How-To Guides

QuickBooks classes are a cost-center tagging feature. Nonprofit fund accounting under FASB ASC 958 requires native restriction tracking, release-of-restriction journal entries, and two-column financial statements. Classes cannot do any of that.

A practical guide to allowable cost standards for federal grants under 2 CFR Part 200 — the three cost tests, direct vs indirect costs, explicitly unallowable categories, and how to document borderline costs.

The most common single audit findings for nonprofits — from procurement violations and subrecipient monitoring failures to allowable cost disallowances — and what corrective action looks like when you receive one.

A practical overview of FASB ASC 958 and ASU 2016-14 for nonprofit financial reporting — the two net asset classes, required financial statements, functional expense presentation, and liquidity disclosures.

The fundamental difference between donor-restricted and board-designated funds in nonprofit accounting — who can release each type, legal risk of commingling, how to track both in financial statements, and why auditors scrutinize this distinction.

When do grant budget modifications require prior approval? A practical guide to the 2 CFR 200.308 rules, line-item flexibility thresholds, how to request rebudgeting approval, and what documentation to keep.

A step-by-step grant closeout checklist covering the SF-425 final financial report, equipment disposition, record retention timelines, subrecipient closeout, and final programmatic reporting.

Federal grant compliance requirements for environmental nonprofits — EPA grant requirements, Clean Water and Clean Air fund restrictions, environmental outcome reporting, multi-year restricted fund tracking, and common EPA audit findings.

Grant compliance requirements specific to food banks — USDA TEFAP, EFSP, and CDBG compliance, inventory tracking as documentation, distribution records, income eligibility verification, and what USDA grant audits examine.

Federal grant compliance requirements for youth-serving nonprofits — 21st CCLC program requirements, performance measure reporting, participant documentation, common compliance failures, and what funders audit in youth programs.

Post-award grant compliance requires restricted fund documentation, reporting deadlines, and audit evidence. This guide covers what compliance software must do, where generic CRMs fall short, and how to evaluate options for mid-sized nonprofits.

The terminology overlap between grant compliance software and grant management software explained — where grant discovery tools stop, what post-award management includes, and a decision guide for nonprofits evaluating their options.