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Nonprofit Filing Season “To Do” List

I’ve been working with nonprofits for over 8 years. I can attest to the fact that this is their busy season. Maybe not for fundraisers, but DEFINITELY for legal filings and ensuring your nonprofit has up to date bylaws, policies and procedures.

Here’s the NONPROFIT FILING SEASON “TO DO” LIST:

  1. File your 990: Any nonprofit with $0 or above and/or recently dissolved MUST file a 990. Nonprofits file 5 months after their Fiscal Year End (FYE) date. So, if you end your fiscal year in December, you file by May 15. If your FYE is June 30, you file by November 15.
  1. Charitable Solicitations (Affinity Registrations); Every state has rules about nonprofit organizations, professional fundraisers, and all tax exempt organizations filing their financials with the State. IF you raise money in a state for your nonprofit, you must check the rules in that state to make sure you are filing properly.

In Colorado you file at: https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/charities/charitableHome.html?menuheaders=3

The filing is more detailed than the IRS 990N and 990EZ filings and they must match each other. Your 990 is posted on the Colorado State filing state.

  1. State Annual and Periodic Report filings: In addition to financial filings, nonprofits, like all businesses, file reports with states they are registered in.

In Colorado you file at:  https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/business/businessHome.html?menuheaders=2

Make sure you sign up your email address to receive the reminders. Colorado doesn’t send postcards in the mail anymore!

  1. Board of Director Duties: The board is responsible for ensuring they are compliant with IRS and State laws and rules AND Nonprofit Industry Standards and Guidelines.

This includes the following:

  1. a) Educating yourself on current board requirements. Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty, and Duty of Obedience. There are many classes available, both online and in person. Contact Cando501c3.com for more information.
  2. b)  Review your Bylaws annually and make any changes necessary to update them if needed.
  3. c) Review and/or implement all Policies.

The IRS Highly Recommends (ie, “requires”) the following policies: Compensation, Conflict of Interest, Documentation Retention and Destruction, Gift Acceptance and Whistleblower policies. For samples of these documents, contact Linda Akey of Cando501c3 – (720) 320-7014.

Grantors/Foundations often require the Anti-Discrimination Policy and Code of Ethics.

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Linda Akey

LINDA AKEY has been involved in nonprofit organizations since childhood.

She graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Public Administration.

After college, she worked for 20 years in the corporate workforce, Her past careers were child care, telecommunications and banking industries. She has been a national account manager and corporate trainer. and in the past obtained Series 66, 6 and Series 7 investment industry licenses. Her background in organizational and financial management have provided credited experience in organizational development, budgeting and finance, speaking, writing, and strategic planning.

Linda has decades of nonprofit volunteer experience beginning with her participation in her youth with her church and a nonprofit community theater where she served performed and served on a youth advisory board. Linda has volunteered her singing and organizational expertise for many nonprofit chorale and theater organizations, having performed in dozens of musicals and numerous choirs.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Linda was a member of the Colorado Association of Family Child Care and served as zoning chairperson obtaining licensing changes for the benefit of child care providers in Colorado communities. Linda served on the Colorado Children’s Coalition fighting for pro-child legislation in the State of Colorado. While in college studying sociology and public administration, Linda was employed with the nonprofit Wildwood Child Care Food Program where she obtained a large grant from the State of Colorado to hold mandatory licensing training for child care providers.

She moved to Florida in 1994 and, while continuing her work in the telecommunications industry, served on the founding board of directors for the Gandy Friendship Bridge nonprofit organization which saved the Gandy Bridge from destruction and made it a green-friendly walking and biking bridge between Tampa Bay and St Petersburg Florida.

Linda continued her nonprofit work upon her return to Colorado in 1998, particularly with community theater organizations. and served as President of the Board of Loveland Opera Theatre after obtaining their 501c3 tax exempt status. At the same time, Linda obtained a 501c3 tax exempt status for MacDonald Family Charity DBA A Child’s Dream.
Linda served on the Community Marketing Commission for the City of Loveland. Later, she was co-founder and President of the Northern Colorado Nonprofit Resource Center. Linda continues volunteer work in numerous nonprofits in addition to assisting her clients.

Her parents are retired in California and 2 brothers work in education. Linda’s sister and adult son, in addition to their careers, are also involved in their communities and have done charity work in Mongolia.

Linda enjoys the mountains of Colorado, singing and performing, watching concerts and musicals, time with friends and family, adventure, traveling and easy going downtime.

Linda’s services for new and existing nonprofits include:
IRS Application Forms 1023EZ, 1023, 1024 for tax exempt status
IRS and State Filings and Laws
Nonprofit Industry Standards and Guidelines
Strategic Planning for Operations, Programming and Fundraising Development
Educational Workshops and Videos on Board Development, IRS and State Filings, Board Governance, Proper Policies, Budgeting, Strategic Planning, Fundraising Plans, Programming changes, Volunteer Management, etc.
Community nonprofit sector development
Data research for nonprofits
Notary Service
Linda is a registered notary public and holds an IRS PTIN for her business.

Linda has helped businesses in their business plans as well.

View all posts by Linda Akey

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