Summary: Revoked! Protect Your Tax-Exempt Status Atlanta area accountant Anthony Sampson joins us for today’s podcast to talk about automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. Earlier this year, I met with the board of a small nonprofit organization, and a board member indicated that they were “too small to have to file an IRS form 990 of any sort”. My warning antenna shot up, and I suggested they were probably required to file one. Of course, I was clear that I am not a CPA or qualified to provide tax advice, so I offered to connect them with a a local accounting firm that works with a number of nonprofits. After making the introduction, I did a little bit of research and was shocked at what I found out. In calendar year 2015, the IRS revoked the federal tax-exempt status of more than 41,500 nonprofit organizations that failed to file a Form 990 for three consecutive years. That’s just the tip of the iceberg: the IRS has revoked the tax-exempt status of over 635,000 nonprofit organizations since implementing this rule in 2010. With only about 1.8 million nonprofits in the nation, about a third of all nonprofits have been subject to revocation. Scanning the names and locations of those with revoked tax exempt status, the list represents a diverse group of nonprofits, including ministries, associations, fraternities, volunteer fire departments, sports clubs, social service providers, arts organizations, PTA’s, and more. After learning these jarring statistics, I knew it was essential that accountant Anthony Sampson join us for the featured conversation. Links: • IRS: www.irs.gov • Anthony Sampson’s Contact Information: sampson.anthony2012@gmail.com 770-900-0410 Article of the Week: Get Intersectional Leanne Rubenstein, Executive Director of Compassionate Atlanta, joined us for the Article of the Week by Kristin Moe: Get Intersectional: Why you can’t go it alone in Yes Magazine. This article on intersectionality applies to nearly every organization. Whether an art museum, a homeless shelter, an educational institution, or a civil rights organization, we can all get a little more intersectional. Links: • Yes Magazine: Get intersectional Why you can’t go it alone http://www.yesmagazine.org/planet/get-intersectional-why-your-movement-can-t-go-it-alone • Compassionate Atlanta: http://www.compassionateatl.com/
