Get best practices and tools for managers of environmental and conservation nonprofits in challenging economic times. Learn how to track your finances, recognize danger signs, assess your options, and make tough decisions fairly with the best interests of the organization in mind. (Institute for Conservation Leadership and Environmental Support Center)
Unique accounting standards require that nonprofits report contributed income in one of three categories: unrestricted, temporarily restricted, or permanently restricted. Managing Restricted Funds defines unrestricted, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted income and gives nonprofit leaders the tools to record, report, and effectively manage contributed income and net assets. (Propel Nonprofits)
Whether your nonprofit is more like an intimate family or an enormous well-oiled machine, fraud can occur, and when it happens, it can damage your reputation, relationships with funders, and staff morale. In other words, you can't afford it. (Nonprofit Quarterly)
Maximizing Nonprofit Internal Controls: An Essential Guide for Even the Most Pure
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 enacted numerous changes to the tax law provisions affecting tax-exempt organizations, including public disclosure of UBIT Returns. "An organization exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) must make available for public inspection and copying any Form 990-T filed after August 17, 2006.
The National Council of Nonprofits created this Nonprofit Audit Guide to provide charitable nonprofits with the tools they need to make informed decisions about independent audits.
Table of Contents
Developing and adopting a written financial policy is a valuable practice for any nonprofit organization, no matter how small or large. Financial policies clarify the roles, authority, and responsibilities for essential financial management activities and decisions. In the absence of an adopted policy, staff and board members are likely to operate under a set of assumptions that may or may not be accurate or productive. If the idea of creating a financial policy seems daunting, these guidelines for policy development and this downloadable basic example may be helpful.
Establishing good fiscal policies and procedures is more of an investment of time and attention than money. There is no “one size fits all” template that will work for all organizations. This guide offers a recommended structure for policies and procedures as well as some questions to guide you in considering what is best for your organization. (CompassPoint, 2012)
How can nonprofits' leaders and boards better mitigate their fraud risks? First and foremost, they should focus on governance. (Nonprofit Quarterly)
Operating Reserves for Nonprofits - For seven consecutive years Nonprofit Finance Fund’s State of the Sector report revealed that less than 25% percent of those nonprofits responding had more than 6 months of cash in reserve. In fact the majority of the nonprofits responding reported that they had less than three months of operating reserves on hand.