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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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The Importance of Effective Monitoring Controls for Nonprofits

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 […]

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Social Media Policies

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 […]

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Importance of Public Support Test

Importance of Public Support Test

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 […]

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Is Charitable Gaming For You? | Pile of Raffle Tickets

Is Charitable Gaming For You?

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 […]

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What Women Want – and Why Nonprofits Should Care

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 […]

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The Importance of Budgeting | Person using calculator and laptop to budget

The Importance of Budgeting

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 […]

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Why Does a Nonprofit Need to Document its Executive Compensation Policy?

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 […]

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Tax Exemption is a Privilege and Not a Right – Part Three

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 […]

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Don’t Jeopardize Your Tax Exempt Status This Election Season – Part Two

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 […]

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Jeopardizing Tax Exempt Status – Part One

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 […]

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Not-For-Profits and Capital Expenditures

Not-For-Profits and Capital Expenditures

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 […]

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When to Recognize a Promise to Give as Revenue

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 […]

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Small Business Health Care Tax Credit Applies to Not-for-Profits

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 […]

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Single Audit and the Data Collection Form

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 […]

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Acceptance of Donor's Investment Manager | Woman fanning out money

Acceptance of Donor’s Investment Manager

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. […]

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Webinars

woman using a quickbooks point of sale system

Blue & Co. Offers Expertise to Not-For-Profits Affected by QuickBooks Point of Sale Discontinuation

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 […]

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shamrocks not-for-profit tips

3 Lucky Tips for Not-For-Profits to Avoid Bank Fraud

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 […]

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spreadsheet with investment information and a key

Program-Related Investments: A Valuable Funding Tool for Not-For-Profits

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. […]

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man pressing buttons on a calculator and writing

Not-for-Profit News: Indiana Property Tax Exemption

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 […]

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hands holding a notebook infront of a laptop

Not-for-Profit Tax Alert for 2023: Kentucky Sales Tax Law Changes

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 […]

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Not-for-Profit Budgets: Developing Key Assumptions

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 […]

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