For many not-for-profits, it's time to enlist the help of nonprofit audit services to get everything in order for end-of-the-quarter or end-of-the-year accounting. The good news is, there is new guidance from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) that helps organizations navigate the … Read More
Avoid excess benefit transactions and keep your exempt status
At the heart of every nonprofit organization is its mission, and a part of the fundamental financial scaffolding that helps an organization achieve its mission is its tax-exempt status. This status not only allows nonprofits to avoid the costly tax obligations of for-profit businesses, but it also … Read More
Engage supporters with your nonprofit’s annual report
For many nonprofits, their annual report is a multi-team project that takes a good deal of time, effort, and coordination - and for good reason. The annual report is not only an opportunity to check the pulse of the organization, but also to display to its many stakeholders the hard work the … Read More
How cross-training staff helps your nonprofit
In any organization, there are bound to be unexpected fluctuations in staffing that can negatively impact the organization’s functioning. These fluctuations, however, can be experienced more intensely in nonprofits, where positions that make up the smooth operation of the organization tend to be … Read More
Educating your board members about fiduciary duties
Whether you compensate your nonprofit’s board or it's made up of volunteer members, their position as trustees of your organization comes with critical fiduciary responsibilities. These duties may be codified in state law, but even if they are not, fiduciary duties are essential to preserving the … Read More
Do “collective impact” initiative across organizations help your nonprofit expand its reach?
As not-for-profits taking on broader societal and cultural issues, such as income equality, access to healthcare, some are looking to the emerging approach of “collective impact.” This includes coordinating nonprofit organizations across sectors to achieve more significant change than isolated … Read More
Selling Donors on Unrestricted Gifts
Many well-intentioned donors may wish to give “restricted” gifts, or gifts that are conditional or tagged for specific purposes, such as for the the development of a specific program or initiative. Unrestricted giving, however, can offer a flexibility that often better serves the organization the … Read More
Three tips for submitting a winning grant proposal
For many non-profit organizations, grant money is fundamental to their funding model and securing those grants can be an anxiety-inducing task. Not only are the stakes high, but also there is often stiff competition for the same money. For these reasons, it is important to prioritize a consistent … Read More
Four common pitfalls of nonprofit exempt status
A nonprofit’s tax exempt status is not a given once it is granted. Rather, it is an ongoing characterization that governs the way revenue is created and used. In order to maintain nonprofit exempt status, organizations must look carefully at the IRS rules that define exempt status and ensure they … Read More
The Benefits of Using a Business Mindset with Your Nonprofit
Though nonprofit organizations are different in many ways from for-profit businesses, that doesn’t mean that one can’t learn from the other. For-profit business owners can benefit from adopting the community-focused approach of nonprofits, such as the many successful corporations that prioritize … Read More