented.
Over three to six months
Monthly summaries become a regular part of your board cycle. Trustees stop asking where the restricted grant money went — because it's already visible in the report.
At year-end
Pulling together the annual accounts is a much calmer process. The figures are already there, organized throughout the year rather than reconstructed under pressure.
A note on realistic expectations
We won't promise to transform your entire organization. What we can offer is accurate, well-organized records — and the steady professional support that comes from having someone who understands charity finance looking after your books each month. The value tends to become clearest when something unexpected comes up: an audit, a funder query, a board question. That's when good records pay for themselves.
Our commitment to you
No locked-in commitments before you're ready
Starting something new with a professional service should feel safe, not pressured. Here's how we think about that.
Start with a conversation, not a contract
We begin with a short, no-obligation call to understand your situation. There's no pressure to sign up immediately — and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so honestly.
Clear scope, no hidden additions
We agree on exactly what's included before we start. If something falls outside that scope, we'll discuss it before taking it on — not add it quietly to the bill.
Your records stay yours
Everything we produce is your property. If circumstances change and you want to move the bookkeeping in-house or to another provider, your records will be organized and ready to hand over.
We reply to questions personally
When you have a question about a transaction or need something explained for a board meeting, you'll hear back from a person — not an automated response system.
How to get started
Three steps to tidy books
Getting started with proper fund tracking doesn't require a long process. Here's how it typically goes.
Drop us a message
Use the contact form to introduce yourself and your organization. A few sentences is plenty — we don't need a lot to get started.
A short call to understand your setup
We'll talk about your organization's size, how your funds are structured, and what you're currently finding difficult. No obligation.
We agree on scope and begin
If we're the right fit, we set up the fund structure, agree on what you'll send us each month, and get started with the current period's records.
Ready to have bookkeeping you feel settled about?
Send us a short message about your organization. We'll read it carefully and let you know honestly how we can help — no pressure, no obligation.
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