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A board member in Cincinnati is often a teacher, a deacon, a retired nurse or a small business owner. They give their evenings to the mission, not to spreadsheets. Yet the board is the group responsible for the money. We build church and nonprofit budgets from what really comes in, then prepare the monthly reports that show the board how the year is going.
When You Need Budgeting & Board Reports
Most groups call us when the budget is just last year’s numbers plus a little, and nobody can say why. Others call when a new treasurer takes over, when the group is growing, or when a grant form asks for a program budget. Watch for quiet signs too: reports that get approved without a single question, cash that slowly runs down, or money given for one purpose quietly paying for another.
Our Budgeting & Board Reports Process
We start from your own numbers, not a template. We look at the last year or two of giving, grants and program income, then at what you spent and when. Money given for a set purpose is kept apart from general funds, and costs are split between programs, management and fundraising, the same way the Form 990 asks.
Then we build the budget. Income is based on actual giving and grants, not hopes. Expenses include the bills that are easy to forget: payroll taxes, insurance and the ones that come once a year. Each month we prepare a short report that compares real results to the budget, along with your income statement and balance sheet, so the board can act early instead of in December.
Groups that file the full Form 990 also answer whether the board saw the return before it was filed. The IRS says federal law does not require board review of the Form 990, but the question still has to be answered. We get the draft 990 to you early enough for the board to look it over, so the answer can be yes.
Budgeting & Board Reports Cost in Cincinnati
The fee depends on how many programs and funds you track, how ready your books are, and whether you want reports monthly or quarterly. If your books need work before there is anything to budget from, we may suggest bookkeeping first. A simple budget for one program takes less time than one for several programs and grants. We quote our fee before we begin.
Budgeting for Programs in More Than One City
Around our College Hill office, a short drive can cross into North College Hill, Mount Healthy, Forest Park or Springdale, and each one is its own taxing city. A group that runs programs in two of them may need to withhold city tax for each place where staff work. Boards should budget for that setup and know it before opening a second site.
Why Choose Us for Nonprofit Budgeting
We prepare 990s, keep church and nonprofit books, and run their payroll, so the budget is built from the same records as everything else. We work with more than 20 churches, pastors and ministries, and we have prepared taxes in Cincinnati since 1993. We keep Saturday hours all year, which helps boards that meet on weekends.
Budgeting works best alongside the rest of our nonprofit finance services in Cincinnati.
Common Questions
How often should our board see a budget report?
Monthly works best for most churches and charities, because giving and bills move every month. Smaller groups with steady giving can do well with quarterly reports. Either way, the report should compare real results to the budget line by line.
Can the budget track restricted gifts?
Yes. Money given for a set purpose, like a building fund or a mission trip, gets its own line, so it is never spent on the light bill by accident. The board report shows each fund's balance.