The Nonprofit Bookkeeper

Hosted by Aishat

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Oct 2026

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The Nonprofit Bookkeeper shines a light on purpose-driven organisations — from charities and social enterprises to impact-led businesses. Hosted by Aishat, a finance and operations expert, this show blends practical financial tips, real-life stories, and strategic guidance for founders, funders, and changemakers. Expect solo episodes, expert guests, and honest conversations about money, mission, and making a difference.

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November 11, 202615 min

2026 Trustee Week - Day 3: When There Isn't One Right Answer: Trustee Judgement in Practice

What happens when trustees disagree on a difficult decision, and there isn't an obvious right answer? In Day 3 of our Trustees' Week series, we explore how boards balance competing priorities, challenge constructively and make decisions when every option carries some risk. Featuring insights from Kathryn Shepherdson, Jane Rich (The Fore), Jonathan Jelley MBE and Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Network), we consider the importance of hearing different perspectives, understanding the decision-making process, recording the reasons behind decisions and knowing when to revisit them. Free Trustees' Week resources: https://www.bancservices.co.uk/ KEY TAKEAWAY Good governance isn't about always finding the right answer. It's about making a well-informed, defensible decision, understanding why it was made and being willing to reconsider when circumstances change. BEST MOMENTS “Information informs judgment, it doesn't replace it.” “I don't think disagreement is unhealthy. Constructive challenge is essential to good governance.” “A decision can be reasonable when it is made and still need to change when circumstances change.” TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEF If you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief. Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service , a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice. Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers. She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z , a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

November 10, 202613 min

2026 Trustee Week - Day 2: When Everyone Knows, But Nobody Has Written It Down

What happens when an experienced trustee steps down and takes years of organisational knowledge with them? In Day 2 of our Trustees' Week series, we explore how boards can become dependent on knowledge held by individual trustees, why recording decisions isn't always enough, and how succession planning can help preserve valuable experience. Featuring reflections from Jane Rich (The Fore), Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Movement) and Kathryn Shepherdson (Hertfordshire Dyslexic Association). A question for your board: If one of your most experienced trustees left tomorrow, what knowledge would leave with them? Visit bancservices.co.uk for practical Trustees' Week resources. Next: When There Isn't One Right Answer — Trustee Judgement in Practice. KEY TAKEAWAY Good governance shouldn't depend on who happens to be around the board table. Preserving the reasoning behind decisions, sharing knowledge and planning for trustee departures help boards maintain continuity as people come and go.. BEST MOMENTS "How much of your board's effectiveness depends on particular people remaining around the table?" "They may well have access to the papers and understand the decisions that were made, but they weren't part of those discussions." "If one of your most experienced trustees stepped down tomorrow, what knowledge would leave the board with them?" TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEF If you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief. Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service , a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice. Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers. She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z , a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

November 9, 202612 min

2026 Trustee Week - Day 1: If You Can't See It, You Can't Manage It

Receiving information at a board meeting isn't the same as understanding what's happening in a charity. In this first episode of my 2026 Trustees' Week series, we explore what meaningful visibility looks like, why accurate financial reports don't always tell the full story, and what trustees need to know to make informed decisions. With insights from Kathryn Shepherdson (Hertfordshire Dyslexic Association), Jonathan Jelley MBE (Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services) and Kahvan Bryan (Young Trustees Movement), we consider the importance of clear reporting, curiosity and asking questions. Free resource: Download the Trustee Visibility Check from the Resources page at www.bancservices.co.uk . Tomorrow: When Everyone Knows But Nobody Has Written It Down. KEY TAKEAWAY Good governance isn't about how much information trustees receive. It's about whether they can see and understand what matters, recognise what may be missing, and ask the questions needed to make informed decisions.A budget isn't necessarily wrong because circumstances have changed. BEST MOMENTS “Receiving information isn't the same thing as having visibility.” “You can only understand the information that you're being given.” “A well-presented board paper doesn't necessarily mean a well-understood organization.” “I'm not afraid to say, ‘Sorry, I don't actually understand what this means in context.’” TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEF If you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief. Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service , a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice. Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers. She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z , a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

October 14, 202617 min

When the Budget Stops Being True: Why reporting against budget isn't always enough

A budget may have been perfectly reasonable when it was approved, but what happens when the assumptions behind it no longer reflect reality? In this episode, Aishat explores why reporting against the original budget isn't always enough to support good financial decisions. We unpack the difference between budgets, reforecasts and revised budgets; why some charities retain their original budget throughout the year while others undertake a formal mid-year review; and how each approach can help management and trustees understand their financial position. The conversation also considers what happens when ambitious income targets don't materialise, why a favourable variance isn't always good news, and how forecasting can give organisations time to respond to emerging financial pressures. The central question: Are your financial reports simply explaining what has changed, or helping you decide what to do next? KEY TAKEAWAY A budget isn't necessarily wrong because circumstances have changed. Budgets and forecasts serve different purposes. A reforecast is not the same as a revised budget. BEST MOMENTS 04:15 Why budgets and forecasts answer different questions 11:10 The important distinction between reforecasting and revising a budget 15:20 Four financial figures, four different questions TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEF If you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief. Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat is a charity finance professional with over 25 years' experience in the nonprofit sector and founder of BAnC Service , a practice supporting charities and nonprofits with financial management, reporting, governance and strategic financial advice. Through The Nonprofit Bookkeeper, she helps charity leaders, trustees and finance professionals make sense of financial information, ask better questions and make informed decisions, while recognising the people and work behind the numbers. She is also the author of Charity Finance from A to Z , a practical guide to making charity finance more accessible. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

September 28, 202628 min

The Decisions Behind the Numbers

Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z The numbers may be accurate, but what do they actually tell us? An underspend could be a genuine saving — or simply delayed expenditure. A healthy bank balance may not all be available to spend. And a programme that looks expensive may partly reflect how costs have been allocated. In this episode, Aishat explores the decisions, assumptions and operational realities behind the numbers — and what trustees, CEOs and finance leads need to understand before using them to make decisions. KEY TAKEAWAY An accurate figure and its interpretation are two different things. An underspend isn't automatically money available to spend. Cash, reserves, surplus and available money aren't interchangeable. BEST MOMENTS "Judgement is part of financial governance." "A £40,000 staff-cost underspend may be completely accurate, but understanding why it exists determines what the organisation can reasonably do with that information." A QUESTION FOR YOUR NEXT FINANCE DISCUSSION When a number looks particularly good, particularly worrying or simply different from what you expected, ask: What sits behind this number — and would understanding that change the decision we're about to make? TRUSTEE FINANCE BRIEF If you're a trustee or charity leader who would like more practical prompts to help you engage with charity finances and ask useful questions around the board table, you can join my Trustee Finance Brief. Sign up to receive practical, plain-English finance and governance insights designed to support better board-level conversations. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

June 28, 20269 min

2026 Small Charities Week – Day 7: What Financially Resilient Small Charities Do Differently

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources. Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z What makes a financially resilient charity? It isn't necessarily a large finance team, sophisticated systems, or substantial reserves. After more than 25 years working in charity finance, Aishat has seen small charities with limited resources make excellent financial decisions, while much larger organisations continue to struggle. In this final episode of the Small Charities Week series, she brings together the key themes from the week and explores the habits that financially resilient charities develop over time. Because resilience isn't about perfection. It's about consistently making better financial decisions. KEY TAKEAWAY Financial resilience is about behaviours, not size Looking ahead matters as much as looking back Small improvements create lasting resilience BEST MOMENTS "Forecasting isn't about predicting the future perfectly. It's about reducing surprises." "Resilience is much easier to build before a crisis than during one." "Financial resilience isn't about fixing everything at once." REFLECTION QUESTION What is one financial habit your organisation could strengthen over the next three months? Not ten things. Not a complete transformation. Just one. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

June 26, 202611 min

2026 Small Charities Week – Day 6: The Financial Conversations Small Charity Boards Avoid

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources. Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z Most trustees don't join a board because they love finance. They join because they care about a cause, a community, and making a difference. Yet every board makes financial decisions. The challenge is that some of the most important finance conversations are often the ones that never happen. In this episode, Aishat explores why trustees sometimes avoid asking questions, why understanding matters more than simply receiving reports, and how better conversations lead to better governance. Because good financial leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating an environment where the right questions can be asked. KEY TAKEAWAY Every report has limits Better questions lead to better decisions Understanding comes from discussion, not just receiving reports. BEST MOMENTS "Some of the most important finance conversations are often the ones that don't happen." "One of the most dangerous sentences in charity governance is, 'The finance person has it covered.'" "The purpose of a board meeting isn't simply to receive information. It's to have conversations that information should trigger." REFLECTION QUESTION Think about your last board meeting. Was there a question you wanted to ask but didn't? Was there something you didn't fully understand? Was there a risk you felt uncomfortable raising? If so, there's a good chance someone else in the room felt exactly the same. ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

June 26, 20269 min

2026 Small Charities Week: Day 5 - How Small Charities Can Build Reserves Without Feeling Guilty

🎁 Download your free Day 5 resource: Building Reserves: A Small Charity Action Plan here Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z Most charity leaders agree that reserves are important. The real challenge is knowing how to build them when funding is tight, demand is increasing, and every pound already feels committed. In this episode, Aishat moves beyond the debate about whether reserves matter and explores practical ways small charities can start building financial resilience. From small annual surpluses and full cost recovery to unrestricted fundraising and intentional board decisions, this episode focuses on realistic actions rather than ideal circumstances. Because reserves aren't money sitting idle, they're what help charities continue delivering their mission when challenges arise. KEY TAKEAWAY Reserves are built through intentional decisions Having a clear plan for reserves is more important than the amount of reserves. BEST MOMENTS "Instead of asking, 'Should we have reserves?' we should ask, 'How do organisations actually build them?'" "Reserves aren't simply money sitting in a bank account. They're breathing space, time, flexibility and they're options." "Sometimes the path to stronger reserves begins with stronger budgeting." REFLECTION QUESTION If your board agreed tomorrow that reserves matter... What would happen next? Would there be: A plan? Identified funding sources? A timeline? Named responsibilities? Or would everyone simply agree they were important and move on? ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

June 25, 202611 min

2026 Small Charities Week: Day 4 - Restricted Funds: Looking Beyond the Bank Balance

🎁 Resource update: This download has been retired. Visit BAnC Services for our latest charity finance resources. Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z Many charity leaders, trustees, and managers have experienced the same conversation: "We've got money in the bank. Why can't we spend it?" While restricted and unrestricted funds are often presented as an accounting topic, the real challenge is rarely understanding the definitions. The challenge comes when decisions need to be made. In this episode, Aishat explores why bank balances can be misleading, why cash doesn't always equal flexibility, and how understanding restrictions helps organisations make better decisions about spending, growth, recruitment, and sustainability. This isn't an episode about year-end accounts. It's an episode about decision-making. KEY TAKEAWAY Bank balances don't tell the whole story Cash does not always equal flexibility Spending decisions require context Better decisions depend on better information BEST MOMENTS "Today's episode could really be called, 'We've Got Money in the Bank, Can We Spend It?'" "People assume cash equals flexibility. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't." "Restricted funds aren't just a finance issue. They're a leadership issue." REFLECTION QUESTION If someone asked today, "How much money do we actually have available to spend?" Would your answer be based on: The bank balance? Or The bank balance, restrictions, commitments, and obligations? ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok

June 23, 202610 min

2026 Small Charities Week: Day 3 - When One Person Is Holding All the Financial Knowledge

🎁 Download your free Day 3 resource: Finance Resilience Checklist here Pick up a copy of my newly published interactive, activity-based resource designed to help build confidence with charity finance terminology:: Charity Finance A–Z: A Creative Crossword & Colouring Book Or explore the glossary-style guide: Charity Finance from A - Z Many small charities rely heavily on one trusted individual to manage the finances. They know the bookkeeping system, the banking, the payroll, the grant reporting, the passwords, the deadlines, and often the history behind every financial decision. The problem isn't that they're doing anything wrong. The problem is that the organisation may have become dependent on them. In this episode, Aishat explores key-person risk, volunteer dependency, founder dependency, and practical ways small charities can build financial resilience without creating additional complexity or employing a larger finance team. KEY TAKEAWAY Documentation is one of the simplest forms of resilience Key-person risk often develops gradually Succession planning isn't just for CEOs BEST MOMENTS "The issue isn't whether volunteers are committed. The issue is whether the organization could continue if a key volunteer became unavailable." "The founder isn't intentionally creating risk. Often, they're simply trying to keep things moving." "Knowledge doesn't need to sit entirely inside one person's head." REFLECTION QUESTION If your key finance person was unexpectedly unavailable for the next month, what would happen? Could: Payroll still run? Bills still be paid? Trustees still receive reports? Grant claims still be submitted? ABOUT YOUR HOST Aishat operates her own bookkeeping and accounting services practice – BAnC Services – which focuses primarily on serving non-profits. Before founding her practice, she dedicated over two decades to the non-profit sector. With her podcast, Aishat shares practical insights and expertise to streamline financial management for non-profits, while also shining a light on the often unseen and unheard efforts that uphold the delivery of a non-profit’s mission. She is the author of Charity Finance from A to Z“ – a practical guide designed to demystify finance for those working in the charity sector. Work with Aishat: www.bancservices.co.uk CONNECT Instagram TikTok