The Nonprofit Bookkeeper

What happens when trustees disagree on a difficult decision, and there isn't an obvious right answer?In Day 3 of our Trustees' Week series, we explore how boards balance competing priorities, challenge constructively and make decisions when every option carries some risk.Featuring insights from Kathryn Shepherdson, Jane Rich (The Fore), Jonathan Jelley MBE and Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Network), we consider the importance of hearing different perspectives, understanding the decision-making process, recording the reasons behind decisions and knowing when to revisit them.Free Trustees' Week resources: https://www.bancservices.co.uk/KEY TAKEAWAYGood governance isn't about always finding the right answer. It's about making a well-informed, defensible decision, understanding why it was made and being willing to reconsider when circumstances change.BEST MOMENTS“Information informs judgment, it doesn't replace it.”“I don't think disagreement is unhealthy. Constructive challenge is essential to good governance.”“A decision can be reasonable when it is made and still need to change when circumstances change.”TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEFIf you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief.Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service, a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice.Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers.She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z, a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

What happens when an experienced trustee steps down and takes years of organisational knowledge with them?In Day 2 of our Trustees' Week series, we explore how boards can become dependent on knowledge held by individual trustees, why recording decisions isn't always enough, and how succession planning can help preserve valuable experience.Featuring reflections from Jane Rich (The Fore), Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Movement) and Kathryn Shepherdson (Hertfordshire Dyslexic Association).A question for your board: If one of your most experienced trustees left tomorrow, what knowledge would leave with them?Visit bancservices.co.uk for practical Trustees' Week resources.Next: When There Isn't One Right Answer — Trustee Judgement in Practice.KEY TAKEAWAYGood governance shouldn't depend on who happens to be around the board table. Preserving the reasoning behind decisions, sharing knowledge and planning for trustee departures help boards maintain continuity as people come and go..BEST MOMENTS"How much of your board's effectiveness depends on particular people remaining around the table?""They may well have access to the papers and understand the decisions that were made, but they weren't part of those discussions.""If one of your most experienced trustees stepped down tomorrow, what knowledge would leave the board with them?"TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEFIf you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief.Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service, a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice.Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers.She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z, a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

Receiving information at a board meeting isn't the same as understanding what's happening in a charity.In this first episode of my 2026 Trustees' Week series, we explore what meaningful visibility looks like, why accurate financial reports don't always tell the full story, and what trustees need to know to make informed decisions.With insights from Kathryn Shepherdson (Hertfordshire Dyslexic Association), Jonathan Jelley MBE (Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services) and Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Movement), we consider the importance of clear reporting, curiosity and asking questions.Free resource: Download the Trustee Visibility Check from the Resources page at www.bancservices.co.uk.Tomorrow: When Everyone Knows But Nobody Has Written It Down.KEY TAKEAWAYGood governance isn't about how much information trustees receive. It's about whether they can see and understand what matters, recognise what may be missing, and ask the questions needed to make informed decisions.A budget isn't necessarily wrong because circumstances have changed.BEST MOMENTS“Receiving information isn't the same thing as having visibility.”“You can only understand the information that you're being given.”“A well-presented board paper doesn't necessarily mean a well-understood organization.”“I'm not afraid to say, ‘Sorry, I don't actually understand what this means in context.’”TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEFIf you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief.Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service, a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice.Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers.She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z, a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

A budget may have been perfectly reasonable when it was approved, but what happens when the assumptions behind it no longer reflect reality?In this episode, Aishat explores why reporting against the original budget isn't always enough to support good financial decisions.We unpack the difference between budgets, reforecasts and revised budgets; why some charities retain their original budget throughout the year while others undertake a formal mid-year review; and how each approach can help management and trustees understand their financial position.The conversation also considers what happens when ambitious income targets don't materialise, why a favourable variance isn't always good news, and how forecasting can give organisations time to respond to emerging financial pressures.The central question: Are your financial reports simply explaining what has changed, or helping you decide what to do next?KEY TAKEAWAYA budget isn't necessarily wrong because circumstances have changed.Budgets and forecasts serve different purposes.A reforecast is not the same as a revised budget.BEST MOMENTS04:15 Why budgets and forecasts answer different questions11:10 The important distinction between reforecasting and revising a budget15:20 Four financial figures, four different questionsTRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEFIf you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief.Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service, a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice.Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers.She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z, a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZThe numbers may be accurate, but what do they actually tell us?An underspend could be a genuine saving — or simply delayed expenditure. A healthy bank balance may not all be available to spend. And a programme that looks expensive may partly reflect how costs have been allocated.In this episode, Aishat explores the decisions, assumptions and operational realities behind the numbers — and what trustees, CEOs and finance leads need to understand before using them to make decisions.KEY TAKEAWAYAn accurate figure and its interpretation are two different things.An underspend isn't automatically money available to spend.Cash, reserves, surplus and available money aren't interchangeable.BEST MOMENTS"Judgement is part of financial governance.""A £40,000 staff-cost underspend may be completely accurate, but understanding why it exists determines what the organisation can reasonably do with that information."A QUESTION FOR YOUR NEXT FINANCE DISCUSSIONWhen a number looks particularly good, particularly worrying or simply different from what you expected, ask:What sits behind this number — and would understanding that change the decision we're about to make?TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEFIf you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief.Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources.Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZWhat makes a financially resilient charity?It isn't necessarily a large finance team, sophisticated systems, or substantial reserves.After more than 25 years working in charity finance, Aishat has seen small charities with limited resources make excellent financial decisions, while much larger organisations continue to struggle.In this final episode of the Small Charities Week series, she brings together the key themes from the week and explores the habits that financially resilient charities develop over time.Because resilience isn't about perfection.It's about consistently making better financial decisions.KEY TAKEAWAYFinancial resilience is about behaviours, not sizeLooking ahead matters as much as looking backSmall improvements create lasting resilienceBEST MOMENTS"Forecasting isn't about predicting the future perfectly. It's about reducing surprises.""Resilience is much easier to build before a crisis than during one.""Financial resilience isn't about fixing everything at once."REFLECTION QUESTIONWhat is one financial habit your organisation could strengthen over the next three months?Not ten things.Not a complete transformation.Just one.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources.Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZMost trustees don't join a board because they love finance.They join because they care about a cause, a community, and making a difference.Yet every board makes financial decisions.The challenge is that some of the most important finance conversations are often the ones that never happen.In this episode, Aishat explores why trustees sometimes avoid asking questions, why understanding matters more than simply receiving reports, and how better conversations lead to better governance.Because good financial leadership isn't about having all the answers.It's about creating an environment where the right questions can be asked.KEY TAKEAWAYEvery report has limitsBetter questions lead to better decisionsUnderstanding comes from discussion, not just receiving reports.BEST MOMENTS"Some of the most important finance conversations are often the ones that don't happen.""One of the most dangerous sentences in charity governance is, 'The finance person has it covered.'""The purpose of a board meeting isn't simply to receive information. It's to have conversations that information should trigger."REFLECTION QUESTIONThink about your last board meeting.Was there a question you wanted to ask but didn't?Was there something you didn't fully understand?Was there a risk you felt uncomfortable raising?If so, there's a good chance someone else in the room felt exactly the same.ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

🎁 Download your free Day 5 resource: Building Reserves: A Small Charity Action Plan herePick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZMost charity leaders agree that reserves are important.The real challenge is knowing how to build them when funding is tight, demand is increasing, and every pound already feels committed.In this episode, Aishat moves beyond the debate about whether reserves matter and explores practical ways small charities can start building financial resilience. From small annual surpluses and full cost recovery to unrestricted fundraising and intentional board decisions, this episode focuses on realistic actions rather than ideal circumstances.Because reserves aren't money sitting idle, they're what help charities continue delivering their mission when challenges arise.KEY TAKEAWAYReserves are built through intentional decisionsHaving a clear plan for reserves is more important than the amount of reserves.BEST MOMENTS"Instead of asking, 'Should we have reserves?' we should ask, 'How do organisations actually build them?'""Reserves aren't simply money sitting in a bank account. They're breathing space, time, flexibility and they're options.""Sometimes the path to stronger reserves begins with stronger budgeting."REFLECTION QUESTIONIf your board agreed tomorrow that reserves matter...What would happen next?Would there be:A plan?Identified funding sources?A timeline?Named responsibilities?Or would everyone simply agree they were important and move on?ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources.Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZMany charity leaders, trustees, and managers have experienced the same conversation:"We've got money in the bank. Why can't we spend it?"While restricted and unrestricted funds are often presented as an accounting topic, the real challenge is rarely understanding the definitions. The challenge comes when decisions need to be made.In this episode, Aishat explores why bank balances can be misleading, why cash doesn't always equal flexibility, and how understanding restrictions helps organisations make better decisions about spending, growth, recruitment, and sustainability.This isn't an episode about year-end accounts.It's an episode about decision-making.KEY TAKEAWAYBank balances don't tell the whole storyCash does not always equal flexibilitySpending decisions require contextBetter decisions depend on better informationBEST MOMENTS"Today's episode could really be called, 'We've Got Money in the Bank, Can We Spend It?'""People assume cash equals flexibility. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't.""Restricted funds aren't just a finance issue. They're a leadership issue."REFLECTION QUESTIONIf someone asked today, "How much money do we actually have available to spend?"Would your answer be based on:The bank balance?OrThe bank balance, restrictions, commitments, and obligations?ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok

🎁 Download your free Day 3 resource: Finance Resilience Checklist herePick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring BookOr explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - ZMany small charities rely heavily on one trusted individual to manage the finances.They know the bookkeeping system, the banking, the payroll, the grant reporting, the passwords, the deadlines, and often the history behind every financial decision.The problem isn't that they're doing anything wrong.The problem is that the organisation may have become dependent on them.In this episode, Aishat explores key-person risk, volunteer dependency, founder dependency, and practical ways small charities can build financial resilience without creating additional complexity or employing a larger finance team.KEY TAKEAWAYDocumentation is one of the simplest forms of resilienceKey-person risk often develops graduallySuccession planning isn't just for CEOsBEST MOMENTS"The issue isn't whether volunteers are committed. The issue is whether the organization could continue if a key volunteer became unavailable.""The founder isn't intentionally creating risk. Often, they're simply trying to keep things moving.""Knowledge doesn't need to sit entirely inside one person's head."REFLECTION QUESTIONIf your key finance person was unexpectedly unavailable for the next month, what would happen?Could:Payroll still run?Bills still be paid?Trustees still receive reports?Grant claims still be submitted?ABOUT YOUR HOSTAishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice –BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector.With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission.She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector.Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.ukCONNECTInstagramTikTok