“少即是多” When It Comes To Your Chart Of Accounts, Fund List & 程序结构
关于一个 year ago, my family exchanged big city living for a quieter life in rural America – Columbus to 赞斯维尔, Ohio, to be exact. 如你所料，我们的 family encountered quite a few changes along the way.
有一件事 we learned to appreciate relatively quickly was the simplicity that comes with 住在俄亥俄州的乡下. Back in Columbus, for example, it wasn’t uncommon to have 太多 “noise” in our everyday lives to be able to step back and realize what 真的发生在我们身边吗. These days, the noise is no longer 太多 to 处理. Instead, we have truly embraced the “less is more” mentality our new 生活方式让我们.
同样的 lesson can be incorporated into many different aspects of our daily lives – 个人和专业. Keep reading to discover how the “less is more” mantra can be applied to your nonprofit’s accounting function.
听第190集， “What Should You Do When Joining A Nonprofit Board?，由劳拉·麦克唐纳主演， principal and founder of The Benefactor Group, on 意图’s award-winning 播客, 不适合在意图电台播放.
非营利会计中的“少即是多”
你是 跟踪 太多 信息通过 贵公司的会计科目表? 你有吗? 太多的 捐赠基金? 你有细分成吗 太多的 项目? Too much accounting information can actually hinder your ability to see the important financial aspects of your organization, resulting in inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
之一 the joys of working within the audit space is having the opportunity to have some really great conversations with nonprofit leaders about their 组织. I’ve recently been working with a few clients who are seeking to simplify the maintenance and presentation of their financial information by reducing the number of accounts, funds, and/or 项目 they maintain in their accounting system to gain more clarity and efficiency in the accounting 过程. This, in turn, will impact the overall structure and level of detail they can provide to the individuals who actually utilize their financial 报告.
作为一个 result of these conversations, I have walked away with a few great tips to 与你分享.
意义
第一个 question you’ll be faced with is how to determine which information to keep and 清洗哪一个?. You’ll want to start by determining which information has the most impact to the users of that information. 找出他们真正关心的东西 about and how they use the information being gathered in their work. 回答 these questions, you’ll need to get out there and talk to the individuals who 使用你的报告.
后 having a conversation with your users, consider whether you can combine funds 或者具有类似目的的程序. 有多余的账户可以吗 被淘汰? What information is used in decision making 过程es?
注:为了简化， make sure you are maintaining appropriate information for whatever compliance requirements you may have for grantors or other agencies.
管理
一个关键 step in the simplification 过程 is getting leadership on board. 的支持 of management and governance, as applicable, of the organization will go a long way in helping to implement the changes you’re working toward. 作为主要用户 of the organization’s financial information, these individuals will likely be seeing the financial information you gather in a different way. 帮助他们 understand the benefits of a “less is more” objective can alleviate issues down 这条路. At the same time, it’s important to understand that your reporting efforts won’t ever be perfect for everyone. 当你寻求从 organization’s management team, they can help you determine which changes will 产生最积极的影响.
方法
As discussions continue to take place with regard to your organization’s financial structure, developing policies or procedures around the maintenance of funds and accounts can help you capitalize on your efforts well into the future. Having the appropriate documentation in place for your new methods will be beneficial for making decisions when new 项目 are started down 这条路 or when someone asks for new information to be tracked.
消息
最后, a consistent story or message from the organization’s leadership is important as the users are provided with a new set of information. 改变并不容易 很多人. Expect your efforts to be met with at least a little 电阻. However, setting the tone at the top will help speed up the 采用阶段.
保持你的 消息传递简单，但信息丰富. 此外，确保你的准备 organization’s information (likely the accounting team) fully understand the reasons for the change and how it will ultimately impact those who use the 报告. This way, they are able to effectively navigate through any questions 可能会出现这种情况.
简单中的宁静
准备 impactful financial information doesn’t have to be complicated. 简单的 determine which information is the “right” information to maintain, work with management to identify a plan of action, determine the appropriate policies to put in place, and work to develop consistent messaging to facilitate a 成功地展开你的努力.
希望 you, too, will find serenity in the “less is more” mentality. 给我打个电话 614.923.6543 or 给非营利组织发邮件 服务团队 在意图 & 比较靠谱的赌博软件 for help reviewing the effectiveness of your 组织的报告工作.
By Mark 毕比,注册会计师 (赞斯维尔办公室)
寻找更多 helpful advice to improve your nonprofit’s operations? 看看这些 文章:
Start Engaging With Your Nonprofit’s Leadership