Obtain Financial Records for 501c Too Small to File Form 990
October 19, 2018 2:27 PM Subscribe
My google-fu is failing me at finding how to request and obtain financial information (money taken in from donations / money spent on ??) from a 501C-3 that does not have enough revenue to have to file an IRS Form 990. Is this possible? Thank you.
Best answer: You can obtain the information from a 990-N, but it's pretty minimal, really just contact info and a certification that the orgization's gross receipts are $50,000 or less.
Some states have additional disclosure laws that may be relevant, such as for Ohio, though that only applies to organizations that solicit contributions.
posted by zachlipton at 3:22 PM on October 19, 2018
Some states have additional disclosure laws that may be relevant, such as for Ohio, though that only applies to organizations that solicit contributions.
posted by zachlipton at 3:22 PM on October 19, 2018
Response by poster: I'm in Ohio, fortunately. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to see a breakdown of specifically how money is spent. I work somewhat with a 501C animal charity, but mostly I work around it on my own due to the typical problems that plague human organizations (control freaks, egos, lack of cooperation/communication, etc.)
We all put in substantial amounts of our own money and receive no pay, but we suspect our executive director of paying herself several thousand dollars per year for "administrative duties".
The matter is complicated by the fact that the executive director has her own 501C that does little except minimal management and administration, while the rest of us all work for groups that are incorporated under the umbrella of her 501C. We're all fed up, as she's a dictator, penny-pincher, and seems not to have our mission statement as first priority, but it seems there's little we can do about it without access to her financial records in detail. It's time to move on and incorporate our own 501C(s), but people seem afraid of the responsibility and a mass mutiny is not shaping up as it should.
Utterly typical. I've watched small 501Cs go through this sort of thing for a decade.
posted by Shane at 7:00 PM on October 19, 2018
We all put in substantial amounts of our own money and receive no pay, but we suspect our executive director of paying herself several thousand dollars per year for "administrative duties".
The matter is complicated by the fact that the executive director has her own 501C that does little except minimal management and administration, while the rest of us all work for groups that are incorporated under the umbrella of her 501C. We're all fed up, as she's a dictator, penny-pincher, and seems not to have our mission statement as first priority, but it seems there's little we can do about it without access to her financial records in detail. It's time to move on and incorporate our own 501C(s), but people seem afraid of the responsibility and a mass mutiny is not shaping up as it should.
Utterly typical. I've watched small 501Cs go through this sort of thing for a decade.
posted by Shane at 7:00 PM on October 19, 2018
Any organization, non-profit or not, where the same person has the power to handle both income and outgo has a huge control weakness that can only end in disaster. I'd get out of there sooner rather than later.
posted by praemunire at 11:04 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 11:04 PM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
As a donor, I think it would be entirely reasonable to make a request to the organization's board of directors to account for the impact/whereabouts of your donation; this might be more effective if it came from a group of people rather than you individually. (This assumes that the board is reasonable and taking seriously its role in overseeing the ED and the organization's legitimacy and compliance with regulations. If they're all just her buddies, they will probably circle ranks.) If they refuse, you could request an inquiry through your state attorney general's office.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:20 AM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:20 AM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: As a donor, I think it would be entirely reasonable to make a request to the organization's board of directors to account ...
The 501C has three officers: The Exec Director and her son and daughter. lol.
Any organization, non-profit or not, where the same person has the power to handle both income and outgo has a huge control weakness that can only end in disaster. I'd get out of there sooner rather than later.
I asked too many financial questions and was in the process of being pressured out of the group. I resigned to avoid a showdown with a narcissistic personalty, as years of experience with an aunt who is classic narcissist/histrionic PD has taught me that you just can't win against someone who has spent her whole life manipulating. At least I know I can't
Next tax season I'll request her docs from the IRS and send them out to the group members. If they do the work and compare the income of the fundraisers of each of their (non-incorporated groups incorporated under her umbrella) and if they can manage to get ahold of records of money spent (which shouldn't be too hard), the income should exceed the outgo by the amount of the fundraisers the Exec Director did specifically for her group (which is technically separate even though it is the umbrella for the rest), i.e. the amount she is paying herself for "administrative duties." If the 501C still exists in a year.
Thanks, All.
posted by Shane at 2:51 PM on November 2, 2018
The 501C has three officers: The Exec Director and her son and daughter. lol.
Any organization, non-profit or not, where the same person has the power to handle both income and outgo has a huge control weakness that can only end in disaster. I'd get out of there sooner rather than later.
I asked too many financial questions and was in the process of being pressured out of the group. I resigned to avoid a showdown with a narcissistic personalty, as years of experience with an aunt who is classic narcissist/histrionic PD has taught me that you just can't win against someone who has spent her whole life manipulating. At least I know I can't
Next tax season I'll request her docs from the IRS and send them out to the group members. If they do the work and compare the income of the fundraisers of each of their (non-incorporated groups incorporated under her umbrella) and if they can manage to get ahold of records of money spent (which shouldn't be too hard), the income should exceed the outgo by the amount of the fundraisers the Exec Director did specifically for her group (which is technically separate even though it is the umbrella for the rest), i.e. the amount she is paying herself for "administrative duties." If the 501C still exists in a year.
Thanks, All.
posted by Shane at 2:51 PM on November 2, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by praemunire at 2:37 PM on October 19, 2018