Your 501(c)(3) organization or church is in the midst of a large building campaign. Someone approaches you about making a large gift to the campaign. You don’t know the person, but he says that his grandparents were long-time members and supporters of your organization and he would like to honor them with a donation in their names. Sound too good to be true? Well, rein in your enthusiasm. That may just be the case. Before accepting any large gift, particularly one from someone you don’t know, you should exercise some due diligence.

Fraudulent Transfer may Result in a Clawback

A gift that is given to an organization or to individuals may be required to be returned if it can be shown that the transfer to your organization could be termed a fraudulent transfer Read More

The IRS has released its long-awaited Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers, available at http://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf. However, you should understand what this directory is, and is not.

But first, let’s talk about accessing the directory. By clicking on the link above, you will be taken to a page where you can enter the zip code for the area you wish to search and choose a distance from that zip code to search. You may optionally enter the last name of a preparer that you are searching for. Alternatively, you can omit the zip code and get a list of all preparers with the same last name. You may also choose which credential you wish to search for – CPA, Enrolled Agent, Attorney, or other. Read More

Bitcoin is a virtual currency also known as a cryptocurrency. It got that name because it uses cryptography to secure transactions. The good news is you don’t have to understand everything about it in order to use it. The bad news is you need to know how to receive and spend any bitcoin that you receive as a church, other organization, or individually. For purposes of this article, we will not go into the details of Bitcoin. The primary feature of it is that it is a decentralized “currency,” not controlled by any one central authority. It can’t tinker with monetary policy and cause a meltdown, nor can it be appropriated by a central authority – it is independent of any government.

In order to use Bitcoin, you must set up an account. There are miniscule fees involved and it is instant. If you want to spend it, you can spend it in Bitcoins or it can be redeemed. Read More