These reports concentrate on forms, not transactional accounting. These papers require research outside the class environment. These papers serve in part as an introduction to the topics of government accounting, which is why they are required prior to work on more detailed accounting and rules.
Project 3: Analysis of the Form 990 for Not-for-Profits (NFPs)
Entity: Christian Civic League of Maine
- Explore the concepts of the class material relating to NFPs and Form 990s. You must find and review / read outside literature on these subjects as well and use and reference them in your paper.
- Prepare a paper on the Form 990 to include the following:
- A brief overview of your entity.
- Discuss what a Form 990 is, what is its focus, what are its major sections and requirements, and what it’s intended to do.
- Discuss who are the Form 990’s actual intended users – who and why is the form intended for (what is NOT expected is a fund-by-fund accounting of figures, performance, balances, etc.).
- Finally, compare the Form 990 to your NFP entity’s annual report (if they don’t have an annual report, find an annual report from another NFP) and discuss the different audiences / needs / users / purpose of same.
- Your deliverable is to be three – five pages in length (~1,000 to 1,800 words), single-spaced, double spacing between paragraphs, one inch margins and a font size of 10 – 12 points. Include a cover page and works cited section. In-text citations for all facts must be included and done per APA standards. The paper is to be uploaded through your assignment folder only in a single Word document with only “YourName.doc(x)” as the file name. There are to be no active hyperlinks anywhere in the submission.
- Points will be deducted for failing to adhere to these requirements, especially the 4 requirements in part 3.
- Please refer to the grading matrix for how your performance will be evaluated.
Grading Metrics
| Area of Assessment | Points | Expectation | Assessment Criteria |
| Basic Content in Place | 50 | 1-Must use an approved 990 from an approved entity; 2- a brief introduction / review of your chosen entity; 3- coverage of the general focus of the information of a 990 & its major sections; 4- coverage of the actual intended users of a 990; 5- comparison of a 990 to your entity’s annual report. | Quantitative: 5 requirements worth 10 points each |
| Advanced Content in Place | 20 | Demonstrate an understanding of the subject of a 990. | Qualitative: 0 to 20 points depending on the student’s ability to tie together all the requirements into a cohesive presentation |
| Overall Analysis and Evaluation | 10 | 1,000 to 1,800 words required to properly address the topics at hand; headings used to identify the four primary subject areas required; appropriate and relevant outside literature used and referenced properly. | Qualitative: 0 to 10 points depending on the student’s ability to demonstrate an understanding of the topic at hand and ability to lay out the discussion of same in a meaningful, logical manner. |
| Meets Presentation Requirements | 5 | Single-spaced; double-spacing between paragraphs; one inch margins; font size 10-12; cover page. | Quantitative: 5 requirements worth 1 point each |
| APA In-Text Citations and Reference Section | 5 | “Works Cited” section included at end; proper in-text citations used and all facts are cited | Quantitative: 5 points for including the Works Cited Section and proper in-text citation of all facts |
| Clarity, Mechanics, Grammar | 10 | Free of spelling and grammar mistakes. Text and sentence structure should be clear and readable. Free of choppy or incomplete sentences. Proper use of paragraphs. No active hyperlinks anywhere in the paper. | Quantitative: 10 points if totally free of grammar / spelling errors and active hyperlinks; 5 points if minor grammar / spelling errors and or active hyperlinks; <5 points for numerous spelling grammar errors, 0 points when no demonstrable attention has been paid to grammar / spelling. |
Paper 3