The Statement of Functional Expenses for Non-Profit Organizations

They can discern how their funds or contributions influence and drive the different facets of the nonprofit. Common classifications of functions include programs, administrative and general, and fundraising. Natural classifications describe the expenses by the group that describes the cost, like salaries, rent, or professional services. We are now ready to present examples of the statement of financial position and the statement of activities.

There are 3 core functional expense categories:.

It could also incur promotional costs for only fundraising purposes, or it could incur printing expenses for only M&G purposes. An organization must, at minimum, allocate expenses among program, management, and fundraising for purposes of the IRS 990 report and the organization’s audit (if applicable). Activity-based budgeting and reporting also benefits the organization as it allows an organization to see its business model. Internally, it makes sense to expand activity allocations to show income as well as expenses related to each activity showing which activities generate a surplus or require subsidy. This report would more accurately be called a Statement of Activities by Class (function) or a Line Items by Activity Report. Let’s get started with an overview of the statement of functional expenses and how it fits into your nonprofit’s financial management practices.

Why the Statement of Functional Expenses might be the most important schedule on your financials

So for those categories, you’ll need to allocate your expenses according to how much they contribute to each function, which we’ll discuss a little further down the page. Management and general expenses include expenses that aren’t directly related to any program of the nonprofit. Fundraising expenses are incurred through the solicitation of contributions, gifts, and grants. These expenses include the efforts to collect both cash and non-cash contributions. Common expenses that appear as a fundraising expense include the postage for statement of functional expenses appeals and letters, acknowledgment letter creation, and the wages paid to the development director.

Statement of Functional Expenses Template for Nonprofits

The income statement is also referred to as the profit and loss statement, P&L, statement of income, and the statement of operations. The income statement reports the revenues, gains, expenses, losses, net income and other totals for the period of time shown in the heading of the statement. If a company’s stock is publicly traded, earnings per share must appear on the face of the income statement. Functional expense allocation is the process by which a nonprofit organization’s accountant or bookkeeper classifies each expense by its functional classification. To better grasp functional expense allocation, it helps to understand why it’s important for nonprofit organizations in particular to report their expenses by function. Despite all of the good that nonprofits do, they still need to accurately report their expenses to the government through a statement of functional expenses.

• Many people are comfortable with natural expenses because most for-profit businesses classify their expenses ONLY by nature.
• As nonprofits continue to face increasing scrutiny regarding financial stewardship, adopting tools like Expensify becomes essential for demonstrating responsible and effective use of resources in pursuit of their mission.
• As a fractional CFO, he goes beyond routine duties, guiding organizations with strategic insights for sound financial decisions.
• It serves as a critical tool for financial transparency and accountability, providing stakeholders with valuable insight into how an organization utilizes its resources.
• Here’s a comprehensive deep dive into what nonprofit leaders need to know to successfully…
• It should be clear when an expense code is used, which functional category the expense is allocated to.

Data Organization

• Program expenses represent costs related to the operations of an organization’s programs, which are aimed at fulfilling the organization’s mission.
• Internal Revenue Service, a nonprofit organization may be granted tax exempt status.
• You can use the following important ratios to help you understand and read the statement of functional expenses.
• Typically, the three categories of functional expenses are program, administrative, and fundraising expenses (which will be covered in more detail later).
• It helps you ensure that funds are being used efficiently and in alignment with your mission.
• If you are new to nonprofit accounting, your first step is to understand the basic principles and needs of statements of functional expenses.
• Despite all of the good that nonprofits do, they still need to accurately report their expenses to the government through a statement of functional expenses.

In nonprofit accounting, the Statement of Functional Expenses is a financial statement that provides detailed information about how an organization’s expenses are allocated to different functional categories. This statement is a key component of the financial reporting for nonprofit organizations, offering transparency and accountability regarding the use of resources. It typically categorizes expenses into three main functional areas including program services, management and general expenses, and fundraising. While each of these reports has a direct for-profit parallel—the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement respectively—the statement of functional expenses is unique to nonprofits. Some businesses compile a statement of costs of goods sold, which is somewhat similar in purpose to a nonprofit’s functional expense report.

Understanding Functional Classifications

• To do that, we’ll follow the activities of a nonprofit organization called Home4U, a daytime shelter for adults.
• In addition to our comprehensive guide to preparing a Statement of Functional Expenses, we offer a wide range of resources on non-profit financial management.
• However, these organizations need to actively manage these costs relative to their overall budget.
• Second, functional categories promote transparency by showing how much of your funding is spent on mission-related activities and how much is used to run the organization.

The investing section also reports the amount received from the sale of long-term assets. Nonprofit organizations may apply to the Internal Revenue Service in order to be exempt from federal income taxes. As you can see, the column headings highlighted in green show the expenses by function. So, use the same categories each time you track your expenses to get a clear picture of your spending habits over time. Most importantly, the statement breaks down the expenses into categories based on their function. Jo-Anne Williams Barnes, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) holding a Master’s of Science in Accounting (MSA) accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA).

• Whether you’re a seasoned finance professional, a new nonprofit executive director, or just someone interested in understanding more about how nonprofits manage their finances, this guide is for you.
• Analyzing each nonprofit financial statement provides unique insights into your organization’s financial situation and allows you to make data-driven decisions about how to manage funding.
• Many expenses incurred by organizations, however, are not so straightforward.
• Nonprofit accountants need to know how to help their clients create a statement of functional expenses.
• This presentation appears as a matrix, where each functional area is listed across the top row of the report, and the expense types are listed down the left side.
• Direct costs refer to expenses that can only relate to one classification– for example, grant payments are costs related to one department or specific program.
• The categories represented by the rows are often referred to as natural expenses, which organize expenditures based on the nature of the payment rather than its end goal.

Statement of Cash Flows

A listing of the accounts available in the accounting system in which to record entries. The chart of accounts consists of balance sheet accounts (assets, liabilities, stockholders’ equity) and income statement accounts (revenues, expenses, gains, losses). The chart of accounts can be Law Firm Accounts Receivable Management expanded and tailored to reflect the operations of the company.