This well-rounded and informative conference focuses on the unique business needs of nonprofit and not-for-profit entities.

Conference site:
Hilton Richardson Dallas 
701 E Campbell Rd. | Map
Richardson, TX 75081-6748
Room Rate $139 | Room rate deadline: April 29, 2024

Reservation can be made by calling 1-800-HILTON  (online reservations link is coming soon.) Members calling in must identify themselves as a TXCPA Nonprofit Organizations Conference attendee.

This conference is also available via webcast.

 

Day One - Monday, May 20

8 - 9 a.m. - Employment Risks!
Frank Sommerville, JD, CPA/Shareholder/The Law Office of Frank Sommerville/Arlington
Nonprofit organizations are vulnerable to claims from employees because virtually all employment laws apply to them – the same as if they were a for-profit entity. This session will introduce the federal employment laws that apply to nonprofit organizations and show them how to comply. We will discuss the tools every nonprofit organization should use to assist with compliance.

Major Topics:

• Background checks
• FLSA
• ADA
• Intellectual property
• Employee handbooks

Learning Objectives:

• Be able to identify major employment law compliance issues
• Learn how to resolve areas of noncompliance

9:05 - 10:20 a.m. - Your Texas Economy
Stephen Clayton/Director of Communications & Outreach/Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas/Dallas
In this session, participants will hear an update on current economic conditions in Texas from the Dallas Fed.

Major Topics:

• Texas economy
• Employment
• Energy
• Manufacturing
• Exports
• Services
• Housing

Learning Objectives:

• Understand current economic conditions in Texas
• Learn about the sectors that drive the Texas economy

10:20 - 10:30 a.m. | Break

10:30 - 11:30 a.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ Internal Controls for Small Not for Profits
Details coming soon.

+ Private Foundations and Common Mistakes on Form 990-PF
Katy Brown, CPA/Partner/Armanino LLP/San Francisco
Private foundations are regulated by a strict regime of rules and it can be easy to make expensive errors. This session will cover the most common errors and missteps in preparing Form 990-PF, including issues requiring Form 4720 and payment of penalties.

Major Topics:

• Private foundations and Form 990-PF
• Common errors in Form 990-PF preparation
• Form 4720 and penalty transactions

Learning Objectives:

• Understand best practices around preparing Form 990-PF
• Recognize common prohibited transactions

+ Deep Dive into In-kind
Details coming soon.

11:35 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. - AI
Details coming soon.

Schedule A Deep Dive
Lori A. McLaughlin, CPA, PFS/Partner/Crowe LLP/Plano
In this session, you’ll learn how understanding the nuances of Schedule A is crucial for protecting your organization's public charity status, as well as for potential restructuring and changing public charity classifications. In this interactive session, we will walk through Schedule A of Form 990 to understand its impact on your organization's operations.

Major Topics:

• Overview of the various entity classifications
• Understanding the importance of Schedule A in affirming and maintaining an organization's exempt status as a public charity
• The public support tests under Section 509(a)(1) and 509(a)(2), including the nuances specific to each of the support tests
• Various "what-if" scenarios to consider when an organization is at risk of not meeting the public support test
• Leading practices for managing governance and compliance, along with tips for maintaining a broad base of public support

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the public support test
• Recognize the different types of entity classifications and their respective requirements
• Identify the information required to complete Schedule A and learn best industry practices

Single Audit Update
Details coming soon.

12:35 - 1:25 p.m. | Networking Lunch

1:25 - 2:40 p.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ Gift Acceptance Policies - Restricted Gift Considerations and Current Trends in Noncash Giving
Joe Hancock, J.D./Vice President and General Counsel/HighGround Advisors/Dallas
The session will describe the types of gift acceptance policies that nonprofit organizations need to have in place to ensure that their planned giving programs are administered in a manner that protects the interests of the organization, provides an effective and meaningful giving opportunity for its donors, and creates beneficial contributions that will further the mission of the nonprofit for years to come. We will look at policies that outline considerations and provide safeguards surrounding the acceptance of various types of assets. We will also explore policy options related to the various gift arrangements and discuss policies that protect the organization from potential pitfalls and snares.

Major Topics:

• The importance of effective gift acceptance policies
• Considerations for receiving various types of noncash assets
• Considerations for entering into the various qualified split interest gift arrangements
• Current trends in gift planning and gifting of noncash assets

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the needed organizational protections that effective gift acceptance policies provide
• Gain an understanding of the important issues to consider when accepting various noncash assets
• Gain awareness of the implications of entering into the various qualified split interest gift arrangements
• Learn about current giving trends that can impact their organization

Defining and Dealing with the Unique Tax Considerations for Religious Organizations
Elaine Sommerville, CPA/Shareholder/Sommerville & Associates, P.C./Arlington
Religious organizations are granted several unique preferences throughout the world of taxation. From working with reporting exemptions to dealing with payroll intricacies surrounding ministers, specialized knowledge is necessary to accurately work with this sector of the nonprofit community. This session will review various areas of specialized and unique rules regarding reporting, retirement plans, payroll and other rules affecting this group of organizations.

Major Topics:

• Different types of religious organizations
• Unique payroll issues
• Compensation considerations
• Retirement plans
• Church examinations

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to understand the unique issues separating churches from other nonprofit organizations

Watchdogs, Metrics KPIs and Ratings
Heather Flabiano, CPA/Ph.D./Director/FORVIS LLP/San Antonio
Priscilla Soto, CPA/Director/FORVIS LLP/San Antonio
Monitoring organization performance requires thoughtful determination regarding what matters. This session will cover metrics to be utilized internally at your organization.

Major Topics:

• Watchdog agencies
• Financial metrics
• Key Performance Indicators

Learning Objectives:

• To become aware of external agencies monitoring your organization
• Learn key metrics and performance indicators

2:45 - 4 p.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ Capital Fundraising
Jennifer Lehman/President & CEO/Mission Advancement/McKinney
Most nonprofit organizations experience the need for capital fundraising at some point in their growth. This session will cover the full spectrum of capital campaign fundraising from organization readiness, typical timelines, internal expectations of staff and volunteers, donor behavior, and protecting operational funding. When done well, capital campaigns can be a great booster in morale, donor engagement and overall fundraising success!

Major Topics:

• Are you ready for a capital campaign?
• Do you have a compelling case?
• Roles of staff and volunteers
• Expectations of timelines
• How are capital campaigns funded?
• What do donors expect?
• Do you need a feasibility study?

Learning Objectives:

• Learn what needs to be true for an organization to conduct a successful campaign
• Discover how to protect operational funding while in a campaign
• See the primary funders of capital projects

+ Tax Update - Secure 2.0, ERC, Auto-Revocations
Daniel Whitehurst CPA/Owner/Daniel Whitehurst, P.C./Longview

+ What Have I Gotten Myself Into? Lessons Learned from the Lease Implementation
Kyle Pacheco, CPA, CCIFP/Partner/Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLC/Dallas
The presentation will discuss what the largest challenges were with the implementation of FASB ASC 842 Leases.

Major Topics:

• FASB ASC 842 Leases
• Implementation challenges (time, determination of what is/isn't a lease, document retention and finding the lease agreements, what discount rate to utilize, etc.)
• Post implementation considerations for year two and beyond

Learning Objectives:

• Learn the major pain points from lease implementation
• Provide solutions/advice on best practices
• Learn some post implementation considerations (year two and beyond)

4 - 4:10 p.m. | Break

4:10 - 5:25 p.m. -  Why Nonprofits Without an Effective Cybersecurity Playbook Will NOT Exist in 2029
Gary Tonniges Jr, CPA/CEO/TriQuest Technologies/Fort Worth
Nonprofit organizations, grappling with financial constraints, stand at a critical juncture with outdated technology systems and lacking crucial cyber protections. Due to the donation-based nature of their funds, nonprofits that create an effective cybersecurity strategy will find themselves better equipped to safeguard sensitive donor information, maintain the trust of their supporters and ensure the long-term sustainability of their mission, thereby posturing themselves more favorably for potential government grants. In this presentation, Gary delves into the key insights, challenges and practical steps for organizations to fortify their cybersecurity playbook.

Major Topics:

• Why cyber criminals target nonprofits
• Cost-effective approaches to mitigate cyber risks
• Essential considerations when planning your cyber insurance renewal strategy

Learning Objectives:

• Develop the essential tools and technologies available to protect your nonprofit
• Learn the importance of a cyber-awareness training program for your employees
• Safeguard your organization with nonprofit compliance awareness

 

Day Two - Tuesday, May 21

8 - 9:15 a.m. - FASB Update
Jeffrey Mechanick, CPA, CGMA/Assistant Director/FASB/Norwalk
In this session, FASB's lead staff member for nonprofit organizations will guide you through recent changes to GAAP and what's in the pipeline that’s important for nonprofit organizations. We'll discuss new Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), implementation matters on recent ASUs and current projects on FASB's agenda. We'll leave some time for your questions, so don't be shy about bringing them!

Major Topics:

• Recent ASUs: crypto assets, income tax disclosures
• Implementation matters: leases, credit losses
• Current projects: software development costs, environment credit programs, upcoming public agenda consultation

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the ASUs issued since last year's conference that affect nonprofit organizations
• Describe FASB's recent guidance on leasing arrangements between entities under common control and the Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) model and its applicability to nonprofit organizations
• Identify at least three projects on the FASB current agenda that could affect your organization or your clients

9:20 - 10:35 a.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ CFO Panel

+ What Non-Profit Specialists Need to Know about International Investments
Marc Schwartz, JD, CPA/President/Schwartz International/Chattahoochee Hills
Nonprofit organizations continue to be encouraged to invest outside the U.S. We’ll discuss what management needs to know about the reporting and related obligations and how to keep headaches to a minimum.

Major Topics:

• Why are more organizations investing outside the U.S.?
• What are the common pitfalls we see generally, even with domestic investments?
• What are the pitfalls to avoid with non-U.S. investments?

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding the U.S. reporting rules for non-U.S. investments so you can keep your organization out of hot water
• Efficiently complying with the rules

+ Revenue Recognition – Contributions Received
Mimi Holt, CPA/Partner/Blazek & Vetterling/Houston
Contributions are a unique source of revenue for nonprofit organizations. Distinguishing them from other types of revenue and understanding conditions and restrictions are important keys to determine when and how to recognize them in GAAP financial statements.

Major Topics:

• Characteristics of contributions that differentiate them from other types of revenue
• Distinguishing between conditions and restrictions
• When and how much to recognize
• Unique presentation and disclosures related to contributed nonfinancial assets
• Reconciling differences between how accountants, fundraisers and tax preparers report contributions

Learning Objectives:

• Identify what makes contributions different from other types of revenue
• Understand the broad recognition concepts that apply to all but a very few types of contributions

10:35 - 10:45 a.m. | Break

10:45 a.m. - 12 p.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ Governance
Details coming soon.

+ Identifying Common Errors in Form 990 Preparation
Elaine Sommerville, CPA/Shareholder/Sommerville & Associates, P.C./Arlington
Form 990 can either be an organization’s best friend in telling its story or its worst nightmare. This session will review common errors in preparing the return and discuss some misunderstood presentation areas. The goal is to create a great tool benefiting all external users in addition to meeting the goals of the IRS.

Major Topics:

• Determining the goals of Form 990
• Critical areas of information in Form 990
• Common errors in preparing Form 990
• Potential consequences of committing missteps in preparing Form 990

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the IRS’s and external users’ goal in reviewing information contained in Form 990
• Raise awareness of areas of Form 990 that are often incorrectly prepared

+ Revenue Recognition - Contracts with Customers
Mimi Holt, CPA/Partner/Blazek & Vetterling/Houston
Many nonprofit organizations provide goods and services to customers in exchange for consideration. For some, providing goods and services provides funds to support their mission. For others, providing the goods and services IS their mission. Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 provides a principles-based framework for recognizing revenue as goods and services are transferred to a customer.

Major Topics:

• Identify revenue from contracts with customers and how it differs from other types of revenue
• Walk through the five-step process for some typical nonprofit revenue streams

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how to differentiate revenue from contracts with customers from other types of revenue
• Identify transactions that are part exchange and part contribution
• Understand the five-step process that culminates in recognizing revenue from contracts with customers

12 - 12:50 p.m. | Lunch

12:50 - 2:05 p.m. (Breakout Sessions)

+ Fraud - How to Not Have it Happen to You Considering the Remote World We Live in
Steve Dawson, CPA, CFE/President/DFG Forensic Accounting Services/Lubbock
With technology changes, advances derived from world changes over the past several years, the remote working environment, and the development of generative AI, the internal fraud landscape has been redefined. This session addresses and identifies these new risks through actual cases investigated by the presenter. The session then provides considerations for redesign or enhancement of our internal control systems to address these risks.

Major Topics:

• New risks associated with the remote work environment
• Technology changes resulting from the remote environment
• New processes to address the new risks

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the current state of technology as it relates to remote work environments
• To understand what can be implemented now to address these risks

+ Is Your Private School Hitting It Out of the Financial Ballpark?
Kathy Ferguson, CPA/Partner/Armanino/Dallas
Financial data is everywhere. Survey fatigue is real. With so much data available to you and your team, how are you prioritizing what matters most to the long-term financial stability of your school? We have identified some of the most critical KPIs for evaluating a school’s operating efficiencies, strategic flexibility and sustainability of the school. We will share with you the industry standard of expectation in these critical KPI areas and how schools become market leaders or best in class in each category.

Major Topics:

• Financial sustainability
• The importance of knowing your industries’ Key Performance Indicators
• Board governance education

Learning Objectives:

• Enable CFOs to present digestible financial data to their key stakeholders
• Identify how to drive decision-making that moves the school forward
• Learn how to have data driven discussions focused on operating efficiencies, strategic initiatives and long-term sustainability

+ Raising Money Without Raising Issues
Katherine E. (Katy) David, J.D./Member/Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC/San Antonio
This session will cover state and federal tax and other legal issues that arise from nonprofit fundraising, including issues that may come as a surprise to some organizations. Following the session, participants should be able to identify tax and legal issues that may arise from common fundraising activities and understand practical methods to address them.

Major Topics:

• State laws governing common fundraising activities
• Texas sales tax
• Unrelated business taxable income

Learning Objectives:

• Understand select state laws that apply to common fundraising activities
• Understand strategies to help ensure that fundraising activities comply with applicable laws

2:10 - 2:20 p.m. | Break

2:20 - 3:20 p.m. - Nonprofit Risk Management
Jonathan Blum, J.D./Partner/Holland & Knight/Dallas
Neely D. Duncan, CPA, CFE/Partner/FORVIS/Dallas
Michael Meadows/President and CEO/Meadows Family Consulting Group, LLC/Dallas
Learn about nonprofit risk management from the operating, accounting and legal perspectives. We will cover items such as volunteer risk, event risk, financial risk, reputational risk, enterprise risk management, succession planning, investment risks, internal controls and overall items to think through. We will also discuss some best practices from a practical standpoint.

Major Topics:

• Risks involved in nonprofit management
• Nonprofit best practices

Learning Objectives:

• At the end of this session, you will be able to recognize the risks in a nonprofit from the operating, accounting and legal perspective

3:20 - 3:30 p.m. | Break

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Nonprofit Risk Management Continued ...