“少即是多” 当涉及到你的账户表，基金列表 & 程序结构
大约一年前, my family exchanged big city living for a quieter life in rural America – Columbus to 赞斯维尔, 俄亥俄州, 确切地说. As you might expect, our family encountered quite a few changes along the way.
One thing we learned to appreciate relatively quickly was the simplicity that comes with living in rural 俄亥俄州. 回到哥伦布, 例如, it wasn’t uncommon to have 太多 “noise” in our everyday lives to be able to step back and realize what was truly happening around us. These days, the noise is no longer 太多 to handle. Instead, we have truly embraced the “less is more” mentality our new lifestyle has given us.
这 same lesson can be incorporated into many different aspects of our daily lives – personal and professional. Keep reading to discover how the “less is more” mantra can be applied to your nonprofit’s accounting function.
Listen to episode 190, “What Should You Do When Joining A Nonprofit Board?, 劳拉·麦克唐纳, 恩人集团的负责人和创始人, 在雷亚获奖的播客上, 不适合在意图电台播放.
非营利会计中的“少即是多”
你在跟踪吗? 太多 information through your organization’s chart of accounts? 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, 导致效率低下和无效.
One of the joys of working within the audit space is having the opportunity to have some really great conversations with nonprofit leaders about their organizations. 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, 基金, and/or 项目 they maintain in their accounting system to gain more clarity and efficiency in the accounting process. 这, 反过来, will impact the overall structure and level of detail they can provide to the individuals who actually utilize their financial reports.
As a result of these conversations, I have walked away with a few great tips to share with you.
意义
The first question you’ll be faced with is how to determine which information to keep and which to purge. You’ll want to start by determining which information has the most impact to the users of that information. Find out what they really care about and how they use the information being gathered in their work. 要回答这些问题, you’ll need to get out there and talk to the individuals who use your reports.
在与用户进行对话之后, consider whether you can combine 基金 or 项目 that have similar purposes. Are there superfluous accounts that can be eliminated? What information is used in decision making processes?
注意: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
A key step in the simplification process is getting leadership on board. 管理和治理的支持, 是适用的, of the organization will go a long way in helping to implement the changes you’re working toward. As primary users of the organization’s financial information, these individuals will likely be seeing the financial information you gather in a different way. Helping them to understand the benefits of a “less is more” objective can alleviate issues down the road. 同时, it’s important to understand that your reporting efforts won’t ever be perfect for everyone. When you seek buy-in from the organization’s management team, they can help you determine which changes will have the most positive impact.
方法
As discussions continue to take place with regard to your organization’s financial structure, developing policies or procedures around the maintenance of 基金 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 the road 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. 改变对很多人来说并不容易. Expect your efforts to be met with at least a little resistance. However, setting the tone at the top will help speed up the adoption phase.
保持你的信息简单，但内容丰富. 此外, be sure the preparers of your organization’s information (likely the accounting team) fully understand the reasons for the change and how it will ultimately impact those who use the reports. 这 way, they are able to effectively navigate through any questions that may arise.
简单中的宁静
Preparing impactful financial information doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply determine which information is the “right” information to maintain, 与管理层共同制定行动计划, 确定要实施的适当策略, and work to develop consistent messaging to facilitate a successful rollout of your efforts.
Hopefully you, too, will find serenity in the “less is more” mentality. 打614给我打电话.923.6543 or 给非营利服务团队发邮件 在意图 & 比较靠谱的赌博软件 for help reviewing the effectiveness of your organization’s reporting efforts.
By 注册会计师马克·毕比 (赞斯维尔办公室)