diff --git a/UseCases/FundAccounting.mdwn b/UseCases/FundAccounting.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..944f89c1f8cf79ca829f97fda8e36741363fe08b --- /dev/null +++ b/UseCases/FundAccounting.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,55 @@ +# Fund Accounting + +Many non-profits, in particular a +[fiscal sponsor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_sponsorship), use some +form of [fund accounting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fund_accounting) to +handle accounting tracking of income and expenses for specific projects, or +funds. + +In fiscal sponsors, these funds are typically classified by auditors and/or +accountants as "temporarily restricted assets", and spending of the assets +are governed by a fiscal sponsorship agreement +([[see examples below|FundAccounting#Other_Resources]]). + +## Fund Report + +The "fund report" is a shorthand name for a Temporarily Restricted Net Assets +Report. This report shows the temporarily restricted income, expenses and +assets. (An example of such a report can be found on page 6 of +[Conservancy's FY 2011 Audited Financial statement](http://sfconservancy.org/docs/conservancy_independent-audit_fy-2011.pdf).) + +## Subset of the Books + +Ultimately, any account system that truly supports fiscal sponsorship must +provide all functions, reports, editing, interaction and viewing to allow a +user to view a "subset" of the books that are specific to any given fund. In +essence, the books of a fiscal sponsoring org are proper superset of all the +books of its projects. + +Thus, an individual project contributor wants to: + +- View the books for that project as an independent set, unencumbered by + transactions for other projects. + +- [[Generate reports|UseCases/GenerateReports]] for that project's financial + data, and have those reports only include data specific to that project. + +The non-profit administrators want to: + +- View the entire set of books for the organization, treating all income, + expenses, and assets as belonging to the entire org, and only seeing the + differences treating the project funds merely as "temporarily restricted + assets". + +- Be able to perform operations that span the entire books, such as + reconciling bank accounts that are contain funds temporarily restricted for + different projects. + +## Other Resources + +### Examples of Fiscal Sponsorship Agreements + +- [[Software Freedom Conservancy's fiscal sponsorship agreement template]](http://sfconservancy.org/members/apply/ConservancyFSATemplate.pdf) +- [[Insight Center for Community Economic Development fiscal sponsorship agreement]](http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.insightcced.org/uploads/publications/legal/721.pdf&sa=U&ei=4UR6UuCONNSrkQfz5YDYCw&ved=0CCAQFjAC&usg=AFQjCNG8usFKh8jSdMM9cG1SAOVUb2Neig) + +More about [fiscal sponsors from the National Council of Non-Profits](http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/resources/resources-topic/fundraising/fiscal-sponsors).