How will the new tax law affect charitable giving? Are there any tax breaks left for donors? Our friends and income tax experts, Lou Lauteria and Greg King at Lauteria & King, PLC, sent out a client alert to explain. We reprint their explanation below, which includes a great idea for your donors, then add…
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In our last post we took a brief look at the nature of contributions, and all the many names that contributions go by. We distinguished contributions from exchange income. Today we look at accounts for contributions of cash. In-kind contributions, such as gifts of securities or other in-kind goods, services or rents, are for another…
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A gift by any other name would smell as sweet… Last week our Chart of Accounts Grand Tour began to explore income accounts. We covered federated campaigns and membership contributions. Before we continue with income accounts for general contributions, let’s talk terminology. Defining a Contribution Contribution income goes by many names: Donation Contribution Membership Gift…
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Our Nonprofit Chart of Accounts Grand Tour continues – with income accounts! As an introduction to nonprofit income, over the last few posts we explored where nonprofits get their income as reported on IRS Form 990. We also explored the concept of income diversification. Unlike balance sheet accounts, income accounts can vary widely. Reasons for…
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Before your organization seeks to diversify income, consider three ways you may be able to move toward financial sustainability. This post continues a series on income diversification before we continue our Nonprofit Chart of Accounts Grand Tour on income accounts. 1. Reduce expenses Before you consider new sources of income, make sure you are not spending…
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In 2014 one of our clients derived about 25% of income from one Federal pass-through grant. This grant substantially plugged the shortfall between the program service fees they charged to clients and their costs to provide the program. That year the notes to their audited financial statements cautioned (details changed): “The Organization received substantial support…
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We’ve all heard the adage, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” How does this advice hold up for nonprofit income? Before we continue our Nonprofit Chart of Accounts Grand Tour into income accounts (here’s the guide to the Tour of balance sheet accounts), first let’s consider the concept of income diversification. Income accounts…
Read MoreA reader asked for advice on hiring her organization’s first employee. First let us say congratulations for reaching this milestone! Your first employee, while exciting, also opens up a whole new world of responsibilities, risk management and administration. What are the critical steps? Where do you begin? We offer a punch list of things you…
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In last week’s post, we saw that major sources of nonprofit income for public charities include (from largest to smallest): Fees from private sources (also called program service fees) Government grants and contracts Private contributions Investment income Other sources The above “big picture” is from Forms 990 and 990-EZ filed with the IRS. These income…
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Over $1.85 trillion dollars of income was reported by public charities filing Form 990 or 990-EZ, based on 2016 IRS data compiled by The Urban Institute, National Center for Charitable Statistics. Where does all that money come from? Specifically we are focusing on income of 501(c)(3) public charities. For comparison’s sake, here are common types…
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