When Mission and Personal Philosophy Diverge
An intriguing story bubbled up in the third week of January 2018 to grab some space in the New York Times and other important news
Qualifying Distributions: What About Admin Expenses?
From time to time, the U.S. Congress undertakes a major overhaul of the federal tax code. One of those years was 1969. Before then, there
Accounting Controls for Nonprofits’ Cash
“According to a recent study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners,” we wrote in Charity Fraud: Embezzlement, But Much More, “the typical nonprofit organization
Charity Navigator Announces New Service
New Jersey-based Charity Navigator (CN) is “the country’s leading online charity evaluation service.” A 501(c)(3) itself, this organization helps donors make informed decisions about spending
Unrelated Business Income Tax: Volunteer Labor Exclusion
Having too much “unrelated business income” (UBI) is right up there with four other sure-fire ways to sink your valuable 501(c)(3) tax exemption: engaging in
Trademarks & Nonprofits: Assets Often Overlooked
Nonprofit founders, leaders and board members typically become involved with a nonprofit organization because of their passion for the cause and purpose. Because of this
Best Practices & Nonprofits
When experts in a field get together, they like to toss around the phrase “best practices.” A best practice is a method or technique that
Endowments and Offshore Tax Havens
In recent years, Congress has made no secret that it has concerns about the billion-dollar endowments of certain tax-exempt colleges and universities. A particularly troubling
Disqualified Person: Why It’s Such a Big Deal
When an organization applies for tax exemption under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3), the IRS assumes it is a private foundation unless the group can
Behested Payments: Critics Take Aim
Behest: (first known use: 12th century England) 1. An authoritative order, command 2. An urgent prompting One imagines Sir Guy of Gisborne galloping through the
Donor Privacy Policy: Every Nonprofit Should Have One
Which documents should your organization have in that expensive, “gold-embossed,” three-ring binder you ordered back in the day when you first got started? There are
Tax Planning in a "Post Tax Cuts & Jobs Act" World
We’ve covered in great depth the effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on nonprofits, both big and small – here, here and here.