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ARCHIVING & SETTING UP A NEW YEAR
Version 2024.02
Mere Bookkeeping is only designed to track a single year within a workbook. There are two methods for starting a new year:
Method 1: Move to the latest template version
Fill out the Request Templates form again to get the latest templates and setup a new year from scratch. Setup your new year by following the instructions on the Welcome sheet and User Guide (though, you can copy/paste a lot of your settings, funds, accounts, contacts to speed things up).
Learn the best method for copying your data from a previous version to the latest version.
Method 2: Make a copy of your existing workbook
Create a copy of your current workbook (if you don't want the latest version of Mere Bookkeeping, or if you're already using the latest version). This may be a quicker way to start a new year, but it can be more prone to errors as you have to delete info from your Journal and could inadvertently delete hidden formulas if you don't carefully follow the instructions below.
Click File > Make a Copy.
Rename your new workbook with the appropriate year in the file name. Click “Make a Copy”.
Your new, copied workbook will open in a new window.
Go to the Journal sheet and highlight all rows with transactions (not your header row) and click delete on your keyboard. The visible rows don't contain any formulas, so it's okay to highlight and delete data in any visible transaction row in your Journal.
If you see a "Head up" pop-up warning when you click delete, you've accidentally selected "protected cells" and should click cancel and highlight your selection again (you probably included the header row or selected an entire column rather than rows).
It’s also okay if you highlight the light yellow cells in the Journal Balance column when deleting your transaction data since the formula that populates the Journal Balance column is in a hidden cell.
Next, go to the Settings sheet and update your fiscal year start date. You'll also need to copy the new URL for your Journal and paste it in the last setting (if you don't, the jump to last transaction link in your new Journal will take you to your prior year Journal!!!).
Then, update your Funds sheet by bringing forward the ending balances from the prior year (see your Fund Balances report from the prior year workbook).
Make any edits to your account groups, accounts, and budget numbers for the upcoming year.
If you want to be really proactive, go to your donor statement and advance the tax year by one year.
The next thing you may want to do is a little housekeeping on your contacts. Clear any you don’t expect to need anymore, then re-sort by name.
You'll also need to share any reports in your new workbook that you previously shared with others (generating new share URL's).
And with that, you’re ready to start entering transactions for the next year!
Whichever method you choose, you'll still end up with a new workbook for your new year. This means your workbook from the prior year will remain as an archive.
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