Nonprofit Board Treasurer Course
Become the treasurer your board trusts.
Every nonprofit needs a treasurer the board can trust
Most treasurers are volunteers nobody trained. You get a bank login, a budget and a stack of reports, and the board expects you to have the answers.
In those moments, it's easy to feel lost, nod along, and hope the numbers are fine.
A charity's money, and the mission it pays for, deserve a treasurer who knows what the numbers mean.
Become the treasurer your board trusts
The Nonprofit Board Treasurer Course turns you into the person the board turns to when money is on the table. Here's what you'll be able to do for your organization:
Read the numbers with confidence
Understand the four nonprofit financial statements, and the money donors have restricted to a purpose.
Tell the board what the numbers mean
Bring a one-page dashboard that shows the decision the board needs to make, not just a green light.
Know how much cash you can really use
See the gap between the bank balance and the money that's free to spend, weeks before payday.
Protect the money
Oversee budgets and reserves, the Form 990, payroll and donor receipts, the audit, and the simple controls that stop payment fraud.
Why the treasurer matters
A careful treasurer catches the fake invoice, the missing filing and the cash gap before they cost the mission. That's the treasurer this course helps you become.
*Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Occupational Fraud 2026: A Report to the Nations (2,402 cases in 143 countries). **IRS, automatic revocation of exemption.
Your plan is simple
Start the course
36 short video lessons you watch at your own pace.
Use the tools on your own numbers
18 ready-to-use tools, from a monthly review checklist to a cash forecast.
Earn your certificate
Pass the final assessment and walk into your next board meeting ready.
Your guide: Michael Barrick
We know what it feels like when the board turns to you about the money and you're not sure what the numbers are telling you. Michael Barrick has spent more than ten years studying what makes boards work, and what makes them fail. He has served on several prominent boards, trained nonprofit leaders and their boards, and built Board Director, a board portal that helps boards run better meetings and stronger governance.
- More than 10 years studying boards and governance
- Served on several prominent boards
- Has trained many nonprofits and their boards
- Founder of Board Director and Board Director Institute
What you get
The course
- 36 short video lessons, each built on a realistic nonprofit example
- A “try it” exercise in every lesson, with a model answer
- A final assessment of 20 scenario questions (16 to pass, retakes allowed)
- A Certificate of Completion from Board Director Institute
- 18 working tools in PDF, Word and Excel: a financial authority matrix, monthly review checklist, board dashboard, cash forecast and more.
- The Nonprofit Board Treasurer Handbook: the whole course in one book.
- Cheat sheets and four one-page checklists, plus a capstone workbook with a full board meeting to practice on.
- Free: the Treasurer's First 90 Days Checklist, yours as soon as you sign up below.
Without a plan
- You report the bank balance and miss the payroll gap.
- A filing slips because nobody owned it.
- A payment goes to a fake bank account.
- The board decides without seeing the real numbers.
With the Nonprofit Board Treasurer Course
- You know how much cash the organization can really use.
- Every filing has an owner and a date.
- New bank details get checked before anyone pays.
- You become the treasurer your board trusts.
Questions
I'm not an accountant. Is this for me?
Yes. Most treasurers aren't accountants. The course teaches the reports to ask for, the questions to ask and when to bring in a CPA, in plain words.
I've been treasurer for years. Is this too basic?
It starts with the handover and the statements, then goes into cash forecasting, reserves, Form 990 review, payroll and contractors, donor receipts, audits, payment fraud and financial distress.
I'm about to become treasurer. When should I start?
Now is a good time. Lesson 4 walks you through the handover and your first 90 days, and the free checklist on this page gets you started today.
We're a small charity with no staff. Does this still apply?
Yes. The course shows how a small organization can protect its money without a budget it doesn't have, like making sure someone besides the person who pays the bills sees the bank statement.
How does the certificate work?
Pass the final assessment (16 of 20 correct, retakes allowed) to earn a Certificate of Completion from Board Director Institute. It records what you finished; it is not accreditation, CPE credit, a license or a professional certification.
Is this legal, tax or accounting advice?
No. It's general education about U.S. nonprofits. Your state law, your bylaws and your CPA win, so check all three.
Every nonprofit needs a strong treasurer. Become the treasurer your board trusts.
Not ready yet?
Get the free Treasurer's First 90 Days Checklist: what to fix before the outgoing treasurer leaves, the inventory to take, and what to bring to the board by day ninety. Leave your name and email, and the download link appears right away.
BoardMatchHQ, Board Director and EntityEngine are companies Michael Barrick founded. The course covers U.S. nonprofits. General education, not legal, tax or accounting advice.