Overview

We track our accounts in Quickbooks, and we hire an outside bookkeeping firm, BooksTime. BooksTime are contracted to complete the monthly close by the 20th of each month, but they typically send it in advance of that deadline. This page outlines how we track transactions so that BooksTime can update Quickbooks.

Every project/program that we work on has an identifier, which is used both in our database and in Quickbooks.

Financial Procedures

Ad hoc processes

Income Booking

• Enter all income into the "Deposit" tab of the "2026 Deposit - Withdrawal" spreadsheet. The bookkeepers use this information to update Quickbooks.

• Update when donations or program fees are received and paid into the bank account.

  • These transactions may be paid through physical checks (sent through the mail or given by hand) or may be direct transfers into our bank account. If there is a direct transfer, we will receive an email notification:

    • Program fees - NG is on bill.com and so we receive payments directly into our bank account, when a client uses bill.com. Alternatively, we may be required to complete a form for direct transfer. Regardless, we will receive notification about the payment. 

    • DAF donations - Fidelity and Vanguard send an email when they transfer a donation from a DAF

    • Corporate donation matches - 3rd parties will inform us of a pending match.

• In addition to the spreadsheet, if the income is a:

  • Program income payment: Enter the information into the "Contracts and Invoices" tab of the Navigation Games Program data spreadsheet.

  • Donation: Enter the information into donorbox and into the donor database spreadsheet

Expense Reimbursement

• Employees are reimbursed through a Gusto payment. All others are reimbursed by a check payment.

• Enter all expenses into  "WDRL" tab of the the "2026 Deposit - Withdrawal" spreadsheet. The bookkeepers use this information to update Quickbooks.

• Backup for documentation:

  • Backup documentation for Gusto should be saved in Gusto.

  • All other backup should be saved in the Expenses folder in the correct year's folder.

  • Name the receipt: YYYY MM DD Description e.g. 2023 10 25 MAHPERD Conference Receipt

Weekly

Run payroll using Gusto.

Make sure that all expense payments are entered into the "2026 Deposit - Withdrawal" spreadsheet - see above.

Monthly

Set up a monthly folder for the financial data

Save all account activity in the monthly folder

1. Stripe activity

• https://dashboard.stripe.com/login

• Select "Transactions" - "All activity" - "Export" - Select date range - Select all columns

• Export (as a .csv file) and upload into the folder. Open as a Google doc and save as "YYYY MM Stripe"

2. Paypal activity

• https://www.paypal.com/signin?locale.x=en_US

• Run a report detailing all the transactions: 

  • • Select "All Activity"

    • Transaction type - "Balance affecting"

    • Date range - "Past month"

    • Format - "CSV"

• Export (as a .csv file) and upload into the folder. Open as a Google doc and save as "YYYY MM Paypal"

• Transfer all funds into the CSB account (if any)

3. Venmo activity

• Ask Barb to log into the NG venmo account and download the month's transactions and save in the folder 

• Transfer all funds into the CSB account

4. Cambridge Savings Bank (CSB) account 

• https://businessonlinebanking.cambridgesavings.com/dbiqp

• Run a report detailing all the transactions: 

  • • Select Reporting - Balances & Transactions

    • Report Criteria:

      • Date: Previous Month

      • Accounts: All accounts

      • Transaction Type: All Transactions

      • Amount: Leave default

• Export (as a .csv file) and upload into the folder. Open as a Google doc and save as "YYYY MM CSB"

5. Wix payments

• Log into Wix

• Select Sales - Payment & Finances - All Payments

• Filter: Last month

• Download detailed CSV
  
  

6. Facebook activity

We have a Facebook page for Navigation Games. To get a report of who contributed what, switch to being Navigation Games in FB. Then go to the Nonprofit Manager section and click on Fundraising campaigns on the left. Then click on "Get donation reports".

7. Vanguard activity

Log into the Vanguard account

• Select balances - NG brokerage account

• Show: Balances by Date

• Date: Last day of the prior month

• Select "Set date"

• Print as a PDF and save

Update financial spreadsheets

• Enter all DEPOSITS and WITHDRAWALS into the "2026 Deposit - Withdrawal" spreadsheet for the following accounts: 

• • • CSB bank account

    • PayPal account

    • Vanguard account

• DEPOSITS can be identified using the following reports / sources:

• • • Identifier: Deposit or Remote Deposit (and picture of check)

      • These transactions should be recorded when they are paid into the account (in person or using the CSB app)

      • The transactions are either donations or program fee payments

    • Identifier: ACH - FIDELITY INVESTM - Grant Paymt 

      • These transactions should be recorded when they are transferred into the account and are donations from Fidelity DAFs

    • Identifier: ACH - AMER ONLINE

      • These transactions should be recorded when they are transferred into the account and are donation matches from the Benevity system. Log into the Benevity system to get information on the transfer.

    • Identifier: ACH WIX

      • Use the WIX activity spreadsheet to identify whether the transaction is a kit purchase, a donation or a fee for participation in a public event

    • Identifier: ACH Stripe

      • Use the Stripe activity spreadsheet to identify the donor information

    • Identifier: ACH INTUIT

      • When a client pays through the Quickbooks interface (via credit card). An email notification will be received.

    • Identifier: ACH

      • Clients may pay directly into our account. The comment should have identifying information and usually there will be email notification in advance of the payment transaction.

    • Identifier: Deposit Transfer from NG Inc X,1129

      • This is a transfer from the NG savings account

• The following WITHDRAWALS are standard and do not need to be entered into the spreadsheet.

  • Identifier: WDRL - ACH

    • Gusto - Salary (and expense reimbursement) payments - Appear when payroll is run, typically weekly 

      1. NET - Employee salary payment

      2. TAX - Tax payment

      3. CND - Contractor payment

    • Gusto - FEE - Usage fee for Gusto - Paid 1st Wednesday of the month 

    • NEXT INSUR - Insurance payments - Paid weekly on Monday

    • BookTime, Inc. - Monthly fee for Bookstime - Paid on the 1st business day of the month 

  • Identifier: Withdrawal Transfer to NG Inc X,1129

    • This is a transfer to the NG savings account

• Enter non-standard WITHDRAWALS from the accounts - principally checks used for reimbursement of employee expenses or for membership fees.

  • Identifier: Check

    • These transactions should be recorded when the check is written. However, there may be a delay in the check being cashed. 

Confirm monthly process complete with Booksquick

Once the spreadsheet has been updated and all backup documentation has been downloaded, send the Vanguard account statement to BooksQuick and confirm that the spreadsheet has been updated. Booksquick will update Quickbooks.

Review reconciled financial spreadsheets from Booksquick

• Booksquick will send a file with the:

  • Balance sheet and income statement

  • Month's P&L transactions

  • YTD P&L transactions 

  • Reconciliation status

• Save the file in the correct Financial data folder

• Review the month's P&L transactions - see the monthly procedure in the procedures file. 

• Email Booksquick with:

  • Any questions

  • The details of any misclassified transaction, along with the correct classification. 

Quarterly

• Prepare quarterly financial reports and share with the Board

Annually

• Save statements in Administration > 04 Finance and Accounting > 06 Bank and credit card statements

  • Stripe, CSB, Paypal, Venmo

• Prepare annual financial reports for the Board.

Tracking staff time

990 does not include volunteer time.

GAAP accounting includes professional volunteer time.

We can also track non-GAAP (non-professional) volunteer time to know the true cost of programs, and can report that on the 990 in Schedule O or other information.

• https://nonprofitaccountingacademy.com/value-record-volunteer-services/

• https://nonprofitaccountingacademy.com/record-volunteer-services/

• https://keitercpa.com/blog/valuing-nonprofit-volunteer-hours-cpa/