Not-for-Profit

Transform Your Organization to Better Support Your Mission

Not-for-profit organizations are uniquely positioned to drive positive change, despite facing a range of challenges, especially in times of economic or political uncertainty. While poor succession planning, lack of revenue diversification, and policy and procedure gaps—with strained time and resources—can present hurdles, they also present opportunities for growth and innovation to improve organizational operations.

Taking a comprehensive approach to your organizational needs by developing a road map that helps you simultaneously address short-term risks and transform for the future, our professionals can help you maintain compliance, uncover untapped opportunities, and reach your organizational goals.

Our professionals work with your not-for-profit—from IT to HR, finance, and facilities—to reduce your administrative and operational burden, so you can focus on what matters most: carrying out your mission.

Audit, Tax, and Consulting Services

From assurance to tax to consulting services, we help not-for-profit organizations thrive and stay focused on their mission.

Strengthen Board Governance

Lack of industry education, board turnover, missing or obsolete policies, internal disputes and conflicts, and other obstacles can hinder boards from functioning cohesively and derail major organizational goals.

Enhance your leadership to drive long-term success when you prioritize strengthening your board’s overall governance structure to meet fiduciary duties.

Our professionals meet with your board to discuss topics including, but not limited to:

Board Development. Board members may come from corporate or other backgrounds with less experience running tax-exempt organizations. We can provide strategic planning training on the financial and tax differences of a not-for-profit and other topics to improve board productivity and overall organizational understanding.
Policies and Procedures. Board members, the economic environment, and other factors change over time. Are your policies, procedures, and bylaws adapting as needed?
Succession Planning. A dynamic, well-managed, and clearly communicated succession plan can help your organization support operational stability, build stakeholder trust, and prepare your organization to thrive moving forward.

Attract and Retain Talent

Acquiring and retaining strong talent is critical to your organization’s success—and is a common roadblock for not-for-profits.

Transform your human capital management with workforce development solutions that create greater alignment and bring value to your organization.

HR Strategy and Planning. Establish clear direction and outline critical actions to meet the demands of your workforce.
Programs and Processes. Develop and implement programs and processes, like talent acquisition, talent management, and total rewards, designed to support your people while increasing engagement, productivity, and innovation.
Change Management. Overcome resistance to change, address uncertainty, and bolster employee engagement with a systematic approach to change management that equips your people with the resources they need to adapt in an evolving work environment.

Maintain Compliance

Protecting your not-for-profit from reputational, financial, and legal risk can make all the difference for your organization’s survival. Grant compliance and proper management is also key to help your organization retain crucial funding.

A risk assessment can help determine high risk or urgent situations your organization faces, and the consequences they pose. Our professionals can also help you build a priority road map to determine what needs to be executed on in the short-term to mitigate those risks and plan for moving forward.

Implement Technology Capabilities

Keeping up with the latest technology trends and solutions can often be a challenge for not-for-profit organizations. Transforming your technology standing can help you leverage the power of IT solutions to help boost your operational efficiencies through access to comprehensive, real-time views of your entire organization.

Illuminate vital data to transform your not-for-profit into a collaborative, data-driven organization with insight into greater quality and compliance solutions, including the following:

Operations assessment
Systems selection and implementation, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like NetSuite, or Salesforce applications
Process automation and AI
Cybersecurity

Increase Organizational Efficiency

Our professionals can help you recognize pain points and streamline overall efficiency, starting with an organizational assessment, which asks a range of questions to better understand your challenges and successes, including the following.

Do you have the right people in place?
Are certain departments struggling more than others?
What are your policies and procedures? Do they exist or need updates?
What’s your financial close and reporting process?

Upon a look at your organization’s operations, we provide recommendations on how to move forward and help with implementation of new processes, policies, and technologies.

Improve Audit and Tax Processes

Maintain compliance and find solutions to your tax and accounting challenges with specialized audit and tax services, including:

Audits, including federal compliance audits
Complex group structures, including non-501(c)(3) exempt organizations
Credits & Incentives
Donor-advised fund planning and reporting
Employee benefit plans
For-profit organization formation and operations
IRS and state audit representation
Lobbying and political expenditure classification and reporting
Maintaining tax-exempt status and public charity status
Preparation of Form 990, 990-T, 990-PF, and relevant state forms
Third-party management agreements and sponsorship planning
Unrelated business taxable income

Outsourced Finance and Accounting Solutions

Our Outsourced Finance and Accounting Solutions are designed to alleviate your administrative burden, allowing you to focus on your program and goals. We go beyond traditional accounting and reporting by providing valuable insights that empower clients to make informed decisions that positively impact their operations and profitability.

Our approach leverages cloud-based technology, combined with our industry expertise, to deliver tailored financial solutions that meet your unique needs.

Audit Readiness Services

Preparing for financial audits can be a complex and overwhelming process, often leading organizations to underestimate the time and resources required. Common challenges include limited staff capacity, missing or incomplete documentation, inadequate internal controls, and the need for enhanced financial reporting processes. These obstacles can result in delays, increased costs, and compliance risks.

Our Audit Readiness Services are here to help you navigate these challenges with confidence. Our experienced team conducts comprehensive reviews of financial statements, including balance sheets and income statements, ensuring that all transactions are well-documented and comply with accounting standards.

With our extensive backgrounds in both controller and auditing roles, we assist clients in assessing their audit readiness, anticipating auditor requests, and understanding the necessary resources, timelines, and documentation for a successful audit experience.

Organizations We Serve

Not-for-profit organizations of all kinds look to our professionals for guidance, including

Arts, cultural, and recreational
Associations and memberships
Public charities
Environmental and conservation
Foundations
Health care
Higher education
Private schools
Religious
Research organizations
Social and human services
Fiscal sponsors

Featured Resources

Stay up to date on financial and operational issues that could affect your organization by browsing articles, newsletters, and other relevant content written by our Not-for-Profit Practice professionals.

Article

Navigate COVID-19

Explore the latest updates, articles, and other strategic guidance for the pandemic’s impact on your industry.

Guide

Financial Reporting Standards Guide

Our guide provides an overview of the new financial reporting standards as well as a reporting checklist that serves as a helpful reference.

WebPage

Not-for-Profit Survey Series

An inside look at the audit committees at not-for-profit organizations across the nation.

WebPage

Not-for-Profit Newsletter

Our Not-for-Profit Newsletters are your resource for relevant and timely accounting, tax, and other topics.

WebPage

Uniform Guidance Topic Page

Insight on how your organization may be affected, and in-depth articles on specific parts of the guidance.

Valued Industry Perspectives

More than 320 professionals specializing in tax-exempt entities

More than 5,180 single audits performed since 1997

Deeply immersed in the not-for-profit sector, our professionals have significant experience guiding organizations to reach their goals. We provide solutions specific to the nuances, challenges, and operations of not-for-profit organizations—while customizing plans to meet your unique needs.

Delivering meaningful outcomes begins with trust. We develop and foster authentic, consistent relationships that help illuminate critical operational insights, awareness, and familiarity with your business needs. This way our solutions and recommendations are always personalized to your precise aspirations and expectations.

Our people are committed not just to the clients we serve but also to a host of not-for-profit and community-oriented organizations, serving on various boards and committees. They also contribute to the Moss Adams Foundation, which supports charities, disaster relief, and universities and education initiatives—with our GiveBack matching donations program providing our people opportunity to support the causes they care about.

Social responsibility, environmental stewardship, inclusion and diversity, and other initiatives intrinsic to not-for-profit organizations are core to Moss Adams values and business practices—and drive how we engage our clients, people, and the communities in which we live and work.

Building Better Boards Webcast Series

Create a productive and resilient board with strategies to help you overcome conflict, address complex issues, and function effectively as a leadership team.

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Watch Webcasts Related to Not-for-Profit

Dive deeper into industry hot topics to help your business stay ahead of change and plan for what’s next with our complimentary webcasts, available to view on demand. Explore upcoming events and watch the latest series.

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