What does church or nonprofit bookkeeping help cost?

Three flat-priced ways to work together: the $59 Fund Accounting Kit (or $179 with a 45-minute walkthrough of your books), Cleanup + Training with a written SOP manual (flat quote, typically $1,500–$3,000; training-only from $750), and the Month-End Check from $150/month — you keep the books, we check them. A limited number of fully-handled engagements are also available, from $450/month.

Do you understand fund accounting and restricted donations?

Yes. Our practice keeps the books for an active church in Montana: designated funds, donor restrictions, set-asides, and board reporting are our normal monthly work, not a specialty we look up.

Do you work with churches outside Montana?

Yes. We serve the Bitterroot Valley and Missoula area in person and churches and nonprofits anywhere in the US remotely.

Services · Churches & nonprofits

Fund accounting, in plain English — so the mission stays the main thing.

Nobody joins a church board or starts a nonprofit because they love designated funds and donor restrictions. Our practice keeps the books for an active church in Montana, so I know exactly what your treasurer is carrying: every dollar has strings, every decision needs a clean answer, and the annual meeting is always coming. We teach the person who carries it — and check their work every month.

Kit from $59 · training with SOP manual · month-end check from $150/mo

Sound familiar?

The treasurer inherited the books, and every month takes a full weekend they don't have.
Nobody is quite sure which money is restricted, designated, or actually available.
The board gets a P&L that answers none of their real questions — so meetings run long and decisions stall.
A fund went negative once, and it still makes everyone nervous.
The books live in one volunteer's head, and that volunteer would like their evenings back.

What we bring, whichever way you work with us

True fund accounting — every fund tracked separately: restricted, designated, and general, with nothing quietly borrowed between them.
Board-ready treasurer reports — a one-page format your board actually understands: where every fund started, what moved and why, and what's truly available. Done by the 10th, before the meeting.
A treasurer who can breathe — the how-to taught openly, a written SOP manual for your church, and a professional checking the work monthly so nobody carries the fear alone.
Giving and payroll handled right — donor recording, staff and clergy payroll quirks (yes, including housing allowances), and clean year-end statements.
A judgment call away — "can we use this money for that?" answered by someone who works these questions every month, not a search engine.

Three ways to work together — and what they cost

Do it yourself

The Fund Accounting Kit — $59

The workbook and 7-page guide: funds setup, transaction log, automatic fund summary, and a treasurer report that checks itself against the bank. Add a 45-minute walkthrough of your church's actual fund setup for $179 total.

Get set up right

Cleanup + Training — flat quote

Books cleaned and reconciled, funds set up correctly, your treasurer trained one-on-one, and a written SOP manual so it stays clean — typically $1,500–$3,000, with 30 days of email support. Training-only from $750 if the books are already clean. Details →

Keep it checked

Month-End Check — from $150/mo

You keep the books; each month we verify the reconciliation, tie every fund to the bank, and check the treasurer report before the board sees it. Details →

Rather hand the books off entirely?

Our main work is teaching treasurers and checking their books — most churches are best served keeping the books in-house, with training and a monthly check behind them. But we do keep a small number of fully-handled engagements: the complete monthly close from $450/month, or the fractional controller tier ($950–$1,800/month) with budget support, cash forecasting, and a standing call before every board meeting. Subject to availability — the fit call is the place to ask.

Whether we do the books or teach yours, the goal is the same: a board that trusts its numbers.

Questions, answered

What does it cost?

Everything is flat-priced: the Fund Accounting Kit is $59 ($179 with a books walkthrough call), Cleanup + Training runs on a flat quote — typically $1,500–$3,000 with the SOP manual, or from $750 training-only — and the Month-End Check starts at $150/month. Fully-handled bookkeeping, when available, starts at $450/month. You'll have your exact number in writing after the free fit call.

Do you actually know fund accounting?

It's our normal monthly work, not a specialty we look up. Our practice keeps the books for an active church in Montana: designated funds, set-asides, and monthly board reporting are our normal rhythm.

What software do you support?

QuickBooks Online with class or fund tracking is home base, and simple setups on other platforms can work too. If you're on software that fights you, we'll say so at the fit call and price the move.

We're not in Montana — does that matter?

No. The Bitterroot Valley and Missoula get in-person service; everyone else gets the same monthly rhythm remotely. The board report reads the same either way.

Why hire an outside bookkeeper instead of a member?

Arm's-length books protect everyone. When the person reconciling the accounts isn't in the pews or on the board, the treasurer's report carries more weight, awkward questions get asked freely, and no volunteer friendship is riding on the numbers.