Room at the Inn is a non-profit serving the homeless population of Marquette County, Michigan, receiving over $500K in annual grants and contributions. When a new Executive Director joined the organization, she inherited a financial picture that was anything but clear: bank accounts unreconciled for eight months, unorganized transactions, balance sheet accounts duplicated or unbalanced, and a P&L full of inconsistencies.
The organization needed its books cleaned up for its annual Form 990 filing. More urgently, leadership needed to trust the numbers. Incorrect board presentations, anxiety over the true state of finances, and the risk of jeopardizing future grant funding all made action critical.
Enhance moved quickly and methodically, prioritizing the items that posed the greatest financial risk and reporting liability before building durable systems for ongoing clarity.
Reconcile all accounts - Bank, credit card, and all other balance sheet accounts were reconciled from the ground up — bringing eight months of backlog current within the first 30 days.
Reorganize the chart of accounts - Miscategorized transactions and duplicated accounts were cleaned up and restructured, making the P&L and balance sheet readable and consistent for the first time.
Build a balance sheet reconciliation workbook - A comprehensive workbook documented every account with full supporting detail — creating a permanent reference that ensures nothing goes unaccounted for in future periods.
Establish ongoing monthly cadence - Monthly transaction reviews, bank reconciliations, and board-ready financial reporting replaced the previous ad hoc approach. Weekly account touches ensured nothing fell behind again.
Coach the team on documentation standards - With state and federal grant funding at stake, the team was trained on maintaining transaction support — the single most impactful process improvement for long-term compliance and grantor confidence.
"I started tearing up this weekend on the way to dinner reading your email. My husband asked me what was wrong, and I told him nothing was wrong, we had just never had this much insight into our finances before and it made me so relieved that we were doing the right thing."
— Executive Director, Room at the Inn
Close time cut to under 2 weeks - Month-end financials that previously lagged by months are now consistently delivered within two weeks of period-end, enabling timely board reporting.
Full fiscal year ready for 990 filing - A complete, reliable set of financials was prepared within 60 days, giving the treasurer everything needed to file the organization's Form 990.
Restricted vs. unrestricted fund visibility - Leadership gained clear insight into restricted versus non-restricted funds — a critical distinction for an organization dependent on grants and contributions.
Confidence to pursue larger grants - With clean, auditable financials in hand, the Executive Director is now pursuing expanded shelter options and larger grant opportunities backed by credible financial data.