Why should I choose The Platinum Bookkeeper over another firm?

As the owner of The Platinum Bookkeeper, I care about non-profit organizations, ministries and churches and I understand the importance of functional expense accounting, managing restricted funds, and timely, board-ready, 990-ready, and audit-ready reports. It is my heartfelt goal to help non-profits succeed in their missions by giving them the best possible support I can—that means offering them nothing less than my best at all times.

What’s with the packages? My organization doesn’t have a lot of transactions every month.

My lowest package begins at $250 for the Silver Starter Package. I believe that as you learn how your non-profit finances are truly working and how you can improve your performance, your organization has no choice but to grow! It is my belief that you will outgrow the Starter package very quickly!

My church uses volunteers to handle the bookkeeping. Why should we consider outsourcing?

Many churches use members or friends of the church for their bookkeeping, but this can be an incredibly risky move. While this may seem like a convenient and cost-effective approach, church members are often fueled by a deeply personal agenda. Outsourcing protects church relationships and provides a buffer between church members, staff salaries, raises, and donor giving which can help avoid awkward social dynamics and gossip. Outsourcing also provides a strong internal control and robust fraud prevention by introducing hard boundaries and a quick response to red-flag anomalies. Furthermore, church and clergy tax laws are confusing and complicated. Churches are not exempt from reporting and tax compliance and often-times volunteers are not knowledgeable enough to handle these nuances. AND a large percentage of pastors and ministry leaders admit to feeling trapped when dealing with their church’s in-house bookkeeping staff due to power dynamics, exemption blindspots, and the “single-point” of failure most in-house church bookkeepers represent.

What software do you use?

I’m a certified QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor and am an expert in QuickBooks reporting. I only work with QuickBooks Online. I have worked with other software programs and believe QBO to be the most comprehensive and the best overall for data reporting. I’m aware that other non-profit accounting specialists work with other platforms but I have found many of those platforms to be overly complex and expensive for many smaller-budget non-profit organizations and churches. Plus, I enjoy working with Tech Soup ® to ensure my non-profit clients get the best possible rate for the QBO subscriptions.

Our needs fall in between packages. Do we qualify for special pricing?

Absolutely! The packages are a guideline. If you’d prefer to select items a la carte to build your own package, that’s exactly what we’ll do. You’ll always get the best possible price available.

How long is my packaging price locked in?

Your package price is locked in for three months. We’ll reevaluate your plan quarterly to determine if a price adjustment (up or down) is necessary. It’s my hope that your non-profit organization will grow to the point we’ll have to adjust your price every few months to keep up with the added activity in your books!

Do you offer pro-bono services for struggling non-profits?

Yes, but these offerings are very limited and non-profits must meet a very specific list of criteria to be eligible for pro-bono services. My pro-bono book is full at this time. Please check back in the futur

We don’t need someone to do our bookkeeping, but would like to have someone we can turn to when we have a question.

This is exactly why I offer financial coaching. With financial coaching, you fly solo, but I’m here if you need me or if you need a second set of eyes to go over your books. Functional expense accounting and restriction release entries can be complicated so I’m here to help if you ever need me.

Will you file our Form 990?

Depending on which Form-990 your organization will need to file, I’ll be happy to assist.

We’re just getting started. We don’t know what we’ll need.

That’s ok! Starting a new non-profit organization comes with a lot of variables. Give me a call and let’s discuss your current and potential future needs!

There’s a lot of info here. Can I get a free consultation?

Yes! I’d love to meet with you! Please go to my calendar and schedule a time that’s convenient for you. I work with clients all over the country so I’ll contact you to verify the time you selected as we may be in different time zones.