Dec 5, 2023 · Written By Piper Sullivan
Open Door Community’s bookkeeping project supports non-profits in the Mount Rogers region (Virginia) by helping ensure they are financially stable. Instead of spinning their wheels, clients can focus on more efficiently using their limited time and resources to support their mission and grow their community impact.
The project started in 2011 with five partners, four of which are still with us today. What began as a pilot-proposal to build financial management capacity for Wythe-Bland Foundation grantees has grown considerably. Open Door Community now partners with twelve, soon to be thirteen, community-based non-profits. Our goal is to bring onboard more non-profits and open up our services to local small business as well.
We are able to provide these services through two funding sources.
One. Open Door receives a yearly grant from the Wythe-Bland Foundation.
Two. Participating non-profits are charged a reduced rate, sliding scale monthly fee based on their operating income.

Open Door’s bookkeeping guru, Piper Sullivan
What does the bookkeeping project do for client non-profits?
We assist in critical day-to-day business financial management operations. Those operations typically include writing deposit slips, cutting checks, running payroll, and more. We also provide QuickBooks, an accounting software system that makes those tasks easier and helps us provide insightful financial reporting on a monthly basis.
Additionally, clients receive services on an as needed basis such as sales tax exemption applications, 990 filings, financial training, budgeting, and more. For certain services we partner with a local CPA (certified public accountant) to ensure everything is done according to accounting and legal standards.
Whatever gets thrown their way, whether that be an upcoming affiliation with another business, new hires, or leadership changes, Open Door is here to help.
Which non-profits are currently participating in the project?
- Bland County Public Schools’ Foundation for QUILL
- Downtown Wytheville Incorporated
- Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Foundation
- Forge Appalachia (new non-profit in town!)
- Friends of the Fort Chiswell Library, Inc.
- One-on-One Literacy Program of Wythe-Grayson Counties, Inc.
- Open Door Café
- Open Door Community
- Open Door Property Solutions
- SWVA Crossroads Coalition for Orphan and Foster Care
- Wythe County Ministerial Association
- Wythe County Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, Inc.
- Wytheville Training School Cultural Center, Inc.
- WyvaCon
How do our partners feel about the project?
A few months ago, Open Door Community asked our partners to complete a client feedback survey. It asked questions about how we are doing and how their nonprofit business was performing. Here are just a few of the questions asked and the responses we received:
How has this service assisted you and your board with your work?
- We have specifically been able to identify our financial strengths and needs
- We have been able to better focus on our mission and strategy
What would happen if this service was not available to you and your board?
- “If this service was not available, we would be required to hire a bookkeeper at a much higher cost who might not be as efficient and as dependable as the Open Door bookkeeping staff.”
- “We would have to move in-house and train our administrative assistant to become our accountant, which could be time-consuming and costly.”
- “It would place a substantial hardship on our operations. Our staff does not have the accounting background for this service.”
- “We would have a difficult time keeping up with our financials because pastors are already busy with many other tasks.”
Would you like to provide any other feedback or comments?
- “Thank you for this valuable service. It is very much appreciated!”
- We appreciate the service Open Door is able to provide for us.”
- “On behalf of our Board of Trustees and staff, we are most appreciative of this service. The Open Door staff is very professional, a pleasure to work with, and provides a much-needed service to a small nonprofit such as ours. Greatly appreciated!”
Why is bookkeeping necessary in the nonprofit sector?
Bookkeeping is essential to every business, but many people new to nonprofits don’t understand why. Bookkeeping is much like power in a home, you only notice it when it stops working. Without power, many would be lost and nothing would function properly. The same goes for bookkeeping.
For example, if the accounting department suddenly stopped working, the entire business would fail. Imagine what would happen if no bank deposits were made and no bills (including payroll) were paid. If just these two functions stopped, out of many, it would throw the entire business into chaos. With automation of these functions, large businesses may not be as impacted. However, many non-profits and small business do not have that luxury.
Let’s look at two real world examples below of how bookkeeping helps a nonprofit business stay on track.

Illustration by Piper Sullivan
Now that we have a visualization of basic bookkeeping, lets go over each scenario.
Scenario One: Expense Tracking with Bookkeeping
This scenario starts with a one-hundred-thousand dollar budget. Not pictured in the graphic are the five sponsors that donated that money for the special event fundraiser. These donations would be categorized as going to “Fundraiser ABC” so that revenue would be recognized properly. The expenses are the direct costs associated with the event. Typical fundraising expenses are outside the normal day-to-day operating expenses. For example, there would be catered food, musicians, event insurance, and so on. Even though these expenses may stand out from the day-to-day expenses, it is still critical to categorize these (especially if there are multiple fundraisers during the year). After all the bills are paid and the fundraising event is over, the bookkeeper will easily be able to tell you the amount raised and if you stayed within budget estimates.
Scenario Two: Expense Tracking without Bookkeeping
Scenario two is exactly like scenario one, except that nothing is placed into categories. The one-hundred-thousand dollar deposit shown was from the five sponsors. However, the deposit was not categorized, so the non-profit incorrectly expensed the revenue against day-to-day expenses. Various bills are paid, but we do not know if any of them are from the special event fundraiser. There are also two more deposits which could be regular donations or donations from the event specifically. Bookkeeping ensures these are labeled separately. For events specifically, it is important to know how much profit was made because that will give you an idea if it was successful or not. Accurate financial data is critical to informing strategic management decisions, both in real-time and for the future.
What’s next?
Open Door Community will continue providing exceptional bookkeeping services for our current partners and is looking to expand. In the near future, we hope to help even more local non-profits and small businesses. If you’re a nonprofit or small business in the Wytheville, Virginia area and would like to continue the discussion, we’d love to hear from you. Comment below or reach out to schedule a free 30-minute consultation at psullivan@wythehope.org or 276–284–2733.
If you would like more information on bookkeeping services, please reach out to our Executive Director, Jordan Stidham, at jstidham@wythehope.org
Originally published at Feathers of HOPE on medium.com.