If your organization mainly supports one child or adult, TidyOne can organize the workspace around a primary beneficiary. You upload documents, track donations and expenses, separate needs into projects and funds, see what has been sent to your accountant and build reports from the same data. AI can extract and find information, but you review and confirm important data.
The problem this solves
Small nonprofits often keep information in several places: bank statements, invoice photos, PDFs in email, donation spreadsheets, sponsor messages and separate folders for each need. When someone asks how much has been raised for a project, what has been spent or which document is missing, the organization has to reconstruct the answer from multiple sources.
TidyOne is designed to reduce that fragmentation. In Nonprofit · one beneficiary mode, the primary beneficiary becomes the default context, so the same person does not need to be selected again for every document or transaction.
What you will have at the end
- one primary beneficiary configured once;
- documents uploaded and classified in one archive;
- donations, sponsorships and other income tracked separately from expenses;
- projects and funds for distinct needs such as surgery, therapy, travel or equipment;
- a clearer view of money raised, spent and still available;
- documents marked as sent or not sent to the accountant;
- monthly, project and annual reports built from the same operational data;
- an AI Coach that can use TidyOne data and, when explicitly asked, consult relevant uploaded documents.
Before you start
Set up the Association workspace and choose the one beneficiary mode. Add the primary beneficiary and verify the basic profile. Then create 2–5 real projects or needs instead of placing every expense into one generic bucket.
Examples include Surgery, Therapy 2026, Travel and accommodation, Equipment and Ongoing support. Names should be clear enough that the purpose is still obvious six months later.
How the system is structured
Primary beneficiary
The person the workspace is configured around. In single-beneficiary mode, TidyOne uses this person as the default beneficiary context and reduces repetitive selections.
Project / need
The operational purpose you want to track separately: a medical procedure, a therapy period, equipment, education, recovery or another concrete goal.
Fund
A way to create more detail inside a project when needed. A TidyOne fund is an organizational structure inside the app; if a donation or grant carries legal or contractual restrictions, follow the source agreement and applicable local rules.
Document
The evidence or source: invoice, contract, medical document, association record, donation proof or another relevant file.
Transaction
The financial movement: income or expense. Ideally, an important transaction can be traced to its purpose and, when available, to its supporting document.
How to start, step by step
Step 1 — Configure the primary beneficiary
Detailed guide: Primary beneficiary → Profile → Data → Documents →
During onboarding or in Settings, select the single-beneficiary organization mode and complete the primary beneficiary profile. TidyOne can use the name, sex, birth year and calculated age as context. Sensitive medical context for AI Coach is handled separately and only when you explicitly choose to provide it in the AI Profile.
Step 2 — Create projects that answer “what is this for?”
Do not create projects just because the feature exists. Create one when you need to track a separate goal, target or pool of activity. If you are fundraising for surgery and separately paying for therapy, separate projects make the resulting reports easier to understand.
Step 3 — Upload documents as they arrive
Use Add → Choose file/PDF or Take a photo. TidyOne can analyze the document with AI and propose the supplier, total, category and relevant links. Review the proposal before confirming it.
Step 4 — Record donations and sponsorships
Keep the source, amount, currency, date and, when relevant, the donor or sponsor contact. If money is intended for a clear need, link the transaction to the appropriate project or fund. For supporter profiles, totals and communication history, read Donors & sponsors → Contact → Donations → History.
Step 5 — Link expenses to the document and project
A therapy invoice should not remain only “a 700 RON expense”. Ideally, the system should show which document supports the amount, which project it belongs to and which reporting period it falls into.
Step 6 — Use Sent / Unsent for the accountant workflow
In Documents, select multiple files, download or share them, then mark what has been sent. At month-end you do not have to rely on memory to know what the accountant has already received.
Step 7 — Close the month with a short review
Check unanalyzed documents, expenses without supporting files, transactions without projects where a project should exist, and files still not sent to the accountant. Generate the monthly report only after this review.
What does TidyOne AI do here?
AI has two different roles. In Documents, it analyzes files and proposes structured data for human review. In AI Coach, it can explain financial context, projects and funds, and it can answer questions about uploaded documents when you explicitly ask it to find information.
Useful examples:
- “How much did we spend on the Therapy project this year?”
- “Which projects still have available funds and which are close to running out?”
- “Which documents are still unanalyzed or unsent?”
- “Find the invoice from supplier X and tell me the total.”
- “Create an annual summary using only the data that exists in TidyOne.”
Recommended workflow
Read the detailed guide: Invoice → AI → Expense → Project →
This does not mean every donation must be linked to a project. It means that when money has a defined purpose, that purpose should remain visible through spending and reporting.
Four workflows worth adopting
1. Donation → Project → Fund → Report
Read the detailed workflow with steps, example and checklist →
Use this when fundraising for a defined need and you want a continuous view of money received, money used and the remaining balance.
2. Invoice → AI → Expense → Project
Use this for payment documents. Upload the invoice, review AI extraction, confirm the category and project, and make the data available for finance and reporting.
3. Document → Accountant → Sent / Unsent
Use this for month-end. Select prepared documents, share or download them, and mark what has already been delivered to the accountant.
4. Project → Data check → Report
Before reporting, confirm that the project has the required transactions and documents, then generate a report from the same data instead of rebuilding figures in another spreadsheet.
New tutorial: Documents → Accountant → Month-end →
New guide: How to create and check a monthly nonprofit report →
How to use reports
Monthly report
A periodic view of income, expenses, documents and project status. Useful as an internal management tool and as a starting point for the accountant workflow.
Project / need report
Answers a specific question: “How much did we raise for this need, how much did we spend and which documents support the spending?”.
Annual report
Summarizes the operational and financial data available in TidyOne across the year. Official annual reporting requirements differ by country and organization type, so a TidyOne report is an organization and preparation tool, not an automatic substitute for a legally required filing.
Data checks before reporting
A good report depends on good source data. TidyOne can surface issues such as unanalyzed documents, expenses without supporting files and transactions or projects that need review.
Example: a fundraising campaign for a procedure
The organization creates a project called Procedure 2027 with a target of EUR 100,000. During one week it receives two EUR 500 donations and one EUR 2,000 sponsorship. The income is recorded and linked to the project. Later, a EUR 1,200 invoice arrives for preparatory assessments. The file is uploaded, analyzed with AI, reviewed and confirmed as a project expense.
Instead of checking a bank statement, invoice folder and donation spreadsheet separately, the project report can start from the same data: EUR 3,000 raised, EUR 1,200 spent, EUR 1,800 remaining, with the supporting documents attached. This example is illustrative; contractual, accounting or legal restrictions must still be followed independently of how data is organized in TidyOne.
Common mistakes
Everything goes into one project
If every need is mixed together, reports stop answering useful questions. Separate projects when goals, targets or intended uses differ.
Documents are uploaded but expenses are not linked to projects
The archive still works, but you lose the “raised vs spent vs available” view. Check the project during review.
All documents are left until month-end
This concentrates the work into one session and increases the chance of duplicates or missing files. Upload documents as you go.
AI is treated as the final source
AI can misread a total, date or supplier. Use the review step and open the original document when warnings appear.
A TidyOne report is confused with a statutory filing
TidyOne organizes and summarizes data. Your accountant or local specialist should confirm which declarations, forms and official statements apply to your organization.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to select the beneficiary for every document?
In single-beneficiary nonprofit mode, the primary beneficiary is the default context. Reducing repetitive selection is one of the reasons this mode exists.
Can I create several projects for the same person?
Yes. This is useful for different needs such as surgery, therapy, travel and equipment.
Can I see how much has been raised and spent for one project?
Yes, when income and expenses are correctly linked to that project or fund.
Can AI read a PDF I uploaded?
Yes. When you explicitly ask about a document, AI Coach can search for relevant files and consult selected files within the limits supported by the app. Important information should still be checked against the original document.
Does TidyOne replace accounting software?
No. TidyOne supports operational organization of transactions, documents, projects and reports. Official accounting and tax obligations remain separate.
What if the organization starts supporting more people?
Switching to the multi-beneficiary/case model becomes more appropriate, because beneficiary, case and project relationships need to be managed separately.
Recommended routine
As things happen: upload documents and record transactions. Weekly: review unanalyzed files and active projects. Monthly: check Sent/Unsent, expenses without documents and generate the monthly report. At project close: verify the balance, documents and project report before archiving.
Continue with
Open TidyOne, configure the primary beneficiary and start with one real project. You do not need to build the entire system in one day.
Set up your nonprofit in TidyOne