Association Management Tip: Get Free Nonprofit Tax Returns

August 10, 2010 in Association Tips | Comment

Nonprofit Tax Returns You’re an association management professional or a volunteer nonprofit organization board member. You want reliable nonprofit data that helps you answer questions and compare your organization with other nonprofits.

So where do you find that information? The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics ranks at the top of my list. Why?

NCCS has one resource that I just love: You can download Form 990 tax returns for individual nonprofit organizations—free! Find out how your nonprofit stacks up against the “competition.” Get breakdowns on annual income and expenses. Ferret out information about directors and key staff. Want to take a test drive? Search for nonprofit tax returns now.

But that’s not all. This data powerhouse provides much more than just free tax returns. The NCCS Tools page is a nonprofit treasure chest:

Need a great summary chart of nonprofit organization types? Head to the “NCCS Nonprofit Overview” section.
Have a nonprofit question you want answered? Check the Knowledgebase.
Need nonprofit statistics arranged 7 ways from sundown? Dig into the “Overview,” “Geographic Focus” and “Advanced Tools” sections.

And if you’re looking to get into the nonprofit information network, check out the NCCS External Resources page.

As a virtual association manager, I value tools that 1) give me information I need and 2) lead me to other information I need. The NCCS Web site does both—and does them well. Those free tax returns had me hooked right from the start.

Want more nonprofit tips, tools and tactics? Visit again soon. I’ll be sharing lots of little things that can make a big difference for your nonprofit organization.