[Nonprofit_Bookkeeper]

Hi Jamie,

I think it may vary state by state, but if they are a membership organization, they may only be required to provide financial information to their members or a state/federal entity, unless there is some sort of subpoena for the information. If you suspect a problem with this organization, your best bet may be to talk with someone in the state’s division of nonprofits. In California, I believe that is the state’s attorney general’s office.

Cheryl

[Nonprofit_Bookkeeper]

Hi Jerry — When you say “property user fee” do you mean rental fees of some kind? If the property the nonprofit owns is integral to its mission, I would say that’s program income (if, for example, a part of their mission is to provide space for xyz), but if they just happen to own a piece of property that they are maintaining and getting income from, that’s likely “other income” that needs to be itemized in Part VIII, Lines 6a-d. If you’re using the 990-EZ, then Other Revenue that you need to describe in Schedule O. Note that owning a building usually, but not always, pushes your total assets into the full 990, even if your revenue is in the $50,001-$199,999 range for the EZ.

[Nonprofit_Bookkeeper]

Hi Addison — I also hopped on to recommend you look into Greg Bossen’s QuickBooks Made Easy for Nonprofits! His program and recommendations are the gold standard for nonprofit bookkeeping/accounting. It can be confusing to set up effective nonprofit bookkeeping if you don’t know bookkeeping or QuickBooks. I specialize in nonprofit bookkeeping on one side of my business and retail/e-commerce on the other, so if you’d like, I’d be happy to jump on a call with you to take a look at what’s going on, see if I can make some suggestions or point you to some more resources. You can message me by clicking on my name to get to my profile, and then click the three little dots next to the “Connect” button.

[Nonprofit_Bookkeeper]

Hi Allison, I can’t point you to a specific guideline at the moment, but yes, generally, if you fundraise around a specific event or cause, those donations are considered to be restricted. Given that, you will want to be sure you know how much you need to raise and consider what you can do with those funds if you do not raise enough or raise too much. Many nonprofits fundraise instead for their general fund, but describe the many initiatives, or even just 2-3, they want to address with their funds. In that way, someone who may be interested in a particular initiative may feel compelled to give, but the organization is not confined by the restriction.

[Nonprofit_Bookkeeper]

Hi Robert – Sorry I missed your question! I must not have checked off that little “notify me of new replies” box. You would want to book capital campaign contributions as restricted contributions, so it would fall into your Net Assets With Restrictions equity line, but they are still contributions, revenue, received within your fiscal year. Essentially, you’re crediting (increasing) your contributions revenue account, and debiting (but also increasing) your Net Assets With Restrictions equity account. How you do that may depend on what software you’re using and how you’re using it.