The new system’s demo goes well. The directory looks clearer, volunteers can see their assignments, and everyone is ready to choose a move date. Then the treasurer asks, “How will I reconcile the first month—and where will this year’s donor statements come from?”
Those questions belong near the beginning. They reveal work that a successful donation-entry demonstration can leave unseen.
A donor record, a processor payout, and a bank transaction describe related activity. They do not always have the same amount or date. Your trial needs to show how the finance team will explain the differences.
Map the current path
Write down where each stage happens: donation entry, fund assignment, deposit preparation, processor settlement, accounting entry, bank reconciliation, and donor statement.
Name the person responsible for each handoff. Identify whether it is automatic, a reviewed export, or a manual entry. “It syncs” is incomplete unless someone can show what is transferred and how errors are handled.
Use a sample that includes exceptions
A useful trial includes a cash or check gift, an online gift, a designated gift, and a refund or correction appropriate to your normal work.
For illustration, a processor might record $100 in gifts, deduct $3 in fees, and deposit $97. These are hypothetical amounts, not a quoted fee. A $100 donor total and a $97 bank deposit are not automatically a discrepancy; the finance team needs records explaining the $3 difference and its treatment.
Use your processor's actual reports and the church's accounting policy for the trial. Also check the dates when gifts are recorded and payouts reach the bank.
Ask what the new product really handles
TimelyChurch includes giving records, deposit batches, donor statements, and built-in bookkeeping features such as accounts, transactions, bills, and reconciliation. These are worth testing with the person who will use them each month.
One concrete connection is the deposit-batch workflow: marking a closed batch as deposited creates an accounting income transaction. That records the deposit in the software; it does not move cash to the bank. Review the chosen account, date, totals, and fund treatment with the treasurer.
If your church will keep another accounting system, document that handoff explicitly. Do not assume a QuickBooks connection merely because both products appear in the same plan.
Define the acceptance checks
- Donor record — Correct person or household and gift amount.
- Funds — Intended designation retained and reported appropriately.
- Deposit or payout — Total explained by source records, fees, and adjustments.
- Bookkeeping — Expected entries, without duplicating imported bank activity.
- Bank reconciliation — Matching items and clearly explained outstanding items.
- Statement — Accurate period, donor identity, and eligible gift details.
Ask a second person to follow the sample without relying on the preparer’s memory. Can they find the source records, explain the fee, and identify any outstanding item? If the answer depends on “I remember why that happened,” add the missing reference before moving more records.
A transaction labeled deposited or paid records an action in the software. Check it against the actual bank activity as part of the finance team’s normal reconciliation.
Keep the transition year traceable
Agree on the cutover date and where historical records remain available. Define how statements spanning the old and new systems will be checked. Keep source exports and a mapping of old and new fund names.
Recordkeeping requirements depend on the church's circumstances and jurisdiction. U.S. churches can start with the IRS's recordkeeping guidance and have their finance adviser confirm the retention and reporting plan.
Proceed when the team can explain one complete sample from gift to statement and bank reconciliation. Resolve unexplained differences before adding a full year of records.
Explore TimelyChurch’s current plans with your treasurer if giving and bookkeeping are part of your software search. Bring the sample cases above and test them from beginning to end. You should be able to explain the first month’s records before committing to moving a year’s history.