XP Nonprofit Accounting Xero Integration Guide [2026 Updated]

Managing a nonprofit’s finances often feels like putting together a puzzle with pieces from different boxes. You use a specialized tool like XP Nonprofit Accounting for fund and grant management, but another for your day-to-day banking and P&L—and getting an accurate, unified view means hours of manual data entry. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough for connecting XP Nonprofit Accounting with Xero, helping you automate workflows, eliminate data silos, and focus on your mission.

Why Connecting XP Nonprofit Accounting and Xero is a Game-Changer

While XP Nonprofit Accounting excels at the specific needs of nonprofits like fund accounting and grant tracking, Xero is a powerhouse for core accounting functions like bank reconciliations, accounts payable, and payroll. Integrating them lets you get the best of both worlds without the administrative headache. The core benefits are transformative for any finance team.

• Eliminate Duplicate Data Entry: When a donation is recorded in XP, it can automatically create an invoice or a payment record in Xero. This single action saves hours of manual work and ensures your bookkeeper isn't entering the same information twice.
• Reduce Human Error: Manual data transfer is a primary source of financial errors. A mistyped number or a misclassified transaction can throw off your entire financial picture. An automated connection ensures that data transfers consistently and accurately every time, maintaining the integrity of your books.
• Achieve a Real-Time Financial Overview: Instead of waiting for a month-end manual reconciliation, you get an up-to-the-minute view of your organization's financial health. See how operational expenses reconciled in Xero stack up against your specific fund balances in XP Nonprofit Accounting without building complex spreadsheets.
• Streamline Audit and Grant Reporting: Auditors and grantors require meticulous records. A seamless integration means your general ledger in Xero perfectly mirrors your fund-specific activities in XP, making it simple to pull accurate, comprehensive reports that satisfy compliance and transparency demands.

Understanding Your Integration Options for 2026

Before diving into a step-by-step process, it’s important to understand how these two platforms can talk to each other. As of 2026, XP Nonprofit Accounting does not offer a direct, built-in "native" integration with Xero. This means you can't simply go into the settings of one app, click a button, and connect it to the other. Instead, you'll need to use a third-party solution to act as a bridge.

Here are the two primary methods for making the connection:

1. Use a Third-Party Automation Platform

This is the most common and accessible method for most nonprofits. Tools like Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat) are middleware platforms designed to connect thousands of different web applications without writing a single line of code. They operate on a simple "if this happens, then do that" logic.

For example, you can create a workflow (often called a "Zap" in Zapier or a "Scenario" in Make) that says: "When a new donation is logged in XP Nonprofit Accounting, automatically create a new sales invoice in Xero." These platforms are flexible, relatively easy to set up, and come with free or affordable paid plans.

2. Build a Custom API Integration

For organizations with unique workflow needs or access to a development team, a custom solution using the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) of both XP Nonprofit Accounting and Xero is possible. Both services offer APIs that allow developers to build direct connections. The Xero API is particularly well-documented and robust.

This approach offers the most power and flexibility but is also the most complex and expensive. It's best suited for large nonprofits or those with specific requirements that off-the-shelf automation tools cannot meet.

For the remainder of this guide, we will focus on using a third-party automation platform, as it’s the most practical choice for the vast majority of users.

Step-by-Step Guide: Connecting XP Nonprofit Accounting and Xero with Make

We'll use Make (formerly Integromat) for this walkthrough because its visual interface makes it easy to see how data flows between applications. The principles are nearly identical if you choose to use Zapier.

Before You Start: Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following ready before you begin the setup process:

• An active account for both XP Nonprofit Accounting and Xero.
• Administrator-level permissions in both accounts to authorize connections and access API information if needed.
• A free or paid account with an automation tool like Make. The free tier is excellent for testing but may have limits on the number of operations per month.

Step 1: Create a Scenario and Connect Your Accounts

In your Make dashboard, click "Create a new scenario." You'll see a large plus sign. Click it, search for "Webhooks," and select "Custom webhook" as your trigger. Make will generate a unique URL. You will use this URL within XP Nonprofit Accounting to send data whenever a specific event occurs (like a new transaction). This requires a feature in XP called "outgoing webhooks" or similar API functionality.

Next, you’ll need to add another module for Xero. Click the "Add another module" button next to your webhook module, search for "Xero," and select it. You will be prompted to connect your Xero account. Follow the on-screen prompts to log in to Xero and authorize Make to access your organization’s data.

Step 2: Define Your Trigger Event

Your "trigger" is the event that starts the automation. Let's assume you want to sync new donations from XP Nonprofit Accounting to Xero. Your starting Webhooks module is set to listen for data sent from XP. You would configure XP to send data to the webhook URL whenever a new donation is finalized. Once you've done an initial test run where XP sends sample data, the Webhooks module in Make will "learn" the data structure (e.g., donor name, amount, date, fund designation).

Step 3: Define the Action Event in Xero

Now, tell Make what to do in Xero when the trigger fires. Click on the Xero module you added and select the action you want to take. A common action is "Create an Invoice." For this, a new window will open with fields corresponding to a Xero invoice.

Step 4: Map the Data Fields Between Apps

This is the most critical step. You need to map the data from XP Nonprofit Accounting (which Make received via the webhook) to the corresponding fields in Xero. When you click on a field in the Xero module (e.g., "Contact Name"), Make will display the data fields from your webhook trigger. You will simply click the data pill that corresponds to that field.

A typical mapping might look like this:

• Name (in Xero): Map to the "Donor Name" field from your webhook data.
• Date (in Xero): Map to the "Donation Date" field.
• Invoice Number (in Xero): You might map this from a transaction ID in XP or use Make’s built-in functions to generate one.
• Description (in an invoice line item): Map to "Donation Description" or "Fund" field.
• Quantity: Enter `1`.
• Unit Amount: Map to the "Donation Amount" field.
• Account: Select the correct sales or revenue account from your Xero Chart of Accounts (e.g., "Donation Income").

Pro-Tip: Use Xero’s Tracking Categories to manage your funds. You can create a tracking category in Xero called "Fund" and then map the "Fund Name" from XP Nonprofit Accounting to this field. This allows you to run P&L reports in Xero filtered by a specific fund.

Step 5: Test and Activate Your Automation

Before turning it on, run tests. Make has a "Run once" feature that will process a single trigger to see how it works. Trigger a sample donation in XP Nonprofit Accounting and watch it flow through the scenario in Make. Check your Xero account to ensure the invoice was created correctly, with all data in the right places.

Once you are confident everything is working as expected, activate the scenario by toggling it to "ON." Your automation is now live.

What Data Can You Sync and What Are the Limitations?

While the integration can handle most common data, it's important to know what flows smoothly and where you might encounter challenges.

• Donor and Contact Data: Syncing donor information from XP to Xero's contacts is straightforward and ensures your contacts are consistent across both systems.
• Invoices and Payments: Creating invoices in Xero from donations or pledges in XP is one of the most valuable automations. Similarly, when a payment is recorded against that invoice in Xero, the status can potentially be updated back in XP (this would require a second, separate workflow).
• Expenses: If you track program-specific expenses in XP, you can create corresponding bills in Xero to manage payment.
• Grant and Fund Data: This is a more complex area. Since Xero does not have a native concept of "funds," you must use features like Tracking Categories or custom Chart of Accounts codes to represent them. Careful mapping is essential to ensure this data translates correctly and gives you meaningful reports.

Common Troubleshooting Tips

If your integration stops working, here are a few common culprits and how to fix them:

• Authentication Errors: This often happens if a password is changed or an app connection expires. Simply re-authorize your Xero or XP Nonprofit Accounting connection within Make or Zapier.
• Data Mismatched or Not Appearing: The most common issue is incorrect field mapping. Go back to your scenario editor and double-check that every Xero field is receiving the right data from XP. Also, check for format differences, such as how dates are written (MM/DD/YYYY vs. DD/MM/YYYY).
• Sync Fails Completely: Every failed run in Make creates an error log. Check the log for details. Often, the sync fails because a required field in Xero (like an account code) was not supplied with data from the trigger step. Ensure all mandatory fields are mapped.

Final Thoughts

Connecting XP Nonprofit Accounting to Xero requires setting up an intermediary tool, but the operational benefits are immense. By automating routine data entry, you improve financial accuracy, save dozens of hours a month, and gain a real-time, consolidated view of your nonprofit’s finances. This allows your team to shift its focus from manual administration to strategic analysis and mission-driven work.

As you refine your financial workflows, staying ahead of nonprofit-specific tax and compliance rules is key. Researching questions about Form 990 filings, state registration requirements, or unrelated business income tax (UBIT) can be time-consuming. We built Feather AI to give tax professionals instant, accurate answers from authoritative sources like the IRC and IRS guidance, helping you support your nonprofit clients with complete confidence.