The foundation every nonprofit bookkeeper needs.

✓ What nonprofits are, the different types, and how their accounting differs from for-profit businesses.

✓ How nonprofits are structured, the governance models they use, and the role of leadership.

✓ IRS requirements for tax-exempt status, and the tax filings nonprofits must make.

✓ How sales and use tax and unrelated business income tax (UBIT) apply to nonprofits.

✓ The internal controls that help prevent and detect fraud.

✓ What to expect from audits and financial reviews.

No memorizing. No guessing. Just clarity.

Course Curriculum

    1. Welcome to the course!

    1. Module 1 - Nonprofit Sector Overview

    2. Module 1 Presentation

    1. Module 2 ~ Organizational Structure & Governance

    2. Module 2 Presentation

    1. Module 3 ~ Tax Exempt Status & Compliance for Nonprofits

    2. Module 3 Presentation

    1. Module 4 ~ Internal Controls & Fraud Prevention

    2. Module 4 Presentation

About this course

  • $185.00
  • 9 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content

This Course Is Step 1 of a Certificate Program

The Nonprofit Accounting Essentials Certificate Program

Introduction to Nonprofits is the first of three courses that take you from how nonprofits work to preparing their financial statements.

Step 1: Introduction to Nonprofits
Step 2: Accounting for Nonprofits
Step 3: Financial Statements for Nonprofits

Get all three for $445 and save $110. A payment plan of 2 payments of $222.50 is available on the full program.
See the Full Program

Hi, I'm Sharon.

Your instructor, and your biggest cheerleader

I spent 10 years in corporate accounting before I started teaching, and I've now been teaching bookkeeping and accounting for 22 years through continuing education and workforce development programs at universities and colleges.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Education from Temple University, a Pennsylvania Department of Education teaching certificate in Accounting, and I'm a Certified Online Instructor.

But here's what matters most: so many of my students walk in convinced they're "not a numbers person." Most of them are wrong. They just never had it explained clearly.

That's my job. Plain English, step by step, until it clicks.
Read My Story
Sharon deFonteny, Bookkeeping and Business Finance Educator

Questions? Good. Here Are the Answers.

  • Do I need bookkeeping experience?

    No. This course starts with what nonprofits are and how they work. No accounting background needed.

  • I’m on a nonprofit board. Is this for m

    Absolutely. Governance, compliance, internal controls, and audits are exactly what board members are responsible for overseeing.

  • Is the Bookkeeping Community included?

    Yes. It’s a place for students across all of my courses and Certificate Programs to ask questions, share what they’re working on, and connect with others learning the same material.

  • What should I take after this course?

    Accounting for Nonprofits, the second course in the Nonprofit Accounting Essentials Certificate Program.

Ready to Understand How Nonprofits Really Work?

Start with the foundation. Everything else builds on it.