In working with thousands of nonprofit startups over the years, one of the most frequent challenges we face when working with clients is conflict-of-interest concerns. New 501(c)(3) organizations are particularly vulnerable to this for a number of reasons, chief among…
When you start a charitable organization, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is selecting your board of directors. Your board is legally responsible for governance, fiduciary, and strategic oversight of your nonprofit corporation. This usually includes ratification of your initial bylaws, as well as overseeing…
Over the course of our many years in business, we have found the public support test to be among the least understood topics by nonprofits, especially smaller organizations. But, it is absolutely critical to understand how it works, lest your nonprofit…
Maintaining timely and accurate financial records is one of the most important responsibilities facing every nonprofit organization. But doing it right is time-consuming, and the rules are complicated.
Nonprofit organizations play an important role in addressing societal issues and providing services to communities. The board of directors is a critical component of these organizations, as they are responsible for overseeing the organization’s strategy, finances, and operations. In this…
A common mistake made by both businesses and nonprofits alike is the failure to budget income and expenses. Far too often, it’s a see-what-comes-in mentality that rules the day, with no attempt to plan, manage, or adapt to changing financial…
IRS Form 990, the full-length version, is arguably the most detailed tax return the average person is likely to encounter. While there are certainly IRS tax forms that are equally complex, most are used for very targeted situations, not for…
There are lots of reasons why your nonprofit’s annual IRS Form 990 is critically important. Chief among those reasons is that it is legally required that your organization file one each year. But another important consideration is the public transparency…
Work with startup nonprofits for as long as we have, and you’re bound to hear virtually every idea someone could come up with. We had a lot of fun in our last post exploring the terrible ideas people have that…
Timely and accurate filing of Form 990 is essential to the ongoing success of your nonprofit. We often run into the false notion that since it is a nonprofit filing the return, that the IRS really doesn’t pay that much…