Nonprofit watchdogs -- Who are they and what are they looking for?

Nonprofit watchdog agencies are on the rise, becoming more prominent in the past five years than ever before. These independent organizations gather resources not only to help donors select fiscally responsible organizations for their charitable giving, but also to provide information to media, legislators and the philanthropic community. This article tells you what you need to know about the leading watchdogs - the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBB Wise) and Charity Navigator (CN) - and how they evaluate nonprofits.
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Be reasonable -- Procedures, documentation essential when setting compensation

Nonprofits often vie against for-profit businesses for the same talent pool; to acquire and keep the employees you need, you must be competitive in your offers. But this offer-the-best-we-can approach is shadowed by growing regulatory pressures to provide "reasonable compensation" for key employees - and nothing more.
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Internal vs. year end financial statements

Do you prepare internal financial statements for your board of directors on a monthly, quarterly or other periodic basis? Later, at year end, do your auditors always propose adjustments? What's going on? Most likely, the differences are due to cash basis vs. accrual basis financial statements, as well as reasonable estimates proposed by your auditors during the year end audit. By understanding the differences between the two statements, you may be able to minimize them.
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NEWS FOR NONPROFITS

This issue covers the patterns of giving donations to organizations that serve the economically disadvantaged; how the YouTube Nonprofit Program can broadcast your message to a larger audience; a reminder about the federal ban on political campaign activity; and the newly enacted College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which can help recruit and retain nonprofit workers.
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