At a small business, professional practice, nonprofit, or specialty operation, you maintain the records that the operation runs on — financial records, client or member records, operational documentation, and the records-keeping work that smaller organizations rely on.
Record-keeping in smaller-organization contexts often combines multiple records functions in one role — basic bookkeeping, member or client-record maintenance, board-meeting documentation, operational records, and the cross-functional records work the organization generates. The keeper works the relevant software (QuickBooks for financial, CRM for member or client records, document-management platforms) and the procedural discipline accurate records require. Records integrity and retrieval support are the operating measures.
Variance is wide: at small businesses the record keeper often combines with bookkeeping and office-management work; at small nonprofits it integrates with development and program records; at professional practices it tilts toward client and case records. The breadth-versus-depth dimension distinguishes small-organization record keeping from specialized records work at larger institutions.
This role fits people who are organized, comfortable with multi-function record-keeping work, and discreet with sensitive records that small-organization roles often touch. Bookkeeping credentials (AIPB CB), records-management training, and software-specific certifications anchor advancement. The trade-off is the multi-function workload that small-organization records keeping involves and the modest pay typical of small-organization administrative roles, balanced against the broader exposure these positions provide.
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Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →At a small business, professional practice, nonprofit, or specialty operation, you maintain the records that the operation runs on — financial records, client or member records, operational documentation, and the records-keeping work that smaller organizations rely on.
Median pay for a Record Keeper is about $41K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $30K to $61K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, and Service Orientation.
Most people in this role hold a postsecondary certificate.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 15.9% through 2034, with roughly 78,980 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Record Searcher, Office Assistant, and Credit Card Clerk.
Don't do Truest if you aren't ready
to invest in yourself and your career.