We know the difference. Not all accountants do.

Understanding what makes non-profit accounting different from other businesses is critical.

Accounting for charities is different at every stage of the process. While we often deal with reports showing time periods against analysis categories - a rather two-dimensional reporting style - we use a much more complex system for charities.

Not only do non-profits compare time periods against categories but they also have to track restricted funds against unrestricted ones. You might find that yours would benefit from departmental reporting too.