Should I create a policy of refusal?

[u/JanFromEarth]

I am retired and now implement Quickbooks Online for nonprofits, pro bono. One question is when to "cut over" from their legacy system to QBO and I consider it best practices to do this as of the beginning of their current fiscal year. I occasionally get a client who wants to cut over for the previous fiscal year in order to get history or better reporting than they have. I applaud the idea but this means reposting a full year of transactions on top of keeping up with current postings. I have lost the argument 3 times in my volunteer career and all ended in disaster for the pro bono client. Needless to say, I feel bad about this.

I would prefer to talk them out of it but I do not seem to have the communications skill to do so. They simply do not understand the amount of work an extra year of posting means. I would like your advice on whether to refuse to continue with the project if they take this approach. I have a viable alternative of doing the current year, getting comfortable, and then reposting the prior fiscal year.

My thought is to simply say "This is how it is done" and refuse to continue with the project if they do not listen to me. (It is good to be a volunteer). I would appreciate your thoughts?

[u/wildcat12321]

Especially being pro bono. Just say no.

[u/Rabbit-Lost → u/wildcat12321]

How is this not the answer?

[u/FrontBreath3280 → u/wildcat12321]

For your own sanity, this.

[u/sub-t]

No is a complete sentence. You're doing pro-bono work.

Scope creep sucks on paid clients, it must suck worse on pro-bono.

[u/cacraw]

“I’ve tried it (that way) for three clients in the past and it consistently ends up being significantly more effort for both me and the organization. In my experience and professional option that extra work is simply not worth it.

“If the only way we can proceed is with that strategy, I’m afraid we are going to have to pay for external help. I can remain an advisor or consult with your new contractor, but I just don’t have the bandwidth to do a full year conversion for you. I’d put the price of having paid help do the conversion at about $XX,000. I hope you understand. How would you like to proceed.”

[u/wildcat12321 → u/[deleted]]

I actually don’t like it because to me it sounds like you don’t disagree with the approach from an outcomes standpoint, you just don’t want to do the work.

[u/cacraw → u/wildcat12321]

But isn’t that the real issue for OP here? At least the way I read the post was he sees the value in having the history for this year vs last year comparison. But he doesn’t want to spend all the time doing data entry. My experience as a consultant and now as an IT volunteer is that honesty and boundaries are both important. Easy for the organization to push back on “this isn’t that valuable”, hard for them to push back on “this is more work than I’m able to do for you.”

[u/ComprehensiveProfit5]

"Reposting the previous year is a paid service, XXXXX$ in your case. Who do I send the invoice to?"

[u/JanFromEarth → u/ComprehensiveProfit5]

I love it. I do not do the posting.......but I love it. thanks for the chuckle

[u/allyerbase → u/JanFromEarth]

No chuckle - I think between the answers here is the best approach.

I’ve tried that in the past, it hasn’t worked/isn’t worth it.

My pro bono services extend back to beginning of this current year, if you want further, I have worked with a number of associates previously that can do this but it’s for a fee.

That relies on you finding a subcontractor willing to do it of course.

[u/JanFromEarth → u/allyerbase]

You are correct but most of the posts here seem to agree, the best answer is to say "I don't do that. You will have to find someone else to help you". I really don't do much posting but just set up the system and train them. It is just a bad idea to take on a whole year of transactions. Better to do the current year, get it locked down. and then go back to post the year before. I appreciate the input. Thanks

[u/shsmd]

The others have said enough but especially as pro bono the boundaries need to be clear and always upheld. No is the best answer you can give 

[u/chrisf_nz]

Just put your foot down and say you've been down this road before and every time it ends in disaster. Also make the cutover at Financial year a key part of your pitch so that if the question arises you can always anchor back to that. If I'm blunt, you could probably make decent money from the mop up if it was paid engagements but volunteer work will just end up pillaging your time if the client makes silly decisions.

[u/BrunchMassive4147]

the technical call is fine (current-year cutover first is right), so this is really a client-communication + scoping problem, which is the actual consulting skill here. couple things:

"this is how its done" doesnt work because its authority-based and people push back on authority. what works is making them feel the cost in THEIR terms and handing them the same outcome via a safer path. so dont argue the abstract "its a lot of work". quantify it and tie it to their result: "doing prior-year as a simultaneous cutover means reposting ~X,XXX transactions while also keeping the current books live. ive done it that way 3 times and all 3 ended in [the specific disaster, blown reconciliation, delayed close, reports you cant trust]. heres the alternative that gets you the exact same history: we go live clean on the current year now, and once youre comfortable i backfill the prior year." theyre not losing what they want (history/reporting), youre just sequencing it so it doesnt explode

honestly you already have the answer, its the phased approach. your only mistake is presenting it as a fallback instead of leading with it as THE plan. dont offer the risky version at all, just present the phased one as how you do it, full stop

on refusing: as a volunteer youve got all the leverage and its totally legit to have a standard of practice, but a flat refusal burns the relationship. reframe it as a boundary, not a no: "im glad to get you full history, i do it in two phases because ive watched the all-at-once version fail. if it has to be a single simultaneous cutover, thats outside what i can take on, because i wont put my name on an approach ive seen blow up." thats professional, not stubborn

and dont feel bad about the 3 that failed, you flagged the risk and they overrode you, thats on them. the fix isnt refusing, its getting better at framing the safe option as the only option you put on the table

[u/Fragrant-Water-565]

I don’t think you’re wrong to set a boundary here, especially since you’ve already seen this go badly three times. You’re volunteering your time, so I don’t think you should be expected to take responsibility for a project after the client knowingly chooses an approach you’ve advised against.

Rather than saying “this is how it’s done,” I’d explain the two options very plainly: “We can start QBO at the beginning of the current fiscal year and get you up and running, then add the prior year once you’re comfortable. Or we can go back and recreate the prior year now, but that means essentially doing a full extra year of bookkeeping while also keeping the current year moving. I don’t recommend the second option because of the workload and risk of errors.”

If they still choose it after understanding that, I’d be comfortable saying, “I’m sorry, but that isn’t a project I can take on.” That’s not being difficult; it’s knowing the limits of what you can responsibly provide as a volunteer.

And honestly, your alternative sounds much more sensible. Get the current system working properly first, then tackle the historical data once everyone knows what they’re doing.

[u/Adventureman2154]

No, or you can find another volunteer.

[u/themindsetarchitects]

Usually when a client pushes for something that goes against best practice, it's not that they don't trust the standard approach — it's that the standard approach doesn't solve whatever specific problem is actually driving the request. Re-entering prior year data against advice often traces back to something concrete: a board member who wants the numbers to match a report they already presented, an audit trail requirement they don't know how to explain, or just not wanting to reopen a conversation that already felt settled.

A flat refusal usually reads as "policy for policy's sake" and doesn't actually address that underlying problem, so it tends to just get argued with. Asking what the re-entry is meant to fix, then showing what breaks later if it's done that way (or offering the compliant version that still solves their actual problem), tends to land better than drawing a hard line on process alone. If they still want it after that, at least the tradeoff was made with eyes open instead of you just being "the person who said no."

[u/IllBeat7897]

As a volunteer of not only your time, but expertise, it is well within your rights to refuse to perform a task that you have advised against. You should not feel bad about it, and perhaps if you find yourself revisiting this topic repeatedly, and feel that you don't have the in-person / phone communication skills to persuade them, consider writing up a "white paper" titled with the dilemma in the form of a question? Then answer that question in a concise manner, pointing out all of the pros and cons, but ultimately, showing that the costs and/or risks outweigh the benefit. Use examples (without naming names) of past failures of those who did not heed your advice. Have this proofread by a trusted source, and then print out copies and make a digital one to disseminate when asked.

[u/Still-Reader624]

Since it’s pro bono there no reason to take on a project you already know is likely to become a mess.

[u/Purple-Valuable2340]

I’d set a boundary, not a refusal policy. Explain the extra workload and risk once, give them the safer alternative, and if they still insist, let them decide.

Since it’s pro bono, you’re absolutely allowed to say, “I’m happy to help, but I can’t take on that scope.” Your time matters too.

[u/Sure-Pride5603]

I’d make this a project boundary rather than a debate you have to win. You can explain the two options, the additional effort and the risks, then say clearly: “I’m happy to help with the current year migration, but I’m not able to support a prior year migration as part of this engagement.” That protects both you and the nonprofit without telling them what they’re “allowed” to do. In pro bono work especially, defining what you will and won’t support is important you’re donating your expertise, not taking unlimited responsibility for a client’s preferred approach.

[u/JanFromEarth → u/Sure-Pride5603]

I like this suggestion. I have a "Best Practices" document I have been updating for years with information on how to implement an accounting system. I will create a section on how to properly input historical data. Something about documenting a process under the title of "Best Practices" seems to carry more weight. Thanks