Catch-Up Bookkeeping for Nonprofits
Your mission matters. Your bookkeeping shouldn't slow it down.
Board meeting with no financials? Grant deadline with incomplete records? 990 filing with messy books? We catch up nonprofit bookkeeping in 3-7 days for $69-$99 per month of catch-up.
See My Price →Takes 2 minutes · No card required
Why Nonprofit Bookkeeping Falls Behind
Mission Over Admin
Every hour on bookkeeping is an hour not on your mission. When choosing between running a program and reconciling accounts, the program wins — and the books wait.
Volunteer Turnover
When the volunteer treasurer leaves, the books often leave with them. The new person inherits a QuickBooks file they don’t understand.
Fund Accounting Complexity
Restricted vs. unrestricted, grant tracking, program vs. admin expenses — nonprofit bookkeeping is more consequential to get wrong.
Seasonal Giving Surges
Q4 giving doubles monthly transaction volume, overwhelming volunteer bookkeepers already stretched thin with holiday programming.
Our board was asking for financial reports we couldn't produce. Ketchup got us 990-ready in under a week. The fund reconciliation alone was worth it.
— Linda R., Executive Director
What Catch-Up Covers for Nonprofits
Fund-aware categorization, grant tracking, and 990-ready books — so compliance is a formality, not a crisis.
Transaction Categorization
- ✓Individual donations
- ✓Foundation grants
- ✓Corporate sponsorships
- ✓Program expenses by program
- ✓Administrative/overhead expenses
- ✓Fundraising expenses
Fund Tracking
- ✓Restricted donations by restriction
- ✓Unrestricted general operating
- ✓Board-designated funds
- ✓Grant funds tracked against budgets
- ✓Endowment funds
Grant Compliance
- ✓Expenses categorized against grant budgets
- ✓Spending by category within each grant
- ✓Documentation for reporting periods
- ✓Clean records for funder audits
990 & Board Readiness
- ✓Revenue by source
- ✓Expenses by function (program, admin, fundraising)
- ✓Statement of Financial Position
- ✓Statement of Activities
- ✓Budget vs. actual comparisons
The Real Cost of Behind Books for Nonprofits
Grant Compliance Risk
Having to return grant funds, ineligibility for future grants, damage to your funder reputation.
990 Filing Penalties
$20/day for late filing (under $1M gross receipts). Three consecutive years of non-filing = automatic revocation of tax-exempt status.
Board Liability
Without accurate financials, board members can’t fulfill their fiduciary duty — creating personal liability exposure.
Donor Confidence
Major donors and foundations often request financial statements before giving. Behind books delay or lose gifts.
Audit Failures
Behind books make required audits more expensive and can result in qualified opinions or findings.
Cost Comparison (12 Months Behind)
| Option | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting Ketchup | $948 | 5-7 days |
| Nonprofit specialist CPA | $5,000-$15,000 | 4-10 weeks |
| Bench | $4,740-$6,588 | 4-6 weeks |
| Volunteer (new treasurer) | $0 + 50-80 hours | Months |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you understand fund accounting?
Yes. Our bookkeepers are trained in nonprofit fund accounting, including restricted/unrestricted allocation, grant tracking, and functional expense categorization.
Can you help with our 990?
We prepare your books so they’re 990-ready — all revenue by source, expenses by function, and the financial data your CPA needs to complete the 990. The actual filing should be done by your CPA.
We have multiple restricted funds. Can you track all of them?
Yes. We categorize transactions by fund in QuickBooks using classes or tracking categories, ensuring each restricted fund’s income and expenses are tracked separately.
We receive government grants. Can you handle that level of tracking?
For standard grant tracking (expenses by category against a grant budget), yes. For complex federal compliance requirements (Uniform Guidance/2 CFR 200), we recommend a nonprofit CPA for compliance review.
How We Approach Nonprofit Bookkeeping
Nonprofit bookkeeping isn't just “regular bookkeeping with donations.” The rules are fundamentally different — and getting them wrong has real consequences for compliance, grants, and donor trust.
Fund Accounting (Restricted vs. Unrestricted)
Every dollar that comes in has a purpose. Unrestricted funds can be used for anything. Restricted funds must be spent according to donor intent. Temporarily restricted funds release when conditions are met. We track each fund separately in QuickBooks using classes or tracking categories — so your financial statements show exactly where every dollar went.
Grant Compliance
Grant funders want to see that their money was spent as promised. We categorize expenses against grant budgets so you can produce accurate spending reports at any time. Clean books make the difference between “audit finding” and “clean audit.”
Form 990 Readiness
The 990 requires revenue by source, expenses by function (program, management, fundraising), officer compensation, and key financial ratios. We categorize everything so your CPA can complete the 990 without expensive rework. See our pricing— it's a fraction of what a late 990 penalty costs.
Donor-Restricted Gift Tracking
When a donor gives $50,000 for a building project, every dollar of that needs separate tracking. We ensure restricted gifts are tagged on receipt, expenses are matched against the restriction, and fund balances are accurate for board reporting.
Board Reporting
Your board needs clear, accurate financials to fulfill their fiduciary duty. Clean books produce board-ready reports: Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Activities, budget vs. actual, and fund balance summaries.
“Our board was asking for financial reports we couldn't produce. Ketchup got us 990-ready in under a week. The fund reconciliation alone was worth it.”
Linda R.
Executive Director
From the Blog
7 Signs Your Books Are Behind
Bank statements piling up? CPA asking questions you can't answer? Here are the warning signs — and a step-by-step plan to get caught up.
Read articleHow Much Does Catch-Up Bookkeeping Cost?
What does it actually cost to get your books caught up? We break down pricing across every option — from DIY to CPA — with total cost tables for 3, 6, 12, and 24 months.
Read articleYour mission is too important for messy books.
Get audit-ready, grant-compliant, 990-ready books in under a week.