Resources - Novak Francella | Certified Public Accountants

Prevent fraud with the help of your audit committee

January 1, 2019

Your board’s audit committee is a first line of defense against fraud. But to be effective, committee members need to do more than simply review financial statements and audit results. Members should also adopt the following best practices: Conduct risk assessments. Identify the types of risks faced by your company and their likelihood of occurrence. […]

A reimbursement roadmap for retirement plan sponsors

January 1, 2019

When retirement plan sponsors perform administrative services on behalf of the plan, they can be reimbursed by the plan for those services. However, meticulous attention to detail is essential to staying on a safe path with regulatory authorities. Here’s a brief roadmap to getting back some dollars for your hard work — and keeping them. […]

Protect your nonprofit from occupational fraud threats

January 1, 2019

Not-for-profit organizations don’t lose as much to occupational fraud as for-profit businesses do. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE’s) 2018 Report to the Nations, nonprofits lost a median amount of $75,000 during the 21-month study period, compared with $164,000 for private for-profit companies. Yet few nonprofit budgets can afford a $75,000 shortfall […]

Bogus vendors may be costing your company a bundle

January 1, 2019

Are you harboring fictitious vendors in your accounting system? These are vendors invented by an employee — usually someone with the authority to approve invoices — to embezzle from the company. Thieves fabricate invoices and deposit payments to the fictitious vendor in their own bank accounts. This scam is easier to perpetrate in companies with […]

Is your nonprofit monitoring the measures that matter?

January 1, 2019

Do you want to control costs and improve delivery of your not-for-profit’s programs and services? It may not be as difficult as you think. First, you need to know how much of your nonprofit’s expenditures go toward programs, as opposed to administrative and fundraising costs. Then you must determine how much you need to fund […]

What to do if your nonprofit receives an IRS audit letter

January 1, 2019

The IRS’s staffing shortages have been well publicized and audits of individuals have decreased in the past several years. But it’s a mistake to assume that the agency has stopped scrutinizing not-for-profits and conducting audits when it deems necessary. If your organization receives an audit letter, you need to know what the process involves and […]

Holding on to your nonprofit’s exempt status

January 1, 2019

If you think that, once your not-for-profit receives its official tax-exempt status from the IRS, you don’t have to revisit it again, think again. Whether your organization is a Section 501(c)(3), Sec. 501(c)(7) or other type, be careful. The activities you conduct, the ways you generate revenue and how you use that revenue could potentially […]

Protect your nonprofit by cross-training staff

January 1, 2019

What would happen if one of your managers was suddenly forced to take long-term disability leave? Or an accounting staffer quit without notice? It’s possible that your not-for-profit’s work could come to a standstill — unless you’ve cross-trained your employees. Problem and solution Cross-training employees — teaching them how to do each other’s jobs — […]

Does your nonprofit adequately protect whistleblowers?

January 1, 2019

Whistleblower policies protect individuals who risk their careers — or take other kinds of risks — to report illegal or unethical practices. Although no federal law specifically requires nonprofits to have such policies in place, several state laws do. Moreover, IRS Form 990 asks nonprofits to state whether they have adopted a whistleblower policy. Adopting […]

Divide and conquer: How joint cost allocating works

January 1, 2019

In recent years watchdog groups, the media and others have increased their scrutiny of how much not-for-profits spend on programs vs. administration and fundraising. Your organization likely feels pressure to prove that it dedicates most of its resources to programming. However, accounting rules require that you record the full cost of any activity with a […]

5 questions can help nonprofits avoid accounting and tax mistakes

January 1, 2019

To err is human, but some errors are more consequential — and harder to fix — than others. Most not-for-profit organizations can’t afford to lose precious financial resources, so you need to do whatever possible to minimize accounting and tax mistakes. Get started by considering the following five questions: Have we formally documented our accounting […]

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) - Impact on Tax Exempt Organizations

November 12, 2018

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was enacted late in 2017 made several changes to the tax laws affecting tax-exempt organizations, including a new Unrelated Business Taxable Income (“UBTI”) tax rate at a flat 21% for any UBTI over the $1,000 standard deduction. Caution: These changes will make some nonprofit organizations pay federal […]

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