Running a nonprofit is hard work. When your position requires you to be a jack of all trades (and a master of all of them!) it's important to have a broad range of resources at your fingertips. To help you navigate the complex world of nonprofit accounting, we've collected some of the best free finance and accounting resources available on the web.
IRS Tax Information for Charities & Other Nonprofits
This IRS webpage is a great place to find information on all things 990. There are instructions for annual reporting and filing, answers about tax-exempt requirements, and other educational resources. The IRS is responsible for granting nonprofit tax-exempt status to organizations, so this is a great place to start if you're thinking about founding a new nonprofit.
FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board)
The Financial Accounting Standards Board is the private-sector organization designated to create accounting standards that govern the audited financial statements of non-governmental entities, including nonprofit organizations. This website is a great resource for technical accounting questions.
The Non-Profit Resource Center
If you need more specific guidance than the FASB website provides, the Non-Profit Resource Center provides links to commonly used accounting standards.
National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS)
The National Center for Charitable Statistics is a repository for data about the nonprofit sector. The NCCS develops and disseminates data for use in research and to develop uniform standards for reporting on the activities of nonprofits. This website is full of links about nonprofit research, reporting, and regulation.
National Council of Nonprofits
One of the main goals of the National Council of Nonprofits is to help leaders create healthy nonprofits. The National Council of Nonprofits provides resources on many topics, including:
Financial management
Budgeting and financial reporting
Administrative costs, overhead, and reserves
Internal controls
Filing requirements
GuideStar is an informational site connecting donors, funders, researchers, educators, professional service providers, governing agencies, and the media with nonprofit financial information so that these groups can make informed decisions about philanthropy. The website provides access to organizational IRS Form 990s and reports based on 990 data.
The internet holds an abundance of free resources for nonprofits. Bookmark these pages for quick and easy access to nonprofit knowledge. And don't hesitate to reach out to your accountant for more information!