The Smarter Giving Guy » charity reporting http://smartergivingguy.com Helping Philanthropists Do Good Better Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:09:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Find an Organization’s Form 990 http://smartergivingguy.com/2010/02/find-an-organizations-form-990/ http://smartergivingguy.com/2010/02/find-an-organizations-form-990/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:55:02 +0000 SG Guy http://smartergivingguy.com/?p=612 A wealth of information is available from an charity’s most recent IRS information return (Form 990 or Form 990-EZ).

See the SeriousGivers.org Find a 990 page for a quick route to charity 990s and 990-EZs.

Happy searching!

]]> A wealth of information is available from an charity’s most recent IRS information return (Form 990 or Form 990-EZ).

See the SeriousGivers.org Find a 990 page for a quick route to charity 990s and 990-EZs.

Happy searching!

]]> http://smartergivingguy.com/2010/02/find-an-organizations-form-990/feed/ 0 The Smarter Giving Guide to Finding Key Charity Information http://smartergivingguy.com/2009/09/the-smarter-giving-guide-to-finding-key-charity-information/ http://smartergivingguy.com/2009/09/the-smarter-giving-guide-to-finding-key-charity-information/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:03:49 +0000 SG Guy http://smartergivingguy.com/?p=1184 2012 UPDATE: All versions of The Smarter Giving Guide are now out of print. The core concepts of the Guide have been incorporated into the free www.SeriousGivers.org website.

Charities publish an immense amount of data in their IRS Form 990 returns each year. The giver’s challenge has been to find and evaluate [...]]]>

2012 UPDATE: All versions of The Smarter Giving Guide are now out of print. The core concepts of the Guide have been incorporated into the free www.SeriousGivers.org website.

Charities publish an immense amount of data in their IRS Form 990 returns each year. The giver’s challenge has been to find and evaluate the key information tucked away in those returns. We’ve created a new guide to help givers meet that challenge.

The Smarter Giving Guide to Finding Key Charity Information helps you find a charity’s Form 990 and navigate your way to crucial performance indicators such asSGG_Guide_Cvr_border

  • The focus of the charity’s programs
  • Spending on programs, fundraising and administration
  • Financial reserves available to the charity
  • Staff, board and contractor compensation levels
  • Fundraising efficiency

The Guide includes performance ratios and indicators, road-map guides to key information, and complete copies of IRS Form 990, Form 990-EZ and Schedule A for both 2008 and 2007.

Look inside (it’ll take a moment to open the Guide): Table of Contents — Surprise Me! — Back Cover

Money Back Guarantee: Follow the guide and screen just one local charity’s Form 990 data and if you honestly don’t believe think you’ve found crucial information about the charity, then simply give us a call and we’ll cheerfully refund your entire purchase price.

Print edition: 8.5″ x 11″, soft cover, 72 pages, ISBN 978-0-9842528. Also available on CD, with live links.

]]> http://smartergivingguy.com/2009/09/the-smarter-giving-guide-to-finding-key-charity-information/feed/ 0 Sorting Out the IRS 990s http://smartergivingguy.com/2009/08/sorting-out-the-irs-990s/ http://smartergivingguy.com/2009/08/sorting-out-the-irs-990s/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:12:06 +0000 SG Guy http://smartergivingguy.com/?p=1066 An IRS “990″ is an annual return to be filed by a charity or other organization that is exempt from Federal income taxes. There are four different IRS forms bearing a “990″ designation. Here’s a short guide to help you sort it out:

Form 990 In general, organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code section [...]]]> An IRS “990″ is an annual return to be filed by a charity or other organization that is exempt from Federal income taxes. There are four different IRS forms bearing a “990″ designation. Here’s a short guide to help you sort it out:

Form 990
In general, organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501, 527, and 4947, other than private foundations, must file their annual information return on Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.

Form 990-N
Organizations that normally have annual gross receipts of less than $25,000 are not required to file Form 990 or 990-EZ. These small organizations may be required to file an annual electronic notice – e-Postcard (Form 990-N) for tax periods beginning after December 31, 2006.

Form 990-EZ
This is a shortened version of Form 990. It is designed for use by small exempt organizations and nonexempt charitable trusts. An organization may file Form 990-EZ, instead of Form 990, if it meets threshholds for both its gross receipts and total assets during the year. See Filing Phase-In for more information about these threshholds. If your organization does not meet either of these conditions, it cannot file Form 990-EZ. Instead the organization must file Form 990.

Form 990-PF
All private foundations exempt under section 501(c)(3) must file Form 990-PF.

Source: IRS website on August 11, 2009

Find an organization’s Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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