Resources
Guides for church leaders and business owners
Plain-language explanations of the bookkeeping questions that come up most, from fund accounting to QuickBooks cleanup. Written for people who have to make the decision, not for accountants.
Start with your situation
Church Guides
Restricted and designated funds, counting offerings, contribution statements and the report leadership actually reads. (4 guides)QuickBooks Guides
Church fund tracking, a working chart of accounts, what bank feeds do and don't prove, and cleanup versus catch-up. (4 guides)Small Business Guides
The monthly close, job costing for trades, contractor records before January, and keeping business and personal spending apart. (4 guides)
All guides
- Small business
One Card for the Business: Why Mixed Spending Costs More Than It Saves
Mixed accounts turn a one-hour month into a three-hour month and blur the numbers you price from. The setup that fixes it, and how to record owner money correctly.
- Small business
Paying Contractors: The Records to Have Before January
Get the W-9 before the first payment, track who was paid how, and know the reporting threshold that changed for 2026 payments. What to keep during the year so January is uneventful.
- Small business
Job Costing for Trades: Knowing Which Work Actually Paid
A profitable year can hide unprofitable jobs. How to set the books up so every project carries its own labor, materials and margin — and what to do with what you find.
- Small business
The Monthly Close, Small-Business Sized
A repeatable month-end routine that ends with reconciled accounts and two or three numbers you can act on, instead of a shoebox and a scramble in April.
- QuickBooks
Bank Feeds Don't Reconcile Your Books
Accepting everything the bank feed suggests is not reconciling. The difference between the two, and the month-end routine that catches what the feed misses.
- QuickBooks
Building a Chart of Accounts You'll Actually Read
Most messy QuickBooks files start with a chart of accounts built for nobody in particular. How to shape one around the decisions you make each month.
- Churches
What Belongs on a Year-End Contribution Statement
Donors need a statement that matches your books and carries the wording the IRS expects. What to include, what to leave off, and what to check before the statements go out.
- Churches
Counting and Depositing Offerings: A Routine That Protects Everyone
A two-person count, a signed count sheet and a deposit that matches the books protect volunteers as much as they protect the money. Here is what that looks like week to week.
- QuickBooks
QuickBooks Cleanup vs Catch-Up Bookkeeping: Which Do You Need?
Cleanup fixes records that are wrong; catch-up fills in records that are missing. How to tell which your file needs, and what to gather before you start.
- Churches
What a Monthly Financial Report for Church Leadership Should Include
A good monthly report lets a board answer three questions in minutes: Are we on budget? Are designated gifts intact? Do we have the cash we need?
- QuickBooks
How to Set Up QuickBooks for Church Fund Accounting
QuickBooks isn't purpose-built fund accounting software, but with a deliberate setup many churches track funds in it reliably. The decisions that matter most.
- Churches
Restricted, Designated and General Funds: A Plain-Language Guide for Church Leaders
Churches use 'restricted' and 'designated' loosely, but the difference decides who can change how money is used. Here is how to tell them apart and track each.
Start with a conversation
Let's look at your books together
Tell us about your church or business and where your bookkeeping stands. Carey will follow up to arrange a consultation, and you'll receive a written scope before any work begins.