As many of you may know, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued a new standard ASU 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements. One effect this standard has is that it creates consistency on how expenses are presented in the financial statements for all nonprofit organizations. Functional expenses can be disclosed in three different ways: 1. …
Expenses are reported in two different ways on the 990 return: by their natural classification (salaries, depreciation, travel, etc.) and by their functional classification (program, administrative, fundraising). Correct functional allocation of expenses is important because some donors may scrutinize the percentage of program costs vs. administrative and fundraising costs while making a decision to donate …
I was surprised this morning when I opened my email and saw the news: Today, the CEOs of all three of the major charity watchdog groups (GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and Charity Navigator) published a letter “condemning the use of administrative expenses as a measure of nonprofit performance.” This is HUGE news for the …