Not for Profit

Collective impact initiatives are growing among not-for-profits. Such initiatives are about more than collaboration. They represent the commitment of a group of organizations to a common agenda for solving a specific social problem. This group can include the nonprofits themselves, government agencies, businesses and constituent communities. Should your nonprofit participate in collective impact? 5 requirements Adherents of collective impact typically cite five requirements that together [...]

Most for-profit companies compensate the directors who serve on their boards. But not-for-profit board members generally serve on a voluntary basis. However, there are circumstances in which you might want to consider compensating those who serve on your board. Advantages and drawbacks Board member compensation comes with several pros and cons to consider. Your organization might, for example, find it worthwhile to offer compensation to [...]

Financial audits conducted by outside experts are among the most effective tools for revealing risks in not-for-profits. They help assure donors and other stakeholders about your stability — so long as you respond to the results appropriately. In fact, failing to act on issues identified in an audit could threaten your organization’s long-term viability. Working with the draft Once outside auditors complete their work, they [...]

Does your private foundation have a detailed conflict-of-interest policy? If it doesn’t — and if it doesn’t follow the policy closely — you could face IRS attention that results in penalties and even the revocation of your tax-exempt status. Here’s how to prevent accusations of self-dealing. Who’s disqualified? Conflict-of-interest policies are critical for all not-for-profits. But foundations are subject to stricter rules and must go [...]

Employees or independent contractors? It’s not only for-profit companies that struggle with the question of how to classify workers for federal tax purposes. Not-for-profit organizations must withhold and pay Social Security, Medicare and unemployment taxes for employees, but not for contractors. (There may also be state tax responsibilities.) But be careful before you decide that most of your staffers must be contractors. The IRS may [...]

Not-for-profits increasingly are adopting a corporate world tool: financial dashboards. A dashboard is a summary of an organization’s progress toward a specific goal over time — or a snapshot of its current situation. Dashboards are designed to help boards and other constituents visualize important metrics, or key performance indicators (KPIs). But to facilitate informed, timely decisions, it’s critical to select the right KPIs. Choosing the [...]

Current financial pressures mean that your not-for-profit probably can’t afford to pass up offers of support. Yet you need to be careful about blindly accepting grants. Smaller nonprofits that don’t have formal grant evaluation processes are at risk of accepting grants with unmanageable burdens and costs. But large organizations also need to be careful because they have significantly more grant opportunities — including for grants [...]

Does your not-for-profit have a code of ethical conduct? According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, establishing and enforcing an ethical code is associated with 50% lower fraud losses. Codes of conduct aren’t just about fraud prevention, though. Holding staffers and board members to an ethical code helps your nonprofit communicate its values to the public and reassures supporters. Practicing ideals Your organization probably [...]

Not-for-profits sometimes team up with other entities to boost efficiency, save money and better serve both organizations’ constituencies. This can be a smart move — so long as your accounting staff knows how to report the activities of the two organizations. How you handle reporting depends on the nature of your new relationship. Collaborative arrangements The simplest relationship between nonprofits for accounting purposes may be [...]

Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that not-for-profit organizations now may apply for loans under the $600 billion Main Street Lending Program. Previously open only to for-profit businesses with more than 100 employees, the program offers low-interest loans with relatively relaxed repayment terms. If your organization needs funding to keep operating during this difficult period, a Main Street loan may be an option. The Basics Initially, [...]

Want to increase your not-for-profit’s revenue? First try analyzing current income as a professional auditor might. Then, you can apply your conclusions to setting annual goals, preparing your budget and managing other aspects of your organization. Compare contributions Compare the donation dollars raised inpast years to pinpoint trends. For example, have individual contributions been increasing over the past five years? What campaigns have you implemented [...]

Your not-for-profit has a board of directors — so why would it need an additional advisory board? There are a few reasons. Some organizations assemble advisory boards to provide expertise for a specific project, such as a fundraising campaign. Other organizations use them to give roles to major donors and prestigious supporters who may not be a good fit for a governing board. Here are [...]

Factors such as wealth level, education and even whether people volunteer, probably will tell you more about potential donors than their generation. But some broad generalizations about age can help not-for-profits target particular groups for support. The newest generation of adults belong to what’s being called Generation Z, and it’s possible to draw some conclusions about this otherwise diverse demographic. Charitably inclined digital natives Members [...]

There are many ways for a not-for-profit organization to lose its tax-exempt status — including participating in lobbying and campaign activities, receiving excessive unrelated business income and allowing board members to financially benefit from their positions. But the most common reason nonprofits lose their status is failure to file an annual Form 990 or 990-N for three consecutive years. If your organization has landed on [...]