Setting Up Your Organization

This is the first thing you do after creating your account. Your organization settings control how NP Ledger labels your reports, tracks your fiscal year, and identifies your nonprofit.

• You need your organization's legal name and EIN (tax ID number) if available
• Know your fiscal year start month (January for most nonprofits, July for some)
• Have your organization logo ready if you want it on reports (optional)

1. Go to Organization (in the sidebar under Settings). This opens your organization profile.
2. Enter your organization name. This is the name that appears throughout the app and in the sidebar.
3. Enter your legal name if it's different from your organization name. The legal name appears on official documents like donation receipts and Form 990 worksheets. If you leave it blank, the regular organization name is used instead.
4. Enter your EIN if you have one. This is the 9-digit tax ID assigned by the IRS (format: XX-XXXXXXX). You can add it later if you don't have it handy.
5. Upload your logo (optional). It appears in the top-left corner of the app and on exported reports.
6. Add your mission statement (optional). This can be used on reports and compliance documents.
7. Fill in your address and phone number. These appear on donation receipts and compliance documents.
8. Set your fiscal year start month. Most nonprofits use January (calendar year) or July. This determines how NP Ledger groups transactions for reports and tax filing.
9. Select a default fund. An "Unrestricted (General)" fund is created automatically. This is the fund used when no specific fund is chosen during transaction entry.
10. Click Save Changes.

• Your organization name appears in the sidebar navigation
• Your fiscal year dates show correctly under Settings > Fiscal Periods
• If you uploaded a logo, it appears in the top-left corner of the app

• Picking the wrong fiscal year start month -- If your fiscal year runs July through June, set the start month to July, not January. Changing this later requires re-creating your fiscal years.
• Skipping the legal name -- The legal name is what appears on donation receipts. If you leave it blank, the regular organization name is used instead, which may not match your IRS filings.
• Forgetting officers and directors -- You don't need them right away, but you will need them for Form 990 filing. The Officers & Directors section on the organization page lets you add them whenever you're ready.

Accountant note: Under IRS regulations, your EIN and fiscal year must match what you file on Form 990. If your organization changed its fiscal year, use IRS Form 1128 to notify the IRS before updating NP Ledger. The fiscal year start month also determines how NP Ledger calculates the 3-year gross receipts average for 990 variant selection.