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And the IRS is concerned enough with the practice that it requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Furthermore, some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers. This practice is discouraged by sector trade groups which point to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act when they call for charities to refrain from making loans to directors and executives.
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(More) Making loans to related parties such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it may divert the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score.ĭoes Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties. No Credit: The charity did not have its audited financials prepared by an independent accountant.In this case, we deduct 7 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. Partial Credit: The charity's audited financials were prepared by an independent accountant, but it did not have an audit oversight committee.We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.įull Credit: The charity's audited financials were prepared by an independent accountant with an audit oversight committee.
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Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (More)Īudited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score.Īudited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant.
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(More) The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
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