Wiley Not-for-Profit GAAP 2020

Interpretation and Application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Richard F. Larkin, Marie DiTommaso, Warren Ruppel

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781119595939
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Normas contables

Ensure that your not-for-profit accounting is airtight for 2020

Not-for profit organizations have unique characteristics, so they must adhere to a specific set of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Wiley Not-For-Profit GAAP 2020 provides practical guidance on how to identify and apply the relevant standards. This guide is indispensable for professionals responsible for preparing and auditing not-for-profit accounts. You will learn how to interpret the relevant accounting principles and how to apply them, all while minimizing unnecessary effort and eliminating potentially costly errors.

This comprehensive yet concise text thoroughly examines the latest standards for measurement, presentation, and disclosure related to not-for-profits. It covers the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification, all relevant Accounting Standards Updates, and other guidance that applies to not-for-profit organizations, particularly that of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). With this unrivalled reference tool, your not-for-profit GAAP questions are answered.

• Easily understand the latest not-for-profit GAAP with visual aids, including flowcharts, diagrams, and illustrations
• Navigate complex requirements and ensure completeness of GAAP disclosures
• Stay current with all not-for-profit accounting pronouncements, including FASB, AICPA, and more
• Enjoy practical, user-friendly guidance on applying the relevant accounting standards in your not-for-profit organization

With Wiley Not-For-Profit GAAP 2020, you can be assured you have the most current, comprehensive accounting information that applies to nonprofit organizations. Stay in compliance and ensure timely, accurate reporting with this authoritative volume.

PART 1
OVERVIEW OF NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

1
OVERVIEW OF NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

• Perspective and Issues
  • Key Differences between Not-for-Profit and For-Profit Organizations
  • Resource Use Consideration
  • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

PERSPECTIVE AND ISSUES

Not-for-profit organizations represent a significant portion of the economy of the United States. Over one million of these organizations provide almost every conceivable type of service from education to politics, from social services to country clubs, and from religious to research organizations. The number and importance of these organizations to the overall US economy continues to grow. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) defines not-for-profit organizations by distinguishing them from for-profit organizations. It defines not-for-profit organizations as entities that possess the following characteristics not usually found in other organizations:

1. They receive contributions from significant resource providers who do not expect a commensurate or proportionate monetary return.
2. They operate for purposes other than to make a profit.
3. There is an absence of ownership interests like those of business enterprises.

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Item 1 above describes transactions that are sometimes called “nonexchange” transactions. In a typical contribution to a not-for-profit organization, the giver (donor) and the receiver (the not-for-profit organization) do not exchange items of equivalent value—the not-for-profit organization receives the majority of the value in the actual transaction. The donor compensates for this difference by obtaining value separate from the transaction, such as through a tax deduction that it is likely to receive, recognition, goodwill, or simply a good feeling about supporting a cause that the donor believes is worthwhile.

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While not-for-profit organizations share many of the same accounting principles as commercial enterprises, their accounting and financial reporting are quite unique because the focus of financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations is not on the measurement of net income. Reflecting this, and other differences, the FASB has issued some pronouncements specifically affecting the accounting and financial reporting of not-for-profits. In addition, the application of the FASB's other accounting standards to not-for-profit organizations typically requires some modification for applying those standards to not-for-profit organizations because the primary focus of financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations is not on the measurement of net income or comprehensive income.

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OBSERVATION: Chapter 9 provides a really good example of this. The FASB's new standards relating to revenue contracts with customers would apply to many not-for-profit organizations' exchange transactions, such as a college or university providing classes in exchange for tuition. Contributions are not within the scope of the FASB revenue standard. The question arose about government and foundation grants—many times these have characteristics of both exchange transactions and contributions. The FASB issued a specific new standard (ASU 2018-08) to assist not-for-profit organizations in making this distinction and which accounting rules to follow.

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Typically, not-for-profit organizations are controlled by boards of directors composed of individuals who generally volunteer their time. The size of not-for-profit organizations varies greatly. A small not-for-profit organization may have no paid staff; all functions may be performed by a governing board and volunteers. On the other hand, some not-for-profit organizations are quite large, with hundreds or even thousands of employees, such as a university, a health-related research association, or a large cultural organization such as a museum. When a small, newly formed organization becomes large enough or complex enough in operation to require it, the board may delegate either limited or broad operating responsibility to a part-time or full-time paid executive. This executive may be given any one of many alternative titles—president, executive director, administrator, manager, etc. Regardless of the size of the not-for-profit organization, the board will usually appoint one of its own part-time volunteer members as treasurer. In most cases, the treasurer is second in importance only to the chairperson of the board because the ability of the organization to carry out its programs is based on strong oversight and administration of its finances.

Every board member has a fiduciary responsibility for all of the affairs of the organization, including finances. While the treasurer may be charged with paying special attention to this area, this does not excuse any board member from exercising diligent oversight in the finance, as well as all other areas of operation. The governing board's involvement with setting appropriate levels of executive compensation is an area that has come under closer public and regulatory scrutiny in recent years, and is an important area for consideration in fulfilling these fiduciary responsibilities.

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In many instances, the board member designated as treasurer is a businessperson who is active in both professional and community affairs and has only a limited amount of time to devote to the organization. Therefore, financial awareness from the rest of the board is necessary, as is the appropriate development of a financial function within the organization that has the appropriate skill set given the size of the organization.

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The treasurer has significant responsibilities, including the following:

1. Keeping financial records;
2. Preparing accurate and meaningful financial statements;
3. Budgeting and anticipating financial problems;
4. Safeguarding and managing the organization's financial assets;
5. Complying with federal and state reporting requirements.

While this list certainly is not all-inclusive, most of the financial problems the treasurer will face are associated with these five major areas.

In the public company commercial accounting environment, the role of the board of directors (including board members who are part of an organization's audit committee) has been under close scrutiny. This scrutiny has a number of different causes, but certainly the inappropriate (or perceived as inappropriate) application of accounting principles by a number of these public companies can be described as one of the more important factors leading to this scrutiny.

While the circumstances receiving public attention relate primarily to public companies, not-for-profit organizations are not immune to the misapplication of accounting principles. Boards of directors, management, and independent auditors of not-for-profit organizations must be vigilant to ensure that accounting principles used are appropriate and are appropriately applied. In addition to meeting the “l...