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Charity TherapyAuthor: Jess Birken, MNM, JD
What if you could hang out with experienced nonprofit professionals and ask them your burning questions about the day-to-day life of nonprofits? What if you could take their wisdom and bring it back to your organization, for free? That's what we do on Charity Therapy. Hosted by Jess Birken - owner and lawyer at Birken Law Office. Every episode is an in-depth look at how to run a nonprofit, from fundraising to IRS woes to people problems and more! Our goal is to empower nonprofits to achieve your mission by doing things right. Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Non-Profit Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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161: A Rinky-Dink Outfit | Why Recording In-Kind Donations Matters For Your Nonprofit
Episode 161
Wednesday, 1 April, 2026
Your nonprofit is doing real work, but do your financials show it? In this episode, Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a small nonprofit that's running into a big problem: their numbers don't match their story. The for-profit company supporting them pays for nearly everything, but none of that shows up on the books, and funders are raising eyebrows. Real Listener Question: "Our employees, office space, and equipment are all paid for by a for-profit company and donated to our nonprofit. Our financials make it look like we're barely doing anything. I've been tasked with finding major funders and the narrative just doesn't match the numbers. What do I do?" If your nonprofit receives donated goods, services, space, or time, this episode is for you. Meghan and I break down what in-kind donations are, why recording them matters, and how getting this right can completely change how funders see you. What You'll Learn: What counts as an in-kind donation and how to assign it a value How to record donated office space, employee time, and services on your books Why your financials need to tell the same story as your narrative How in-kind contributions can strengthen your grant proposals Why nonprofit bookkeeping is specialized and when to bring in the experts The one thing you should never do when valuing a donor's gift Bottom line: Your numbers tell a story whether you want them to or not. Make sure yours reflects the real work your nonprofit is doing. Resources from this Episode Learn about the value of volunteer time at Independent Sector: https://independentsector.org/research/value-of-volunteer-time/ Quickbooks for Nonprofits Facebook Group from Megan Genest Tarnow: https://www.facebook.com/groups/QB4NPs Previous Episode: Can Business Interruption Insurance Help Nonprofits Who Closed During ICE Raids? With Cody Wiswasser: https://birkenlaw.com/charity-therapy-podcast/ct160-nonprofit-business-insurance Episode Transcript: https://birkenlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/CT161_Transcript.pdf Connect with Us Jess Birken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessbirken/ Meghan Heitkamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-heitkamp-829254115/ Listen & Engage Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon Music Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts: Click "Ratings and Reviews" then "Write a Review" Send us your nonprofit questions: https://birkenlaw.com/podcast/#podcast-story Stay Connected Sign up for the Birken Law Email list: https://birkenlaw.com/signup/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
