Revised Form 990


Book Description

A line-by-line preparation guide to the completely new and revised Form 990 for nonprofit organizations The accurate and complete preparation of Form 990—the information return that must be filed annually by most types of tax-exempt organizations—is a key factor in maintaining public image and fundraising capabilities. The newly redesigned Form 990 was released in December 2008 with significant revisions to the initial June 2007 draft. Preparation of the new return will require tax-exempt organizations to gather extensive new information about their activities for disclosure on the new form beginning with their 2008 tax year. In Revised Form 990: A Line-by-Line Preparation Guide, authors Jody Blazek—who with other AICPA Task Force members was instrumental in effecting changes to the original IRS draft of the form—and Amanda Adams, provide step-by-step and line-by- ine analysis and preparation guidelines for nonprofit professionals and nonprofessionals alike charged with preparing and submitting the form. This hands-on workbook walks you through the process of producing an annual report to the IRS that demonstrates continued qualification for exempt status for a nonprofit organization, explaining the information requested page by page and part by part. It addresses the issues and challenges for each part, particularly the new schedules. As each part is explained, the authors suggest when certain answers have negative consequences. Guidance is provided for functional expense reporting and generally accepted accounting principles for reporting revenues. A good discussion of the differences between book and tax reporting and records needed to accurately display financials for tax purposes is included. The Form 990-PF and Form 990-T are also examined.




Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations


Book Description

A comprehensive, revised, and expanded guide covering tax-exempt organizations engaging in joint ventures Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations, Fourth Edition examines the liability of, and consequences to, exempt organizations participating in joint ventures with for-profit and other tax-exempt entities. This authoritative guide provides unbridled access to relevant IRC provisions, Treasury regulations, IRS rulings, and pertinent judicial decisions and legislative developments that impact exempt organizations involved in joint ventures. Features in depth analysis of the IRS's requirements for structuring joint ventures to protect a nonprofit's exemption as well as to minimize UBIT Includes sample models, checklists, and numerous citations to Internal Revenue Code sections, Treasury Regulations, case law, and IRS rulings Presents models, guidelines, and suggestions for structuring joint ventures and minimizing the risk of audit Contains detailed coverage of: new Internal Revenue Code requirements impacting charitable hospitals including Section 501(r) and related provisions; university ventures, revised Form 990, with a focus on nonprofits engaged in joint ventures; the IRS's emphasis on good governance practices; international activities by nonprofits; and a comprehensive examination of the New Market Tax Credits and Low Income Housing Tax Credits arena Written by a noted expert in the field, Joint Ventures Involving Tax-Exempt Organizations, Fourth Edition is the most in-depth discussion of this critical topic.




Nonprofit Governance


Book Description

Nonprofit Governance Law, Practices & Trends Governance seems to be the subject that is perched atop every nonprofit lawyer's worry/wish list, despite the fact that there is not much law on the point, particularly at the federal level. This ascension in importance is largely due to the various organizations propounding best practices and principles for public charities and other forms of nonprofit organizations, the IRS's redesigned Form 990, the agency's aggressive push of certain good governance principles in the tax-exempt organizations' setting, and scandals brought to light by the Senate Finance Committee staff. Stemming from the authors' endless hours of meditating over the new Form 990 and sifting through the many (and often inconsistent) best practices principles, Nonprofit Governance fills the need for some cohesion in the realm of nonprofit governance by providing in-depth coverage and explanations of the laws, practices, and trends in this volatile area. An invaluable resource for nonprofit executives, officers, directors, nonprofit lawyers, accountants, members of boards of directors, and consultants, legal experts Bruce R. Hopkins and Virginia Gross's Nonprofit Governance brims with detailed documentation and references to regulations, rulings, cases, and tax literature (which includes current articles and tax law review notes). Here, readers will find a wealth of clarifying information on: Federal and state law fundamentals Board member responsibilities and liability Nonprofit governance principles Nonprofit governance issues Application of the private benefit doctrine Governance and the redesigned Form 990 Recommended polices and procedures Governance case studies Governance legal audit A law primer for nonprofit board members And much more The book includes an exhaustive index, Internal Revenue Code citations and numerous case studies, tips, forms, and checklists to round out the authoritative coverage. Nonprofit Governance is an indispensable guide to, and through, all of the governance policymaking that is unfolding, to improve the management of nonprofit organizations as well as to help organizations be in compliance with nonprofit governance law.




Favorable Determination Letter


Book Description




The Nonprofit Board Answer Book


Book Description

“Think for a moment of the best conversations you’ve had with friends and colleagues. You were honest with one another—not shy about speaking up but relaxed, even if the topic being discussed was serious in nature. That’s the type of conversation The Nonprofit Board Answer Book aims to have with you in the pages that follow. It follows a question-and-answer format, enabling you to quickly find an answer to a burning question you have right now. At the same time, it’s easy to pick up and read straight through, either cover to cover or one section at a time. At the end of each question-and-answer pairing you’ll find suggested action steps. These offer ways to put the information to a practical use on your own board and within your own nonprofit organization. Implementing some of these steps may lead to more questions as you become even more committed to fulfilling your responsibilities as a board member. Remember: behind every good answer lies a good question. So keep asking those questions.”--from the Introduction




IRS Form 1023 Tax Preparation Guide


Book Description

Line-by-line tips and instructions to successfully file Form 1023 IRS Form 1023 Tax Preparation Guide provides comprehensive instructions for completing and filing the new and significantly revised Form 1023 (Application for Recognition of Exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code). Nonprofit organizations--including health and human service organizations, schools, private foundations, churches, libraries, museums, cultural institutions, environmental protection organizations, and other charitable, smaller groups--contend daily with issues related to their IRS filings, from qualifying and applying for tax-exempt status to maintaining and managing it. Written for nonprofit executives and directors, accountants, nonprofit boards, lawyers, consultants, and volunteers, IRS Form 1023 Tax Preparation Guide is brimming with helpful advice and features, including: * Strategies for obtaining IRS recognition of tax-exempt status as a charitable organization including a Suitability Checklist to evaluate viability of making application * Insights into the rationale behind the information requested by the IRS * Specific suggestions for answering each question on Form 1023 and navigating the steps involved in the approval process * Practical advice on the alternatives available in contesting an adverse IRS determination * An overview of state filing requirements * A companion Web site that allows nonprofits to download key model forms and connect to IRS forms * Easy-to-use worksheets to help manage such critical concerns as public charity status, tax-exempt eligibility, reporting to the IRS, and tax compliance




Follow the Money


Book Description

Some of the nation's wealthiest philanthropies, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Broad Foundation have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in education reform. With vast wealth and a political agenda, these foundations have helped to reshape the reform landscape in urban education. In Follow the Money, Sarah Reckhow shows where and how foundation investment in education is occurring and presents in-depth analysis of the effects of these investments within the two largest urban districts in the United States: New York City and Los Angeles. In New York City, centralized political control and the use of private resources have enabled rapid implementation of reform proposals. Yet this potent combination of top-down authority and outside funding also poses serious questions about transparency, responsiveness, and democratic accountability in New York. Furthermore, the sustainability of reform policies is closely linked to the political fortunes of the current mayor and his chosen school leader. While the media has highlighted the efforts of drastic reformers and dominating leaders such as Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., a slower, but possibly more transformative, set of reforms have been taking place in Los Angeles. These reforms were also funded and shaped by major foundations, but they work from the bottom up, through charter school operators managing networks of schools. This strategy has built grassroots political momentum and demand for reform in Los Angeles that is unmatched in New York City and other districts with mayoral control. Reckhow's study of Los Angeles's education system shows how democratically responsive urban school reform could occur-pairing foundation investment with broad grassroots involvement. Bringing a sharp analytical eye and a wealth of evidence to one of the most politicized issues of our day, Follow the Money will reshape our thinking about educational reform in America.




The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation, and Reporting


Book Description

A complete and easy to understand guide to the fundamentals of how not-for-profit organizations are formed and run, as well as their structure and the unique accounting and reporting issues they face. Providing you with a comprehensive understanding of how to maintain the "books" of a typical nonprofit entity and comply with numerous reporting requirements, The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting equips you with everything you need to know to form a Not-For-Profit, setup an accounting system, record financial transactions and report to donors and regulatory bodies. Topics include: Step-by-step guide to forming a Not-For-Profit and applying for tax exemption Becoming familiar with unique Not-For-Profit accounting rules such as classifying contributions/grants and recording restrictions, allocation of expenses to programs and supporting services and investment classification and reporting Budget development, payroll processing and accounting for personnel costs Shows how to prepare and understand required Not-For-Profit financial statement and their components Provides you with a broad understanding of the numerous filing requirement required by donors, grantors and government regulatory agencies Practical and comprehensive in scope, The Simplified Guide to Not-for-Profit Accounting, Formation & Reporting offers a wealth of practical information to accountants and non-accountants alike for understanding Not-For-Profit financial transactions, financial statements and the many internal and external reports they must prepare.




Nonprofit Nation


Book Description

In Nonprofit Nation, the new edition of his classic work,O'Neill takes a fresh look at the nonprofit sector and the power ithas to use its growing visibility and strength. Like the firstedition, this new book is an up-to-date, comprehensive guide tounderstanding the nonprofit sector. Identifying and examining themajor nonprofit subsectors-health care, arts, social service, andreligious organizations, for example-and detailing their particularconcerns and impact enable O'Neill to explore their influence onbusiness, government and society. The new edition also features: * Expanded sections on scope and impact * Updated and enlarged statistical information * New insights on the development of the nonprofit sector * A new section on theories of the nonprofit sector




Fundraising Law Made Easy


Book Description

The ins and outs of fundraising law-made easy-from nonprofit law authority Bruce Hopkins Author Bruce R. Hopkins-a leading authority on the laws regulating fundraising-offers essential, practical legal information in easy-to-understand English. His practical tips and "red flags" provide useful advice and present critical information in an efficient and comprehensible fashion. Now your organization can be fully informed about the basic legal requirements affecting fundraising and avoid the perils lurking in the myriad tax-law traps. Fundraising Law Made Easy clearly shows you how, with everything you need to know about The fundraising process State charitable solicitation acts Federal tax charitable giving rules Requirements of the new Form 990 How constitutional law, governance, and IRS audit practices pertain to charitable fundraising Expert advice from Bruce Hopkins, the author of more than 20 books on nonprofit counsel, including The New Form 990 and Charitable Giving Law Made Easy Mandatory reading whether you are a charitable organization development officer, fundraising consultant, a trustee, or a director, Fundraising Law Made Easy illuminates the rules surrounding charitable giving, and authoritatively and thoroughly guides you through every aspect of its laws.