With Independence Day coming up, it’s a good time to check up on auditor independence issues. This is especially important in 2018. Why? New rules go into effect this fall that may warrant changes to the services provided by your audit firm. If you discover potential issues now, there’s still plenty...

If your not-for-profit relies heavily on a few funding sources — for example, an annual government or foundation grant — what happens if you suddenly lose that support? The risk may be compounded if you generally spend every penny that comes in the door and fail to build adequate reserves. Bottom li...

When a donor promises to make a contribution at a later date, your not-for-profit likely welcomes it. But such pledges can come with complicated accounting issues.

Conditional vs. unconditional
Let’s say a donor makes a pledge in April 2018 to contribute $10,000 in January 2019. You generally will cre...

Nonprofits don’t face the same government regulations or public scrutiny as for-profit public companies do. But that doesn’t mean your board can afford to get slack about financial governance. Donors and watchdog groups pay close attention to organizations’ Forms 990 and the media is quick to pounce...

When accountants conduct an audit or review, they can’t test every transaction. Instead, they set a “materiality” threshold. This benchmark is used to obtain reasonable assurance in an audit — or limited assurance in a review — of detecting misstatements that could be large enough, individually or i...

Has your not-for-profit’s program lineup remained unchanged for at least a couple of years? If so, consider using the tradition of spring cleaning to review your offerings. Some of your programs might be due for replacement.

Clear out the closets
Many nonprofits keep programs long after they’ve stoppe...

Thousands of not-for-profits lose their tax-exempt status every year because they’ve neglected to file required annual forms with the IRS for three consecutive years. Fortunately, if your organization is on the revocation list, you can re-attain your exempt status by following the proper steps.

File ...

The number of taxpayers who itemize deductions on their federal tax return — and, thus, are eligible to deduct charitable contributions — is estimated by the Tax Policy Center to drop from 37% in 2017 to 16% in 2018. That’s because the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) substantially raise...

For-profit businesses understand that it takes a lot more time and money to attract new customers than it does to keep current customers happy. The same can be said for your not-for-profit’s members. But there’s more to retention than cost savings. Long-time supporters help attract new members and a...