Gift Acceptance Policy Roundtable - Topic for January 27, 2015

This meeting is the Winter Roundtable meeting and, together with the Winter Expert Folllow-up meeting in February, will tackle the many intricacies of Gift Acceptance Policies.

During January, most non profits are busy processing the calendar year end donations. The vast majority of those donations are unrestricted and carry no extra burden on the organization. But what about the few that will trigger complicating restrictions, tax reporting, or other responsibilites? Were those donations accepted without consideration of the implications? Was your gift acceptance policy researched? Does your nfp have a written gift acceptance policy?

If any of the above is familiar to your experience, then make plans to join us Tuesday, January 27, 2015 when we will discuss gift acceptance policies and complications involved with accepting restricted or other types of gifts that place additional responsibility on the non profit.
Please bring a copy of your organization's policy and any questions or specifics you would like addressed when we bring in a speaker in February for expert follow-up on this topic.

United Way's Benchmark Standards - Topic for December 2, 2014

If your nfp receives funding from United Way, then make plans to join us Tuesday, December 2, 2014 when Kathy Gardner of United Way will discuss their vision of funding going forward and how that will affect changes to existing benchmarking standards.

This meeting is the Autumn Expert Follow-up to the roundtable discussion held November 4 on watchdog groups and their benchmarking standards.

Watchdog Groups Roundtable - Topic for November 4, 2014

This meeting is the Autumn Roundtable, and the topic is watchdog groups.  The primary watchdog groups are BBB, GuideStar, Charity Navigator, United Way, Dun & Bradstreet, and many other regional and local ones. At this meeting, we will discuss issues related to intersecting and non-intersecting metrics, how watchdog group ratings affect grants and workplace giving/corporate matches, how watchdog groups metrics and ratings affect individual donors, and which watchdog groups have the most influence over donors.

During the discussion, the meeting facilitators will determine points that require follow-up expertise and will schedule a speaker to address them at the Autumn Expert Follow-up meeting December 2.

Please note the Autumn Roundtable meeting is the October meeting, but because of overbooking at United Way, has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, rather than the usual 4th Tuesday of the month.

Top Topics Roundtable - September 23, 2014

This meeting marks the beginning of the 2014-2015 program year. For this program year, we are setting aside the September meeting as a roundtable discussion from which the year's topics will emerge. So please come prepared with topics that interest you from these themes:  IRS 990; FASB/Audit; Technological Advancements; Fundraising; HR, and Finance.

From the discussion at this meeting, we will select four top topics to address at the next eight meetings in a pattern of roundtable meeting first, then expert follow-up next. This improved format will bring the meetings in line with the nfpFMA mission of "Providing a place for not-for-profit financial managers to learn and share latest trends and best practices."

We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd!

Fending off Fraud: Steps nfp's can take to avoid the latest trends - Topic for June 24, 2014

If you stay awake nights worrying about if all the security walls you have carefully constructed to protect your nfp are still effective, then make plans to join us Tuesday, June 24, 2014 when Brian Ferguson and David Henroid (Certified Fraud Examiner) of Stone Carlie discuss the latest trends in fraud and how you can avoid them.

Developing Effective Policies required by 990's Part VI, Section B - Topic for May 27, 2014

If you strive to answer "yes" to all the questions about policies in Part VI, Section B of the 990, then make plans to join us Tuesday, May 27, 2014, when John McAnnar, co-founder of ArchCity Defenders, in cooperation with the Mission Center L3C, will present an overview of Conflict of Interest, Whistleblower, Document Retention, and Executive Compensation policies. We'll learn best practices in developing these policies so that in addition to answering "yes" to the questions on the 990 we'll derive benefit from having the policies in place.

Exploring CRM Software - Topic for April 22, 2014

If you are unaware that CRM is an acronym for Constiuent Relationship Management, then make plans to join us Tuesday, April 22, 2014 when Nick Morilla of Nonprofit Easy will discuss the basics of CRM and why all nonprofits should be aware of them.

Audit trends - Topic for March 25, 2014

If during audit season you find yourself upended by unexpected audit requirements, then make plans to join us Tuesday, March 25, 2014, when Elizabeth Pagett of BKD will discuss audit trends all nfp's should know.

Staying on top of watchdog group benchmarks - Topic for February 25, 2014

With each passing fundraising scandal, the importance of non-profit watchdog groups grow. Many use benchmarking metrics derived from 990 data to assess mission effectiveness, and some of those get published whenever improprieties are reported. So if you would like to know which benchmarks are being highlighted and why, then make plans to join us Tuesday, February 25, 2014 when Carole Bellman, Director of Charity Information Services for the Better Business Bureau serving Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois will discuss how the BBB designs benchmarks and why.

Investment Strategies for nfp's - Topic for January 28, 2014

Nfp Finance Managers usually spend most of their time on accounting rather than finance. So if you would like to kick off the New Year learning some skills that support your title, then make plans to join us Tuesday, January 28, 2014 when Caleb Croquart and Dustin Gaj of PNC Institutional Investments will present tips for the best investment strategies nfp's can utilize in 2014.