Finance, budgeting and compliance
Create a month-end close checklist
Gives your finance routine a clear, repeatable list of steps, including accruals (costs or income recorded before cash moves), for closing out the month.
Lower risk: public info only — A process checklist includes no private data.
Please note: This site is only a guide to help people understand. Consult your IT, security and/or privacy department for clarification.
Before you start, gather
Name your system exactly in [ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE]. Name the person who signs off in [REVIEWER ROLE], such as your treasurer or finance lead. Afterward, compare the list with how your bookkeeper actually closes the month.
Starter prompt
Create a month-end close checklist for a small nonprofit with a part-time bookkeeper using [ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE]. Include steps for bank reconciliation, donations and grant revenue, restricted funds and grant-by-grant tracking, in-kind donations, volunteer-handled cash, expense approvals, payroll checks, accruals and review by [REVIEWER ROLE]. Add a column for who does each step and a due date. Do not invent menu paths or report names in my software; where a step depends on my setup, write CHECK instead of guessing.
Paste the prompt into your AI tool first, then replace the placeholders with your own details. Don't use real names of clients or donors.
Open an AI tool
You are leaving this guide. Copy the prompt first, then open a tool. The link goes to the website of the company named on each link, in a new tab. That company's terms and privacy policy apply there. Paste the prompt in, then replace the placeholders with your own details. Don't enter real names or confidential details.
- Open Claude (Anthropic) (opens Anthropic's website in a new tab)
Anthropic documents pre-filled links only for the Claude Desktop app, not for the website, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open ChatGPT (OpenAI) (opens OpenAI's website in a new tab)
OpenAI does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Gemini (Google) (opens Google's website in a new tab)
Google does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Grok (SpaceXAI) (opens SpaceXAI's website in a new tab)
SpaceXAI (the company behind Grok) does not document a link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Amazon Bedrock (hosts Llama; needs an AWS account) (opens Amazon Web Services' website in a new tab)
Llama has no chat website of its own, and Meta's own assistant (Meta AI) now runs on a different Meta model. One host is Amazon Bedrock: sign in to AWS, open a playground, and paste the prompt.
- Open Microsoft Copilot (Microsoft) (opens Microsoft's website in a new tab)
Microsoft documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in. The Copilot page shows a Sign in button, and you may need to sign in.
- Open Perplexity (Perplexity AI) (opens Perplexity AI's website in a new tab)
Perplexity documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Open Mistral Le Chat (Mistral AI) (opens Mistral AI's website in a new tab)
Mistral renamed Le Chat to Vibe, at the same web address. Mistral documents no link that pre-fills a prompt, so copy the prompt and paste it in.
- Givebutter (Givebutter): no website to open from here. Givebutter Magic works inside a Givebutter account; there is no public chat page.
- Grantable (Grantable): no website to open from here. Grantable's AI works inside a Grantable account; there is no public chat page.
Check the result
Have your accountant review it for steps specific to your software and nonprofit accounting needs.
What it might get wrong
Steps for software features your system lacks. A due date, such as a fixed number of days after month-end, presented as a rule. A missing step for restricted-fund tracking.