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.

Boost Your Endowment Accounting IQ
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

Risk In Review: SAS 145
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

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

The Fiduciary’s Role in Cyber Defense
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

Engineering AI Prompts for Nonprofits
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

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

Bridging the Documentation Gap: Collaborative Success for Auditors and Auditees
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