Questions and Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with ICNU. If you do not see your question here, reach out at connect@inspiringchurches.com and we will get back to you personally.
About ICNU
ICNU provides hands-on back-office support for nonprofits, churches, and small businesses through a flat monthly subscription. We handle the financial and administrative details that often overwhelm leaders: bookkeeping oversight, payroll review, board reporting, and compliance. So you can focus on what you actually built the organization to do.
We serve three audiences: nonprofits, churches, and small businesses. Most of our nonprofit and church clients have 2 to 50 employees and annual budgets under $10 million, though we can support larger organizations on a case-by-case basis. For small businesses, the fit is less about size and more about whether you are ready to stop guessing at your numbers and start leading with clarity.
In short, you should not have to choose. We work alongside your existing accountant or CPA, not in place of them. We handle the day-to-day clarity your board needs. Your CPA handles tax filings and audits. Everyone stays aligned.
More practically: most organizations cannot afford a full-time CFO, and bookkeepers rarely provide the strategic guidance that leaders actually need. High-cost consulting firms bill by the hour and disappear between engagements. ICNU bridges that gap. You get expert financial oversight, staff training, and board-ready reporting for a predictable monthly cost, without adding another employee to your payroll.
Pricing and Engagement
Pricing is transparent and based on your audience and the scope of your engagement.
Nonprofits and churches receive preferred pricing. Rates are based on the number of non-program support staff (FTEs) in your organization:
Small businesses are priced on a flat retainer scoped to your engagement. Starting rates are $675, $1,200, and $1,875 per month for Nearby, Alongside, and At the Table respectively. Your actual rate is confirmed together before anything is finalized.
All subscriptions include a one-time setup fee equal to your first month's payment. No surprise hourly invoices.
Each tier builds on the one before it. Start where you are and move up when you are ready.
Nearby gives you bookkeeping oversight, plain-English highlights on your financials, quick-turn email support, and a quarterly pulse check so nothing sneaks up on you.
Alongside adds payroll oversight, narrative board reporting, cash flow forecasting, and regular check-ins built around the decisions you are actually facing.
At the Table includes everything above, plus a monthly strategy call, grant and audit support, board meeting participation, custom dashboards, and workflow design so the right work lands with the right people.
See the full breakdown on the nonprofit, church, or small business pricing pages.
There are no long-term contracts. We do ask for a minimum of three months at the start of the engagement. That gives us the continuity to deliver meaningful value and gives both sides time to assess the relationship properly.
After those first three months, you are free to cancel at any time with at least 10 days written notice before your next billing cycle. No cancellation fees.
We use full-time equivalent (FTE) counts based on your non-program support staff: finance, HR, admin, and development roles. A part-time staff member counts as a fraction of an FTE. This approach scales our work fairly to the complexity of your organization without overcharging smaller teams. Your actual FTE count and starting rate are confirmed together before you sign anything.
Yes. If your needs fall between tiers, we will tailor a plan so you are only paying for the services that actually benefit you. Our goal is to make sure your back office is covered, not to sell you extras you do not need. That conversation starts with the intake form.
ICNU Books Bookkeeping
ICNU Books is a dedicated bookkeeping service line within ICNU. Where the standard ICNU tiers (Nearby, Alongside, At the Table) focus on fractional CFO-level oversight and advisory support, ICNU Books focuses on doing the bookkeeping itself: monthly transaction coding, reconciliation, financial reporting, and the QBO management that keeps your books current and audit-ready.
ICNU Books has four tiers: Solo/Micro, Small/Standard, Growing/Plus, and Advanced/Complex. Pricing is based on transaction volume and account complexity rather than staff headcount.
Yes. Every ICNU Books tier includes a QuickBooks Online subscription managed by ICNU under our ProAdvisor account. We select the right QBO plan for your needs, bill it through our account at a discounted rate, and pass that savings along as part of your monthly fee. You get QBO plus the bookkeeping, for one predictable monthly number.
It means ICNU holds the subscription under our ProAdvisor account and you are added as an admin user with full access to your data. You can run reports, send invoices, and see everything at any time. We handle the billing, the setup, and the maintenance. If you ever move on from ICNU Books, we will work with you to make arrangements for a smooth and clean transition, including a subscription transfer.
We can work with your existing QBO account. In that case, your ICNU Books rate reflects the QBO cost we would otherwise bundle, and we discuss whether it makes sense to migrate your subscription to our ProAdvisor billing or keep it where it is. Either way, your books stay yours and the transition is straightforward.
Setup includes reasonable catch-up work: COA adjustments, reclassifications, and getting your accounts current. If your books need significant prior-period reconstruction before we can begin regular service, that gets scoped and priced separately after reviewing the file. Most light cleanup is handled as part of onboarding. If it is more than that, we will tell you before anything starts.
Payroll coordination is an optional add-on, not included in base ICNU Books pricing. When added, your team submits hours, rates, and any deduction changes. We enter and process the payroll run through your provider (QBO Payroll, Gusto, ADP, or similar), then send back reports and paystubs for your review and approval before anything is finalized. Your payroll provider handles tax deposits, compliance filings, W-2s, and employee portals. You remain the employer of record and final approver on every run. Payroll coordination starts at $200/month for up to 5 workers.
No. Payroll tax deposits and filings are handled by your payroll provider (QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto, ADP, or similar). ICNU coordinates the payroll run but does not make tax deposits from ICNU accounts or file payroll tax returns on your behalf.
Bill pay setup and management is available as an add-on for Growing/Plus and Advanced/Complex clients. We set up and manage bill payment workflows inside QuickBooks Online. Client approval and client bank funding are required for all payments. ICNU does not hold or transfer client funds.
No. ICNU Books keeps your books current and accurate so that tax season is straightforward for you and your CPA. We do not prepare or file business or personal income tax returns. We work alongside your tax preparer, not in place of them.
No. At least not by us. Any financial statements printed, exported, or otherwise produced by ICNU are considered internally generated management reports. They are not audited, reviewed, or compiled (those are technical accounting terms for specific CPA firm engagements) unless done so by an independent CPA firm under a separate engagement. ICNU is not independent of its clients.
If your organization requires audited financial statements, a Review, a Compilation, or any attestation services, you will need to engage a licensed CPA firm for that work. ICNU Books helps ensure that your books are auditable: we deliver a high-quality bookkeeping product and proactively handle the accounting housekeeping CPAs like to see before their engagement ever begins.
Backstop Coverage is an optional internal review layer available to Growing/Plus clients and above. It adds a structured layer of independent eyes to your monthly bookkeeping: transaction sampling, account reconciliation verification, payroll cross-checks, and a summary report for leadership.
Backstop Coverage is an internal review and bookkeeping support service for leadership use. It is not an audit, compilation, agreed-upon procedures engagement, attestation engagement, or CPA opinion, and produces no professional opinion of any kind. Organizations requiring an independent audit or attest service should engage a licensed CPA firm.
QuickBooks subscription pricing is set by Intuit and may change. ICNU monitors pricing changes and will communicate any impact to your engagement in advance. We will always give you clear notice before any change affects your monthly rate, and we will work with you to find the right plan at the right cost for your situation.
Services and Process
We handle the finance and operations essentials that most organizations struggle to manage consistently:
- Bookkeeping oversight and monthly close (ensuring accuracy, not just data entry)
- Payroll review and staff training
- Board-ready financial reporting
- Budget creation and cash flow planning
- Audit and grant readiness support
- QuickBooks Online best practices and coaching
- Investor and lender prep for small businesses
We are not a tax preparer or audit firm, but we make sure you are ready for both.
We work alongside your accountant or CPA, not in place of them. We handle the day-to-day clarity, reporting, and systems your board needs, while your CPA focuses on tax filings and audits. Our role keeps everyone aligned and your books in shape year-round.
Yes. Many of our clients come to us specifically because they feel unprepared for audits, grant applications, or board reviews. We help get your records organized, structure your reports, and build the systems funders and auditors expect to see. For small businesses, we offer similar support for lender conversations and investor prep.
In the first 30 to 45 days, we will:
- Review your current systems and pain points
- Set up a shared drive for documents and reporting
- Host a discovery call to define priorities and goals
- Deliver an action plan with clear next steps
The goal is quick wins and immediate relief, not a slow ramp-up.
We use secure cloud-based systems, encrypted document sharing, and strict internal protocols to protect your information. Only authorized team members access your data, and we never share information without your permission.
Absolutely. Many organizations hire us when they are behind on reconciliations or overwhelmed by messy records. We specialize in cleanup and getting your books current before we begin regular service. Cleanup is scoped and priced separately after reviewing the file. That is often how the relationship starts.
Probably. Many clients keep their bookkeeper for data entry but rely on ICNU for oversight, reporting, and strategy. We make sure the books are accurate, the staff is trained, and the board gets the information they need. The bookkeeper handles the inputs. We make sure the outputs are trustworthy.
Getting Started
Start with the intake form for your audience. We will review your staff size, current systems, and pain points, then recommend the tier or custom plan that fits. You will not be pressured to upgrade or commit before you are ready.
Most clients are fully onboarded within 2 to 3 weeks, though we can move faster if your needs are urgent. Cleanup projects may take longer, but we will give you a clear timeline upfront before anything is finalized.
Yes. We offer a no-obligation discovery call to discuss your needs, walk through our tiers, and answer your questions. The intake conversation lets us understand your situation, confirm the right scope, and set your actual rate before anything is finalized.
Choose the intake form that matches your organization:
Or reach out directly at connect@inspiringchurches.com if you want to have a conversation first.
Still have questions? We respond personally. Reach out and we will get back to you within one business day.