Category: Nonprofit
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2024 Money Island guest policy
This policy only applies to the properties under my management. It does not apply, of course, to public properties or other privately owned properties. Background: – The marina businesses is closed, probably until 2030. – The current use of the former marina property is now my residence and home-based business only. – Various colleges, state…
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Privacy for directors of charities
This post describes how we are solving the problem of maintaining privacy for nonprofit directors with examples of the three methods that we are using now. Most directors of nonprofit organizations serve as volunteers on a part time basis. They may only vaguely understand the legal implication of their role with the charity. It is…
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My 10th nonprofit resignation and my effort to address published misinformation
I’ve kept count. This month marks the 10th nonprofit board, most of them small charities, where I’ve resigned due to inadequate internal management controls. That does not mean that there was fraud or noncompliance at the ten organizations. While we recognize that fraud occurs in nonprofits at a shocking rate – some sources say 40%…
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We all share responsibility for nonprofits
A bookkeeper for a small nonprofit asked for technical help with an accounting system task she was struggling with that was outdated, not secure, and not in anyone’s best interest. I suggested that the real problem wasn’t with the difficult task but the inappropriate and outdated accounting system design that she was trying to operate…
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Nonprofit financial governance FAILS
This weekend I took an informal look at the legal and financial filings of two nonprofit organizations that are associated with potential accounting engagements. In other words, this was my preliminary homework in preparation for my work week ahead. What I found could be described as ‘more of he same’ in substandard governance and public…
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How to prepare financial statements for a nonprofit board
If you are a bookkeeper for a nonprofit organization, the focus your job is to present information in a useful form to the organization’s management. What information should be prepared and how should it be presented? The simple correct answer is ‘however the board says’. But it often is not so simple. The problem is…
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Misunderstood Pennsylvania Charity Laws
In my observation, this remains one of the most misinterpreted parts of Pennsylvania charity law: PA Act 71, passed in 2017, effective for financial reporting of 2018 filings, increased the annual contribution levels at which a nonprofit must undergo an audit, review or compilation. As with many such laws, the key to understanding is knowing…
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New nonprofit formations under scrutiny
The nonprofit formation process is under scrutiny. This week’s Kiplinger Tax Letter devoted attention to the topic. It referred to an unnamed 2019 IRS study that concluded that 46% of 1023 EZ filings were erroneously approved. Some lawmakers are calling for an end to the 1023EZ filing. Recent conversations with IRS employees the exempt organization…
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Start your own nonprofit business
I start more than a dozen new nonprofits of various types at the request of clients each year. It has become a specialization niche. Last week I received a referral from as far as rural Kentucky. A few of these startups have wound up as multimillion transformative organizations. One was cited by the president on…
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Confusion over tax return due dates
Here is the simple scoop you need to know: Partnerships and S-corporations are due March 15. The reason these are filed first is that the information reported must flow through and be used as input to prepare other types of tax returns to follow. This is why tax geeks refer to them as “flow through…