- Assess strategies to strengthen financial resilience amid funding uncertainty and change.
- Evaluate AI prompting techniques to enhance nonprofit operations and productivity.
- Apply best practices to improve single audit documentation and compliance.
Strengthening Financial Leadership to Advance Nonprofit Impact
Nonprofit organizations are at the forefront of change, but their success depends on sound financial leadership and accountability. Join fellow CPAs, auditors and nonprofit financial leaders to explore the latest challenges, emerging trends and new standards shaping the sector.
Looking for extra flexibility? You can attend the program online instead. Details on the virtual option can be found here.
PRICING DETAILS
Register early to
take advantage of the best price! Please note, discounted pricing is already
reflected in the online price. No promo code is needed.
Through September 23:
$229 MICPA Members/ $379 Non-Members
September 24 - October 7: $249 MICPA
Members/ $399 Non-Members
October 8 - October 21: $269 MICPA Members/
$419 Non-Members
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After registering for this event, you can customize your sessions via 'My Registrations'
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: The Reinvention Response: Decision-Making Under Pressure 1.0 OT Details
The Reinvention Response: Decision-Making Under
Pressure
The power of disruption can reach far beyond a simple
change of plans, forcing professionals and organizations to confront intense
transformation at the foundation of their own brand identity. Analyze a
real-world scenario involving the consequences of reactive decision making and
fear-based leadership to identify opportunities for reinvention and growth when
external pressures induce transformational change.
Craig
Stanland – Founder, The Human Architecture of Becoming™, Author &
Keynote Speaker, Guilford, CT
09:35 AM - 10:25 AM
A Little UBIT
More nonprofit
organizations are earning income from activities unrelated to their mission,
triggering a Form 990-T filing requirement for unrelated business income tax
(UBIT). Become familiar with the top sources of unrelated business income,
including K-1 investments, advertising and certain rental income, to avoid
risking termination of tax-exempt status. Plus, review helpful resources for
tracking required filings, explore recent UBIT updates and learn how to sidestep
common pitfalls.
Richard J. Locastro, CPA, J.D. – Partner,
Nonprofit Tax, GRF CPAs & Advisors, New York, NY
Looking at the AICPA’s “Nonauthoritative
Guidance” From an Ethics Perspective
Most professional accountants
are familiar with the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct, available at the
AICPA’s online ethics library. But the online ethics library also includes other
information, such as nonauthoritative case studies. This course provides an
overview of – and commentary on – these supplemental nonauthoritative materials.
Albert D. Spalding, Jr., CPA, JD,
PhD – Associate Professor Emeritus, Wayne State University,
Detroit.
10:35 AM - 11:25 AM
Endowments may look straightforward, but they're governed by a unique set of rules that can trip up even seasoned professionals. For CPAs, auditors, board members, and nonprofit financial leaders, questions around how to classify a contribution, apply spending policies, or advise on whether an endowment even makes sense for an organization come up often, and the details matter. Sharpen your endowment expertise and help you bring greater clarity and confidence to the organizations you serve.
Andrew Brock, CPA – Senior Manager, Blue & Co., LLC, Carmel, IN
Caroline Paulus, CPA – Manager, Blue & Co., LLC, Carmel, IN
Catching Errors Before They Reach Form
990
Examine common Form 990 and related schedules reporting
challenges by evaluating the tax implications of revenue from activities such as
rental arrangements, sponsorships, partnerships, advertising, and investments.
Apply guidance to classify related and unrelated income and identify planning
opportunities that help tax-exempt organizations improve
compliance.
Brandon Brom, CPA – Manager, Yeo & Yeo,
Troy
11:35 AM - 12:25 PM
Catching Errors Before They Reach Form
990
Examine common Form 990 and related schedules reporting
challenges by evaluating the tax implications of revenue from activities such as
rental arrangements, sponsorships, partnerships, advertising, and investments.
Apply guidance to classify related and unrelated income and identify planning
opportunities that help tax-exempt organizations improve
compliance.
Brandon Brom, CPA – Manager, Yeo & Yeo,
Troy
Peer review findings are showing where auditors continue to struggle with SAS No. 145. Using real-world not-for-profit examples, this session explores common issues involving internal controls, assertion-level risk assessment, control risk, significant and fraud risks, and linking identified risks to responsive audit procedures. Attendees will learn how stronger risk assessment and documentation can improve audit quality.
Monique Booker, CPA – Founding Partner and Chief Operating Officer, SB & Company, LLC, Owings Mills, MD
01:10 PM - 02:00 PM
Pro Tips to Avoid NFP Financial Statement Woes
Preparing
accurate, compliant financial statements for nonprofit organizations is easier
when CPAs and nonprofit organizations know what common missteps to avoid.
Discuss how to better understand conventional vulnerabilities and oversights,
especially those associated with statements of financial positions, activities,
function expenses and cash flow.
Barb Garza, CPA – Senior
Manager, AHP, Grand Rapids
Maryrose Robison, CPA – Senior
Manager, AHP, Grand Rapids
Cybersecurity is a growing concern in the nonprofit sector, with recent reports demonstrating that the vast majority (70%) of organizations are operating without any established cybersecurity policies. Review the legal obligations fiduciaries assume in regard to managing cybersecurity risk, including conducting risk assessments, adopting cybersecurity practices, exercising oversight of third-party providers and establishing a plan for incident response, among other things.
Colin Battersby, CIPP/US – Member, McDonald Hopkins, Detroit
02:10 PM - 03:00 PM
From fundraising to donor communication, there are countless ways artificial intelligence can empower nonprofits to pursue their mission. Explore how today’s AI tools, including ChatGPT, Claude and Bard, can be leveraged for grant writing, training and onboarding, fundraising, outreach and other key tasks with a few well-aimed, well-engineered prompts that will save time and increase productivity.
Michael Bourdow – Sales Manager, Yeo & Yeo, Saginaw
Hard Truths: Addressing Fraud in Nonprofit
Organizations
Nonprofit organizations are, unfortunately, fertile
ground for fraudulent activity – ranking fourth among the most vulnerable
targets. Analyze the top areas of risk for nonprofits, including check and bank
fraud, as well as common blind spots. Then, determine practical, cost-effective
strategies and practices to reduce vulnerabilities.
Tom O’Sullivan,
CPA, CFE, PFS – Managing Principal, Yeo and Yeo, Ann
Arbor
03:10 PM - 04:00 PM
Sampling Smarter: Best Practices for Uniform
Guidance Audits
Description: Auditing every transaction in a major
federal program is neither practical nor necessary. The effectiveness of a
single audit depends on selecting a sample that accurately represents the
population and supports reliable conclusions. Explore current Uniform Guidance
sampling expectations, common pitfalls, and practical techniques for designing
and evaluating samples that stand up to scrutiny.
Matthew Spinner,
CPA – Maner Costerisan, P.C., Lansing
The Fiscal Sponsorship Playbook for
NFPs
Developing a fiscal sponsorship relationship with an individual
or other non-tax-exempt entity is a complex, but an effective strategy for
ensuring that key nonprofit activities can endure. Compare different models of
fiscal sponsorship and determine associated tax and accounting implications.
Patricia J. Mayer – Director, Except
Organizations, Baker Tilly, San Diego, CA
Ali
Chalak – Principal, Baker
tilly, San Francisco, CA
04:10 PM - 05:00 PM
Successful audits rely on strong collaboration between auditors and auditees. Explore practical approaches to find the balance between process and collaboration to determine effective strategies for evaluating sufficient documentation at every phase of an audit, including from both the auditor and auditee perspective.
Ryan Babiak, CPA – Senior Manager, Maner Costerisan, P.C., Lansing
Kimberly Westfall, CPA, CGMA – Senior Manager, Maner Costerisan, P.C., Lansing
Assess strategies for maintaining financial stability as nonprofits navigate shifting federal funding, evolving philanthropic priorities, and changing donor trends. Examine going concern considerations, reserve-building practices, and the latest developments in government funding to evaluate organizational viability, strengthen financial resilience, and prepare for ongoing uncertainty.
Robert Seestadt, CPA – Client Director, NFP Division, ContinuServe, Detroit
Member
Non-Member