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Financial Reporting Info From Bian
The Treasurer has to submit a tax form that totals up your
various sources of income, each into one of these categories:
- Gifts, grants, and contributions received. Money which is given to the organization "no strings attached" or not in exchange for anything, like gifts or donations.
- Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or furnishing of facilities in any activity that is related to the organization's charitable, etc., purpose. Money given to the organization for admission (for fundraiser events only, your PPD's should not be charging admission). Or, money given to the organization to reserve booth space, or for space in the event program, or for raffle tickets or silent auction, or for T-shirts, buttons, wristbands, or magnets, or for soda. Money provided to the organization in exchange for something.
- unrelated business activities. Money collected from activities wholly unrelated to the organization's purpose (like if it had a fundraising dinner.)
- other
Additionally, on a separate part of the form, the treasurer has to fit it all into
THESE categories, which don't always match the above categories:
- Contributions, gifts, grants, and similar amounts received. Money which is given to the organization "no strings attached" or not in exchange for anything, like gifts or donations.
- Program service revenue. Money given to the organization for admission (for fundraiser events only, your PPD's should not be charging admission). Money given to the organization to reserve booth space or for space in the event program. Money generated by your event itself.
- Special events and activities (includes "gaming"). Money from raffles, or silent auctions, or sales of items like magnets, buttons, T-shirts, wristbands, and the like, or soda, bake sales, etc.
- Other
Here, program revenue and special events do not always match gross receipts and unrelated business income above. So your financial report should be pretty detailed, not categorized (unless you use Quickbooks or Money, because their categories are pretty good).
How to write reports
The easiest way to do the financial summary is to have a breakdown generated from a good accounting program, similar to the example here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paganpride-coords/files/ and click "ppla_2004_financial_report.xls"
Small events might just be able to send a list of each individual donation or other type of income and where it came from, and each expense, where it went, and for what. This is like the example from New Hampshire in 2005, which is here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paganpride-coords/message/14249
Categorize and break down types of income, but do not lump it together by event or by "special event"
For your income from the day of the event, many of you lump everything (everything being raffle sales, silent auctions, t-shirt sales, soda sales, or other sales of a product, straight gifts or donations, etc.) in one cash box. Please DON'T do that. The treasurer needs to know the details of where the money came from, not just that it came from "the event". To keep track of what you sell, consider keeping an inventory of how many items you have before and after the event, and then figuring out how much was sold. Multiply that by the asking price, and that's what you took in for that item. The rest of what was in your case box was probably pure donations or raffle money or whatever you were collecting
The breakdown should include categories of income from your fundraisers. It doesn't help the treasurer to just list "Spring Faire fundraiser: $XXX.XX" because the treasurer has to categorize the income into contributions, program income, or special events. A fundraiser could be any of the three, or a combination of all three. DON'T JUST CALL AN EVENT A "SPECIAL EVENT." "Special event" is an IRS "term of art". Your fundraiser, or special event, could be taking in donations, program income, special event income, or unrelated business income. A breakdown will help the Treasurer determine which is which.
Categorize expenses, identify recipients of donated money
This message has been about income, but the treasurer needs the same type of detailed explanation of expenses too, or line items of expenses so top determine which category they fall under: fundraising expenses, contributions paid out, professional fees, independent contractors, other (includes program services expenses, i.e. event expenses). Also, if you donate money to a different local charity, we need the amount and the charity's name and address (address can just be city and state).
Your financial summary should be submitted along with scanned copies of your bank statements and receipts.