How do I keep restricted and unrestricted funds clear?

Record each grant or donation as income with a note on whether it's restricted, and attach the acknowledgment. The note keeps the distinction visible for the board and the bookkeeper to review.

How should I handle volunteer reimbursements?

Record each reimbursement request with the receipt attached and an approval-status note. That keeps approvals fast and gives the bookkeeper a complete, documented record.

Does Cash Workspace produce our financial statements or Form 990?

No. It organizes income, expense, and reimbursement records and attached documents for review. Your bookkeeper or accountant prepares any statements or filings — this is organizing guidance, not accounting advice.

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Bookkeeping handoff · Nonprofit treasurers

A bookkeeping handoff folder for volunteer treasurers

A volunteer treasurer juggles records that have to satisfy two audiences: the board at the next meeting and the bookkeeper or accountant at year-end. Grants and donations come in restricted and unrestricted, vendor costs run against specific programs, volunteers submit reimbursement requests, and events generate their own pile of receipts. Cash Workspace gives you one place to record each donation and invoice, attach the proof, tag it by program, and group everything by fiscal year for board and bookkeeper review.

Start a free workspace See the income records folder

The problem

Why nonprofit records are hard to hand over

A treasurer's role often rotates between volunteers, and money is tracked across grants, donations, programs, and events with little consistency. Without one organized folder, both the board and the bookkeeper get an incomplete picture.

Grant and donation receipts arrive in different forms and aren't recorded as income consistently.
Vendor invoices aren't tagged to the program they served, so program spending is unclear.
Volunteer reimbursement requests come in without receipts attached, slowing approvals.
Event costs scatter across several volunteers' cards and inboxes.
When the treasurer role changes hands, the records don't transfer cleanly.

The workflow

Build the nonprofit handoff folder

Record income and invoices, attach the proof, tag by program, and group by fiscal year.

1
Record grants and donations
Log each grant and donation as income with the source, date, amount, and a note on whether it's restricted, and attach the receipt or acknowledgment.
2
Tag vendor invoices by program
Record each vendor invoice as an expense tagged to its program, with the invoice attached.
3
Collect reimbursement requests
Record each volunteer reimbursement with the receipt attached and a note on its approval status.
4
Group event expenses
Record event costs together under the event, with receipts attached, so each event's spending is clear.
5
File the year for review
Group all of it under one fiscal-year folder for the board and bookkeeper to review and export.

Record structure

What to record for each nonprofit entry

These fields keep income, program costs, and reimbursements clear for both the board and the bookkeeper.

Source or vendor: The grantor, donor, or vendor the entry relates to, kept as a consistent record.
Entry type: Whether the line is grant/donation income, a vendor invoice, a reimbursement, or an event cost.
Program tag: The program the income or expense belongs to, so program-level spending is reviewable.
Restricted note: For income, a note on whether funds are restricted or unrestricted.
Amount and date: The donation or expense total and date so it lands in the right fiscal year.
Approval status: For reimbursements, a note on whether the request is pending or approved.
Attached document: The donation acknowledgment, vendor invoice, or reimbursement receipt attached to its record.

Example setup

An example nonprofit folder setup

One way to structure the fiscal-year folder for board and bookkeeper review.

Grants & donations

Income records with acknowledgments attached and a restricted/unrestricted note for each.

Vendor invoices by program

Vendor expenses tagged to their program, with invoices attached.

Reimbursement requests

Volunteer reimbursements with receipts attached and an approval-status note.

Event expenses

Each event's costs grouped together with receipts, so the event total is clear.

Common mistakes

Mistakes treasurers make at handoff

Recording donations inconsistently, so the income list doesn't tie out for the board.
Failing to tag vendor invoices by program, leaving program spending unclear.
Approving reimbursements without the receipt attached to the record.
Letting event costs sit on several volunteers' cards with no central record.
Handing the treasurer role to the next volunteer without an organized folder.

How it helps

How Cash Workspace helps

Income with proof attached

Record each grant and donation as income with its acknowledgment attached and a restricted/unrestricted note.

Program-tagged expenses

Tag vendor invoices and event costs by program so program-level spending is easy to review.

One folder to hand over

Group the fiscal year in one folder so the board, the bookkeeper, and the next treasurer all open the same organized set.

Income records folder

Organize grants and donations as income for review.

Vendor records folder

Keep program vendor invoices together for the year.

Accountant onboarding

Hand a new accountant or treasurer an organized record set.

Monthly bookkeeping checklist

A repeatable routine to keep records current between meetings.

All finance workflows

Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.

FAQ

Nonprofit handoff FAQ

How do I keep restricted and unrestricted funds clear?: Record each grant or donation as income with a note on whether it's restricted, and attach the acknowledgment. The note keeps the distinction visible for the board and the bookkeeper to review.
How should I handle volunteer reimbursements?: Record each reimbursement request with the receipt attached and an approval-status note. That keeps approvals fast and gives the bookkeeper a complete, documented record.
Does Cash Workspace produce our financial statements or Form 990?: No. It organizes income, expense, and reimbursement records and attached documents for review. Your bookkeeper or accountant prepares any statements or filings — this is organizing guidance, not accounting advice.

Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance

Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.

Hand over one organized nonprofit folder

Start a free workspace and record grants, donations, program invoices, reimbursements, and event costs in one fiscal-year folder for the board and your bookkeeper.