Your not-for-profit probably already ensures that donors receive a receipt with information about claiming a charitable contribution deduction on their tax return. But your obligations may go further than that. For noncash donations, you might have responsibilities related to certain tax forms. Here are some tips on how nonprofits should
Many not-for-profits supplement their usual income-producing activities with sponsorships or advertising programs. Although you’re allowed to receive such payments, they’re subject to unrelated business income tax (UBIT) unless the activities are substantially related to your organization’s tax-exempt purpose or qualify for another exemption. So it’s important to understand the possible
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 create a
As the term suggests, for-profit companies are driven primarily by one goal — to maximize profits for their owners. Nonprofits, on the other hand, are generally motivated by a charitable purpose. Here’s how their respective financial statements reflect this difference. Reporting revenues and expenses For-profits produce an income statement (also
A new accounting standard goes into effect starting in 2018 for churches, charities and other not-for-profit entities. Here’s a summary of the major changes. Net asset classifications The existing rules require nonprofit organizations to classify their net assets as either unrestricted, temporarily restricted or permanently restricted. But under Accounting Standards
Annual financial statements that have been audited by a professional auditor can help assure funders and lenders that your not-for-profit is financially sound. Here are three critical audit issues to understand when preparing financial statements: 1. The auditor’s role Auditors are responsible for expressing an opinion on financial statements. Beyond
