The Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS has recently made a change in how they select nonprofit organizations for audits of the Form 990. Previously, audit selections were made based on specific types of organizations. For example, after the IRS conducted a study of nonprofit hospitals, those organizations were audited in higher numbers than other …
Alright, I’ll admit the title of this article is rather deceiving. Unless you’re just a naturally lucky accountant or a psychic, chances are you will have errors in your budget causing you to go over or under the projected budgeted amounts from the beginning of the year. I wish I had better news for you; …
Nonprofit organizations collect many different types of support from donors, which are not always cash gifts. When an organization receives gifts of goods or services, it may lead to questions. How and when do gifts in-kind get recorded? What are gifts in-kind? Gifts in-kind are donations of tangible and intangible individual property and contributions of …
Does your organization check all the right boxes? For Schedule A, that is. Schedule A is a crucial piece of the 990 for nonprofits as it calculates whether they truly qualify as a publicly supported organization or not. Generally, to be considered a publicly supported organization, the nonprofit must have support of at least 33 …
Please note the new filing date for Form 1099-MISC, per the IRS: Public Law 114-113, Division Q, Section 201, requires Form 1099-MISC to be filed on or before January 31, 2017 (compared to February 28th in the prior year), when you are reporting nonemployee compensation payments in Box 7. Otherwise, file by February 28, 2017, …
The Giving USA Foundation (a public service initiative of The Giving Institute) has released their 2016 annual Giving USA Report on Philanthropy in collaboration with The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Using data from calendar year 2015, the Giving USA report compiles and analyzes data on charitable giving in the U.S in order …
On June 1, Charity Navigator announced the launch of CN 2.1, an enhancement of their previous charity rating system CN 2.0. This includes several changes to the seven “Financial Health” rating metrics used to evaluate charities, and to help donors make wise decisions in choosing where to make their donations. Here are the primary changes …
Ever heard the cliché “comparing an apple to an orange”? I’m not a scientist and I don’t know the cellular differences of both, but I do know that oranges are acidic with a thick peel usually removed prior to consumption. Apple, on the other hand, is a brand of electronics most commonly seen in the …
Recently, I overheard two individuals discussing ethical fundraising practices for their small nonprofit organization over lunch. As an auditor specializing in non-profit, you can imagine how quickly this caught my attention. I was grateful for the noise of the restaurant and the influx of customers as I scooted my chair a little bit closer to …
Prior to becoming a CPA, when I heard “independence” I would think of Toby Keith songs, fireworks, and the American flag. Now that I’m an auditor, independence is not only a celebration on July 4th but also an assessment we must make on every attest engagement we perform. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) accurately …