Category: Nonprofit

According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE’s) Occupational Fraud 2024: A Report to the Nations, not-for-profits suffer roughly half the median loss per fraud scheme of for-profit businesses and government entities — $76,000 vs. $150,000. That may ...

Even if current donations are your not-for-profit’s bread and butter, you can’t afford to neglect planned, legacy or deferred gifts. These gifts, generally made through wills and living trusts, often are much larger. Your employees don’t need to be directly involved wh...

Not-for-profits aren’t required to produce audited financial statements. But audited statements are more likely to reassure big donors and grant makers about your financial stability and generally will be required if your organization applies for a bank loan. When you hire...

Economic, social and political events in 2024 have the potential to negatively influence your not-for-profit’s budget. So if you generally prepare static budgets well in advance of each fiscal year, you may want to switch things up. Rolling budgets can provide your organiz...

If your not-for-profit is shorthanded, you may decide to engage independent contractors to pick up some of the slack. Just make sure you’re collecting the right information. Organizations need a completed Form W-9 for every nonemployee they pay for services. Obtain this in...

Even when they’re nonprofits, trade associations and chambers of commerce generally qualify for a tax exemption under Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, not Sec. 501(c)(3). And these “business leagues” (as the IRS terms them) must adhere to a different s...

If you think the recorded minutes of your nonprofit’s board meetings are just a formality, think again. Meeting minutes can become critical documents if, for example, your organization is audited by the IRS or your directors are sued due to a board decision. That’s why i...

Relatively high interest rates and tight lending standards are making it difficult for even for-profit businesses to apply and qualify for bank loans. But not-for-profits, which may lack adequate collateral or steady cash flow, generally face a greater uphill battle when it ...

If a donor has never asked your not-for-profit to return a gift, it may only be a matter of time. Although uncommon, donors can change their minds. They may come to believe your organization is misusing or wasting donated funds or decide it’s no longer fulfilling its chari...

Within a period of just a month, a Minnesota woman was charged with skimming more than $300,000 from her animal rescue charity, a Florida man was charged with multiple felonies for running several charities for his personal benefit, and a New York man was sentenced to 18 mon...

By scheduling annual financial statement audits, you can demonstrate your organization’s financial fitness to donors and other stakeholders. Plus, state governments and other grant makers may mandate them. But don’t assume that auditors will simply swoop in and take care...

Although conflict-of-interest policies are essential for all not-for-profits, private foundations must be particularly careful about adhering to them. In general, stricter rules apply to foundations. For example, you might assume that transactions with insiders are acceptabl...