When Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) began working with Lindquist, von Husen & Joyce, LLP (LvHJ) 3 years ago, it wasn’t because they made the choice, but rather because the firm they were with retired their services and selected LvHJ to take over their clients. It’s a fortuitous situation that Karen Gansen, CFO at CCDC,
In the fall of 2015, Mutual Housing California leadership had a decision to make. The Sacramento-based developer and advocate of sustainable, affordable housing had grown beyond the capacity of its existing CPA firm. Lindquist, von Husen & Joyce, LLP (LvHJ) stood out for several reasons, according to Julie Goldfine, CPA, Mutual Housing California Chief Financial
The relationship between Resources for Community Development (RCD) and Lindquist, von Husen & Joyce, LLP (LvHJ) goes way back. So far in fact, that Kate McKean, Controller for RCD, doesn’t recall a time without LvHJ by their side. The Bay Area developer of sustainable, affordable housing has been an advocate for seniors, low wage working
How efficient is your not-for-profit? Even tightly run organizations can use some improvement — particularly in the accounting area. Adopting the following six tips can help improve timeliness and accuracy. Set cutoff policies. Create policies for the monthly cutoff of invoicing and recording expenses — and adhere to them. For example, require all invoices to
Public perception that overhead for nonprofits is “bad” has been a pervasive problem for decades (made worse by national ratings agencies), primarily based on public attitudes that nonprofit leaders should be paid less than their corporate counterparts because they chose to work in public service roles. The common attitude is that these leaders were drawn
We know it isn’t easy to crack the code of funding best practices when working with private foundations. But a recent survey of 51 foundation trustees, foundation staff and grantee representatives — all of whom were recruited independently from 13 states in the U.S. — has helped to shed some light on what these highly
Not every exiting nonprofit leader may need or require an exit agreement. However, not-for-profit boards should understand four common types of CEO exit plans to negotiate an exit agreement if needed — ideally far ahead of the leader’s actual exit to support nonprofit operations. The use of exit agreements occurs most often in four
Donor-based not-for-profit organizations have a short window to comment on a recent amendment being considered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that could greatly impact their postage budget. The proposal would limit all USPS Marketing Mail, regular or not-for-profit, letter-sized or flat-sized; to content that is only paper-based/printed matter. No merchandise or goods of
By Cathy Hwang, CPA By now, all organizational recipients of federal funds or grant awards should have familiarized themselves with changes to the Uniform Guidance, issued at the end of 2014 through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The grace period for enhanced procurement compliance has ended, and affected organizations need to ensure that
Licensing your not-for-profit’s name to a for-profit company can provide a valuable new revenue source — but it can also be risky. If you’re considering a licensing arrangement, ensure that the partnership really will generate funds and, possibly more important, a positive impression of your brand. Success . . . and controversy When licensing arrangements
A not-for-profit’s growth stage generally starts two or three years after formation and continues until maturity at around age 7. This period comes with a sense of accomplishment and the opportunity to refine and expand, but these “adolescent” years can pose challenges as well. Board shifts Perhaps the most common marker of a growth-stage nonprofit
Due to the changes in the federal tax law resulting from the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the deduction for business interest can be severely limited for many taxpayers for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. The interest deduction cannot exceed the sum of: Business interest income for the tax
With its many changes to individual tax rates, brackets and breaks, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) means taxpayers need to revisit their tax planning strategies. Certain strategies that were once tried-and-true will no longer save or defer tax. But there are some that will hold up for many taxpayers. And they’ll be more
All nonprofits should think about setting aside money for a rainy day, but it’s a bigger consideration when you do it through an endowment. Endowments, by their nature, are not usually collected for the purpose of spending the money. The definition of an endowment, is the portion of funds set aside that are “permanently restricted”
We’ve seen a lot of optimism across industries in the last year thanks to huge U.S. stock market gains and expectations for lower corporate tax rates and infrastructure spending. But is this party winding down? Now that some major tech stocks have stumbled and federal interest rates were raised once again, the stock market looks
Economists globally are paying close attention to the Federal Reserve’s focus on “further gradual increases in the federal funds rate” in 2018. According to Bloomberg reports, Fed officials announced three tentative interest rate increases for the year as part of quarterly projections in December. They reiterated that plan at the end of January. However, Bloomberg’s
Thousands of not-for-profits lose their tax-exempt status every year because they’ve neglected to file required annual forms with the IRS for three consecutive years. Fortunately, if your organization is on the revocation list, you can re-attain your exempt status by following the proper steps. File the right form Assuming you lost your exempt status due
By doubling the standard deduction for the 2018 tax year and going forward, the law known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 may potentially reduce the number of U.S. taxpayers itemizing deductions by 25%. That means no specific deduction for charitable giving except among about 5% of the U.S. population. Nonprofits worry
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed by President Trump on December 22, 2017 has repealed the “technical termination” of partnerships. When there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of a partnership interest, such event will no longer cause the partnership to be treated as terminated. Hence,
Congress is enacting the biggest tax reform law in thirty years, one that will make fundamental changes in the way you, your family and your business calculate your federal income tax bill, and the amount of federal tax you will pay. Since most of the changes will go into effect next year, there’s still a
It seems we may be closer to revised tax law for the 2017 tax year. At this rate, floor votes may still happen prior to the holiday break. But rest assured that legislators will pore over the published tax bill before a vote. Proposed Changes The House & Senate Republican Conference Committee have agreed in
Charitable giving can be a powerful tax-saving strategy: Donations to qualified charities are generally fully deductible, and you have complete control over when and how much you give. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind this year to ensure you receive the tax benefits you desire. Delivery date To be deductible on your
Studies coming out this year about Americans’ financial literacy and savings rates show that employers could do a lot to improve the financial wellness of their employees — at minimal cost. A survey of 1,000 adults this year by Bankrate.com showed that 31 percent of people now have emergency funds to cover six months or
More and more not-for-profits are joining forces to better serve their clients and cut costs. But such relationships can come with complicated financial reporting obligations. Starting with the simplest For accounting purposes, the simplest relationship between nonprofits may be a collaborative arrangement. These are typically contractual agreements in which two or more organizations are active
Your compensation may take several forms, including salary, fringe benefits and bonuses. If you work for a corporation, you might also receive stock-based compensation, such as stock options. These come in two varieties: nonqualified (NQSOs) and incentive (ISOs). With both NQSOs and ISOs, if the stock appreciates beyond your exercise price, you can buy shares
For every $100 gained in giving in 2016, $95 was lost through the absence of repeat donors, according to the 2017 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey conducted by the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. Donor retention has hovered around 50 percent for the past decade, but that dropped a bit to 45 percent in 2016, according to the survey
Every not-for-profit organization needs a comprehensive succession plan to ensure smooth leadership transitions. Here are five tips for making a written plan successful: Look within. It’s important to develop employees who can move up the ladder when an executive director or other senior manager leaves. But don’t rule out hiring an outsider. Promoting from within
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