Charities
Charity month-end bookkeeping checklist
A plain-English monthly review for charity evidence, bank activity, funds, grants, donations and open questions.
A short monthly routine is easier to govern than a year-end reconstruction. This checklist prepares useful working records; it does not replace the charity's authorised reporting and professional review.
Checklist
Bring in the source documents
Register the receipts, invoices, statements and funding correspondence behind the month's activity.
Explain each bank line
Confirm sound matches and leave genuine exceptions visible rather than forcing them into a convenient category.
Review fund allocation
Check that restricted income and spending are assigned to the appropriate purpose and supported by the source.
Check grant conditions
Review awards, spending, balances, deadlines and any potential clawback or overspend risk.
Review donation records
Keep only the donor information the charity genuinely needs and preserve the relevant evidence and consent records.
Record open questions
Turn missing information or uncertain treatment into a request for the authorised person or adviser.
Finish with a short note of who reviewed the month, what remains open and when it will be revisited.
Related lesson: Charity and club treasurer tour — Understand the full community-treasurer workflow.