Thought Leadership
When it comes to thought leadership and staying informed, we’ve got you covered. See below for recent articles, webinars, and downloadable resources available.
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December 06, 2012
By: Marcus Frank, CPA, Senior Accountant Not-for-profit organizations often find themselves short on adequate resources to implement the ideal internal control environment, especially regarding segregation of duties. Adequate segregation of duties exists in larger for-profit entities but is difficult to achieve in some smaller not-for-profit organizations. Even for those not-for-profit organizations that have adequate resources […]
November 01, 2012
By: Ashley Jones, CPA , Senior Accountant Many businesses, including not-for-profits, are taking advantage of social media to promote marketing and solicit donations. Social media has proven to be an effective new method for businesses to use. However, along with the benefits of this new tool, it also creates some additional concerns for companies, mainly […]
July 19, 2012
Organizations that qualify for tax exemption in section 501(c)(3) are considered private foundations unless they fall under one of the categories specifically excluded from the definition of private foundation in section 509(a). Section 509(a)(1) excludes publicly supported organizations from private foundation status. An organization which has qualified as a publicly supported charity with the IRS […]
June 21, 2012
By Mike Gricius, CPA – Manager Should your organization offer gaming as a means of raising additional funds? Several charitable organizations are actively using raffles and other gaming activities as a fundraising mechanism to raise funding to support the organization’s mission and purpose. The decision to be involved in such activities needs careful thought and planning by […]
May 17, 2012
By: Ashley Jones, Staff Accountant When creating a marketing strategy, not-for-profits (NFPs) need to identify their target audience for soliciting donations. “The 2011 Study of High Net Worth Women’s Philanthropy and the Impact of Women’s Giving Networks” sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and performed by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University identifies […]
April 12, 2012
By Greg Heitkamp, CPA – Senior Accountant Management team members of not-for-profit organizations are frequently asked questions such as the following: Are we meeting our budget? Do we have enough cash? What is the budget for this project? These questions are posed by employees determining their individual spending limits, board members examining the organization’s progress, or members of […]
April 05, 2012
By: Robert Moreland, CPA,Tax Manager and Kara Clark, CPA, Staff Accountant In 2004, the Internal Revenue Service, through the Exempt Organizations Office of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, commenced the Executive Compensation Compliance Initiative. This project was divided into three parts. In the first part, compliance check letters were sent to 1,223 organizations […]
March 15, 2012
By: Shawn P. Williams, CPA, Audit Senior Manager Note: This article concludes a three-part series discussing issues that may jeopardize an organization’s tax exempt status. Part one provided an overall discussion of the issues while part two discussed detailed issues regarding political and lobbying activities. This article will address the consequences of private inurement and private benefit. Even […]
March 08, 2012
By: Bob Moreland, CPA, Manager Note: This article is part two of a three-part series discussing issues that may jeopardize an organization’s tax exempt status. Part one provided an overall discussion of the issues. This article discusses detailed issues regarding political and lobbying activities. The series will conclude with an article addressing the consequences of private […]
March 01, 2012
By: Chad Robinson, CPA, Senior Accountant Note: This article begins a three-part series discussing issues that may jeopardize an organization’s tax exempt status. Part one will provide an overall discussion of the issues while Parts two and three will provide a more detailed discussion related to political activity and inurement issues. Every year nonprofit organizations […]
January 05, 2012
At what point should a not-for-profit consider investing in a capital expenditure? A capital expenditure can be described as acquiring, repairing, or upgrading a physical asset such as land, a building, or equipment. For the expenditure to be considered a capital expenditure the physical asset must have a useful life that extends beyond a year […]
December 29, 2011
By: Stephen Clements, CPA, Senior Manager For most nonprofit organizations, revenues result from either program revenues, for example, when services are performed to earn revenue, or contribution revenues, such as receipt of a promise to give from a donor. This article will concentrate on the recognition issues involved when receiving a promise to give. The […]
December 15, 2011
By: Rick Shields, CPA, CFE, Director The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010. Various provisions became effective in 2010 and 2011, and more will be implemented in future years. One of the provisions, the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, allows qualifying employers to claim a refundable tax credit […]
December 01, 2011
By: Wes Omohundro, CPA, MBA, Manager Non-federal entities (including nonprofit organizations) that expend $500,000 or more per year in federal awards are required to perform a Single Audit. This is a detailed financial examination of an entity typically performed on an annual basis. Single Audits are a means of providing assurance to the federal government […]
October 07, 2011
By Mike Gricius, CPA – Manager Not-for-profit organizations are starting to field more requests from donors to use the investment firm of their choice to manage assets contributed rather than using the organization’s current investment portfolio. This viewpoint has the potential to have a positive impact on charitable giving as it could lead to unexpected donors. […]
Webinars
March 31, 2023
By Nancy Orben, CPA, Senior Manager, Laura Philpot, Senior Accountant, Business Services, and Lisa Totten, Senior Accounting Specialist at Blue & Co. Attention all not-for-profit organizations! Are you currently using QuickBooks Point of Sale in your gift shops, ticket sales, or day-to-day business? If so, you may have heard the recent news that Intuit will […]
March 14, 2023
Trusted Insights from The National Bank of Indianapolis Nonprofit Services Team Not-for-profit organizations are increasingly falling victim to fraud, with a rising number of incidents and an ever-growing amount of money being lost. Fraudsters find it easy to target not-for-profits, as their publicly available 990s provide valuable information. Protecting your organization from such fraudulent activities […]
February 20, 2023
By: Mike Gricius, Senior Manager at Blue & Co. While not-for-profits rely heavily on grants and donations to fund their charitable missions, they can also explore other funding options, such as Program-Related Investments (PRIs). PRIs offer a unique opportunity for not-for-profit entities to invest in a way that generates both social impact and financial returns. […]
February 01, 2023
By: Kandy Wischmeier, CPA, Tax Manager at Blue & Co. If your not-for-profit organization is located in Indiana and has had a significant change in the use of property, has moved in the last year, or is a new entity, you may be required to file Form 136, Application for Property Tax Exemption. Entities are […]
January 10, 2023
By: Rick Shields, Principal, CPA, CFE Effective January 1, 2023, Kentucky implemented numerous changes to its sales tax laws. Historically, not-for-profits have been able to take advantage of numerous Kentucky sales tax exemptions. In practice, that has allowed not-for-profits to operate as though sales tax does not apply to their operations. Kentucky has been expanding […]
December 14, 2022
By: Ryan Adams, Manager, CPA The process of creating not-for-profit (NFP) budgets can be overwhelming. One can argue that the NFP’s budget can be even more challenging to prepare than a budget for a business enterprise. The NFP may provide goods and services in addition to receiving donations with or without restrictions or conditions, government […]
