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5 Best Practices for Building a Nonprofit Annual Operating Budget (with Template!)
There are as many forms of nonprofit budgets as there are forms of organizations. Unlike financial statements, which have some rules and guidelines according to accounting standards, the same level of industry-imposed standardization for budget documen …
Does Your Nonprofit Receive Donations of Services, Supplies or Equipment? Changes are Coming!
Changes to How Nonprofit Organizations Report In-kind Contributions of Nonfinancial Assets It is common for nonprofits to receive donations and contributions of nonfinancial assets, more commonly known as in-kind contributions. Typical examples of in-k …
Role of the Nonprofit CFO in Executive Management: The Watchdog Responsibility
Standing before the board to report executive fraud or unethical behavior—that’s an image that no CFO likes to contemplate. The board expects the Executive Director (ED) and CFO to work in partnership to further the mission, but most boards also expect …
Practical Tips for Nonprofit Budgeting
Being the financial type, I am fond of saying that “the numbers tell a story.” And the story of what your organization plans to do in the coming fiscal year is called the budget. Every year, organizations like yours go through the process of creating a …
Download Spreadsheet: Forecasting Nonprofit Finances & Pivoting Programs in a Crisis
Though many people see finance as nothing but a collection of terrifying spreadsheets, I see it as the central branch of nonprofit philosophy. When the pandemic hit, our nonprofit changed everything about the way we work—overnight—and spent the …
Discussion Corner: Accounting Rules for Silent Auctions from Donated Articles?
Dear Blue Avocado, I have organized silent auctions for a nonprofit senior center for years. Donors used to drop off an item and receive a receipt from the center. The donor listed the donation and the value on this receipt, which they us …
Do Nonprofits Pay Taxes? Do Nonprofit Employees Pay Taxes?
We often get questions from our readers about whether a nonprofit organization must pay taxes, or whether individuals working at a nonprofit must pay taxes. While there are lots of details to get into depending on the situation, here’s a summary about …
What a Finance Committee Can Do for Your Board of Directors
Implementing a finance committee of the board of directors was one of the best things our organization ever did—here’s why. Baby Bear Hugs’ mission is enhancing family strengths for happy and healthy children, families, and communities. The program pro …
Functional Expenses Decreased During Covid-19? How to Prepare for Conversations with Funders
The topic of functional expenses has garnered attention at nonprofit board meetings over the past year. Many nonprofits feel pressure from foundation and government funding sources to maintain a certain level of program expenses as a percentage …
Alleviate Accounting Systems and Staff Training Chokepoints to Power Nonprofit Missions: A Case on How One Oregon Nonprofit Did It
Part 2: Personal to Personnel In 2019, I came to Lost Valley Education and Event Center (LVEC), first as a student, then as LVEC’s bookkeeper, with no prior training in the craft other than management of my own finances and my stint as an Air Force Int …
