Glossary / Chart of Accounts
What is Chart of Accounts?
A structured list of all accounts used in a nonprofit's general ledger.
Simple definition
A structured list of all accounts used in a nonprofit's general ledger. Organized by category: assets, liabilities, net assets, revenue, and expenses. Alignmint includes a 79-account chart of accounts pre-mapped to Form 990 line items.
Why it matters for your nonprofit
Boards, auditors, and funders expect clarity on Chart of Accounts because it affects how you report resources, stay compliant, and explain your financial story.
How it shows up in daily work
You will see Chart of Accounts in board packets, grant reports, and donor conversations. The goal is to record activity once and report it consistently—without rebuilding spreadsheets every month.
Common mistakes
- Treating restricted resources like general cash because the chart of accounts is not set up for funds.
- Letting finance and development use different definitions for the same funds.
- Waiting until year-end to fix coding errors that should be caught monthly.
How Alignmint helps
Alignmint ties fund accounting, donor records, and reporting in one place so terms like Chart of Accounts show up correctly in your books—not only in a policy memo.
FAQ
Questions about your books?
Schedule a free walkthrough. We will help you see fund balances, donor history, and reporting in one system.