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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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, File Clerk, and Documents Clerk.
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