Accountant Spotlight: Sarah Vaught at Nonprofit Bookkeeping

Our Accounting Spotlights highlight inspirational leaders in the profession who are making a difference for their clients and community. Know someone who deserves to be featured? Submit a nomination.

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In our latest Accountant Spotlight Series, we're thrilled to introduce Sarah Vaught, Account Manager of Nonprofit Bookkeeping. Her story is one defined by relationship building, dedication, and respect. 

Adding it all up

Attracted to the world of mathematics at an early age, Sarah Vaught has consistently held a curiosity for numbers. But it wasn’t until she more formally landed in the numbers world in college that the future began to equate. Completing Bachelors in Accounting and Finance, Sarah’s dual studies cemented her interest in both disciplines.

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Sarah’s first job as a Financial Analyst immersed her in the world of finance, but as she navigated through the corporate world, her passions evolved. Connecting with a former manager, Sarah was introduced to Nonprofit Bookkeeping, and quickly fell in love with the field of financial services for nonprofits. Since March 2022, Sarah’s commitment to the company, the work, and the clients in all corners of the country has become central to her story. 

Solving the nonprofit equation

True to its name, Nonprofit Bookkeeping is a boutique financial services firm specializing in mission-driven charitable organizations. When founder Jeremy Van Groll learned of the limited resources that nonprofit leaders have for financial management, he was inspired to help them gain operational efficiencies. Aiding the success of nonprofits with a wide range of financial services, Nonprofit Bookkeeping is dedicated to delivering value and empowering clients to make well-informed decisions. 

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Nonprofit Bookkeeping’s goal of establishing and maintaining accurate bookkeeping is accompanied by the belief that insightful financial reports are a key differentiator in operating a successful nonprofit. “The best value comes from accurate financials. Without that, the organization will suffer,” Sarah explains. “It’s important to work with the client to improve best practices in a way that the client trusts the numbers.” By acting as an extension of the client, Sarah and the passionate team at Nonprofit Bookkeeping support long-term operational transformation, allowing clients to make informed, data-driven decisions. 

Using technology to prioritize human relationships

While AI and technology are rapidly-growing levers in the financial services world, Nonprofit Bookkeeping remains committed to ensuring human connection remains central to each and every client interaction. “We don’t just do books; we want to get to know you and create a relationship with you,” expresses Sarah. To ensure that the team can prioritize and maintain communication with clients, Nonprofit Bookkeeping is using technology to replace low-value tasks, freeing up time for high-value work.

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Among other solutions, Ramp has helped the organization further differentiate service delivery to clients. “Ramp has helped to streamline and take the human error factor out of processes,” notes Sarah. “By using Ramp, we can replace manual functions with automatic integrations.” Supporting 100+ popular integrations such as QuickBooks, Ramp has allowed Nonprofit Bookkeeping to easily connect with popular accounting, collaboration, and security tools, further streamlining their finance operations. By striking a perfect harmony between human and machine, Nonprofit Bookkeeping has been able to reduce human error, accelerate processes, and deepen client relationships.

Creating sustainable scale for clients

In the seven years since Nonprofit Bookkeeping was founded, its client base has grown considerably, thanks to strong word of mouth. Having worked closely with clients, Sarah has developed an intimate understanding of the unique challenges they face, which has helped build trust. “Sustainable revenue streams, getting noticed, and staff turnover are top of mind for nonprofits,” she asserts. “A lot of nonprofits survive on government grants, and that funding is becoming increasingly harder to get.” With limited opportunities for marketing their mission, nonprofits are equally underfunded by donations. Paired with the costs associated with staff turnover, Nonprofit Bookkeeping’s clients must find every way possible to maximize their resources and expertise. 

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Sarah has helped multiple clients overcome these very challenges, recalling one in particular that was tasked with undertaking an account overhaul. “When I started working with them, they were not happy with how things were set up. They found that the numbers weren’t giving them useful information,” she shares. Through a collaborative partnership, Sarah worked with the client to align upon new organization and naming conventions, resulting in monthly financial reports that provided valuable, actionable information. 

A professional journey fueled by family

Sarah’s far-reaching impact on clients has been influenced and shaped by the ideals of her upbringing. The daughter of parents who dedicated themselves to career and family, Sarah has been inspired to incorporate many of the lessons she learned into her own life. “Almost every aspect of my professional career has been a by-product of the examples they set for me growing up,” she reflects. From hard work to dedication and respect, Sarah proudly embraces and extends these values to advance the mission of her clients. 

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Outside of work, Sarah is a lover of nature, spending as much time as possible outdoors. “Golf, fishing, hunting, and exploring trails are a few of my favorites,” she shares. Extending this thirst for activity to the indoors, Sarah has undertaken several projects with her father over the years, including building a standing desk. At Ramp, we celebrate Sarah’s commitment to the relationships in her life, both personal and professional, that allow for rich growth and advancement. 

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