Serving on a nonprofit board is a wonderful way to improve our world and can provide some benefits to you. As a financial professional, you have so much to offer not-for-profit companies. This course is for those new to not-for-profit boards and provides insights to those with nonprofit board experience.

This course covers the duties of a financial professional as a board member. I'll start with the benefits you provide to a nonprofit board and what your board experience may offer to you. You’ll learn the key questions to ask and the important documents to review before joining a board. I'll list the three duties of all board members. We'll also explore the personal liability risks of joining a board and some risks the organization faces. You'll learn some ways to mitigate these risks.

The second half of the course goes deeper into nonprofit financial oversight. We'll look at the financial policies that boards use to guide their organizations. I'll explain how nonprofit financial statements differ from for-profit statements and how financial management is also different. We'll look at the duties of the finance committee and the audit committee, as well as the types of nonprofit audits and examinations. I thought a great way to end a course on tax-exempt organizations is with a lesson on tax compliance. Ironic, isn't it?

This course is tailored to financial professionals, which includes:

  • Accountants and CPAs
  • Financial analysts
  • Financial planners
  • Investment analysts
  • Anyone who has managed finances at a company

This course focuses on the financial governance, risk management, and compliance aspects of board service. It does not go into the details of accounting for nonprofits, completing tax forms, audit procedures, etc. There are many good courses by others that cover this.

The author has worked for multiple nonprofits, including as CFO and SVP of Finance. He has also served on multiple nonprofit boards.

Course Key Concepts: Board of Directors, Nonprofit, Not-for-profit, Tax exempt, Form 990, Single Audit, Yellow Book, Finance Committee, Audit Committee.

Note: This course is also available in Text-Based format:
Nonprofit Board Service for Financial Professionals (Text Based Course)

Learning Objectives
  • Explore and recall the duties of a board member.
  • Identify key aspects of nonprofit financial statements.
  • Recall important nonprofit financial filings, exams, and audits.
  • Recognize the duties of nonprofit finance and audit committees.
Last updated/reviewed: November 21, 2024
1 Review (3 ratings)

Reviews

5
Anonymous Author
The instructor did a great job of covering a lot of information and making me think about what it really means to commit to a nonprofit board.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Foundational
No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.
Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Welcome and Overview4:10
THE NON PROFIT BOARD EXPERIENCE
  Benefits a Financial Professional Can Bring to a Nonprofit Board7:34
  Joining a Not-For-Profit Board11:32
  Duties of Board Members8:56
  Risks8:56
  REVIEW QUESTIONS: Risksquiz
NON-PROFIT FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE
  Financial Policies10:36
  Not-For-Profit Financial Statements8:48
  The Finance Committee10:22
  The Audit Committee5:16
  Types of Audits and Examinations for Nonprofits5:28
  Tax Compliance8:46
  Key Takeaways13:28
  REVIEW QUESTIONS: Key Takeawaysquiz
CONTINUOUS PLAY
  Nonprofit Board Service for Financial Professionals1:43:52
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
  Slides: Nonprofit Board Service for Financial ProfessionalsPDF
  Nonprofit Board Service for Financial Professionals Glossary/ IndexPDF
  Not-For-Profit Financial Governance ResourcesPDF
REVIEW AND TEST
 FINAL EXAMexam