North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue (NMAR) is a 501(c)(3) animal rescue whose mission is to help end pet overpopulation, abandonment and neglect. We are a small, foster-based organization with limited paid staff and rely heavily on volunteers and donated professional services.
Our current bookkeeper generously donates her professional services to NMAR, completing much of the work during evenings. She has established processes for managing our finances but is preparing to transition out of the role. Because bookkeeping has historically been donated rather than funded, NMAR does not currently have the resources to hire a traditional replacement.
We use QuickBooks Online for accounting and Neon CRM for donor management. Our financial activity includes donations, grants, fundraising campaigns, adoption fees, veterinary and animal-care expenses, and multiple payment sources.
We are seeking an experienced nonprofit accounting professional to work with our current bookkeeper and leadership to preserve her institutional knowledge, document existing processes, assess the actual workload and time commitment, identify opportunities for efficiency, and determine the qualifications needed for her successor.
Our goal is to create a sustainable bookkeeping structure that can be successfully transferred to another qualified volunteer or future professional. If our Taproot volunteer develops a connection to our mission and is interested in continuing with NMAR afterward, we would gladly welcome that opportunity, although it is not an expectation.
By the end of this project, NMAR would like a documented, transferable bookkeeping function and a clear succession plan for our current volunteer bookkeeper.
We would like the consultant to:
• Create a Bookkeeping Procedures Manual documenting recurring processes, reconciliations, financial reporting, systems, deadlines, internal controls, and monthly, quarterly and annual responsibilities.
• Conduct a Workload Assessment identifying the realistic weekly/monthly time commitment, seasonal or year-end demands, and which responsibilities require bookkeeping expertise versus those that could be handled administratively or through automation.
• Develop a Bookkeeper Job Description defining responsibilities, required and preferred qualifications, nonprofit accounting/QuickBooks experience, expected hours and reporting relationships so NMAR can recruit an appropriate successor.
• Create a Transition & Training Plan with an onboarding checklist that allows our current bookkeeper to transfer her knowledge and provides a repeatable training process for future volunteers or staff.
• Review existing workflows and recommend reasonable opportunities to simplify or improve processes while maintaining appropriate nonprofit financial controls.
Success means NMAR knows exactly what the bookkeeping role requires, how many hours it takes, who should perform each responsibility, and has the documentation needed to recruit, train and successfully transition to a new bookkeeper.
