In today’s fast-paced and tech-driven environment, nonprofit organizations face persistent and evolving challenges in finance and accounting. From cash flow volatility and talent shortages to cybersecurity risks and outdated systems, these issues have remained consistent across decades—despite advances in technology and increasing demands for timely, accurate financial data. Join us for a dynamic, game-show-style session that explores the top 10 finance and accounting hurdles impacting not for profits today. Presented in a fun “Family Feud” format, this course dives into strategic priorities, operational pressures, and future-focused risks that can hinder financial clarity and decision-making.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and prioritize the top 10 finance and accounting challenges currently facing nonprofit organizations.
• Align financial strategy with mission impact.
• Modernize systems and streamline processes.
• Strengthen internal controls and fraud prevention.
• Improve reporting transparency and program-level visibility.
• Navigate talent shortages and compliance burdens.

Navigating today’s complex grants compliance landscape requires organizations to stay agile and informed. With evolving federal regulations like the OMB Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and increasing agency-specific mandates, compliance professionals must proactively address challenges such as indirect cost scrutiny, performance-based funding, and audit readiness. Ensuring financial integrity through strong internal controls, accurate reporting, and strategic use of technology, such as automation and grant management software, is essential for sustaining funding and demonstrating responsible stewardship. By adapting to regulatory shifts and leveraging best practices, organizations can confidently manage compliance and maintain eligibility in a rapidly changing environment.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the evolving grants compliance framework.
• Establish financial integrity and reporting accuracy.
• Adapt to compliance challenges in the changing grants environment.

This session will provide the latest updates impacting nonprofit organizations, with a particular focus on recent tax developments and guidance stemming from newly enacted legislation. We’ll walk through essential IRS guidance and discuss updates to the IRS’s strategic plans, ensuring your organization is prepared for the evolving regulatory landscape. Join us for practical insights that will equip your team to navigate compliance with confidence.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the recent tax developments affecting the nonprofit industry.
• Analyze whether there are any other changes in recently issued guidance that affect your organization.
• Recognize upcoming IRS priorities with respect to the nonprofit sector.

Endowments are vital to the long-term financial sustainability of nonprofit and higher education institutions (as well as foundations that support them), yet their accounting and reporting requirements can be complex and nuanced. This session will provide a practical overview of endowment accounting including compliance with GAAP and UPMIFA (Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act), donor restrictions, net asset classifications, underwater endowments, and required disclosures. We’ll also highlight critical policies that organizations depend on for managing endowments. Attendees will gain clarity on how to properly account for and report endowment activity, ensuring transparency and compliance in financial statements, as well as understanding some tools and best practices for managing endowment funds.

Learning Objectives:

• Differentiate between donor-restricted and board-designated endowments and explain their impact on net asset classification.
• Understand best practices and tools for monitoring and tracking endowments, earnings and spending.
• Apply UPMIFA principles to determine prudent spending and treatment of underwater endowments in financial reporting.
• Identify key financial statement disclosures related to endowment funds, including rollforwards, investment return components, and spending policies.

Not-for-profits are increasingly expected to deliver data-driven insights often with limited technical expertise and resource constraints. The course will focus on the use of cost-effective approaches to analytics that NFP’s can use to improve operations, optimize resource allocation, and enhance customer engagement. Participants will also learn about considerations in the use of analytics, and key criteria critical to initiating AI in their organizations. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how organized analytics and data contribute to operational efficiency and strategic impact. 
• Understand the potential benefits of utilizing AI, challenges organizations need to navigate in utilizing AI, and case examples of how other organizations are utilizing AI. 
• Share approaches for building analytical reports, dashboards, enabling automation and leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency. 

Staying ahead of evolving accounting standards is essential—not just for obtaining a clean audit opinion, but compliance with GAAP, maintaining donor trust, mission integrity and accurate management and board reporting. There are a vast number of accounting requirements to be aware of and keep up with. This session is designed specifically for finance and accounting teams looking to strengthen their audit readiness while aligning with the latest regulatory updates.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand key changes in accounting standards that impact nonprofit organizations.
• Understand how to prepare your finance team for a smooth and successful audit.
• Understand common compliance challenges in the nonprofit space—and how to overcome them.
• Review practical tools and strategies to streamline documentation and internal controls.

As nonprofits increasingly rely on digital infrastructure to deliver services and manage sensitive data, understanding your IT environment is critical to protecting donor information, program operations, and organizational reputation. Designed for those responsible for safeguarding financial systems, constituent data, and digital services, this session offers actionable guidance to help nonprofits build a secure and sustainable technology foundation.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the latest cybersecurity threats facing nonprofit organizations.
• Learn how to conduct effective IT assessments to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize remediation.
• Learn about strategies for aligning cybersecurity practices with compliance requirements and mission goals.
• Understand practical steps to enhance resilience and prepare for audits or cyber incidents.

An Enterprises Resource Planning (ERP) system functions as the backbone of an organization’s business practices and integrates and automates many internal processes and information systems across an organization. ERP projects can be costly, complex, and risky, but they can also deliver significant value and competitive advantage to your organization. Selecting the right ERP solution and effective implementation of the technology will provide countless benefits. Nevertheless, even for the most prepared organizations, selecting the right solution and designing the most effective implementation and execution strategy can be a significant challenge. This course focuses on helping organizations in need of a new system understand key steps involved in the selection and deployment of a new ERP system.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand key steps in the ERP planning process.
• Understand key criteria and processes involved in selecting an implementation vendor.
• Understand the role a project implementation assurance partner can play in mitigating delivery and implementation risks.