What are Fundraising events, and how to report them on Form 990?
1.5k views |Last modified 12/31/2024 7:23:46 AM EST |

A fundraising event is designed to raise awareness and support for an organization’s mission and vision. Nonprofit organizations use fundraising events as a platform to raise money and fuel their missions.

These events also provide an opportunity for donors and other communities to engage with those nonprofits and to make sure the contributions they provide are used in the right way. Some common examples of fundraising events include dinners/dances, door-to-door sales of merchandise, concerts, carnivals, sports events, and auctions.

While filing Form 990, it is necessary to report the contributions received from various fundraising activities.

Reporting contributions received from various fundraising events with Tax990’s Interview-based Filing Style

Under the Revenue section, click 'Start' next to Contributions, Gifts, Grants. Then, on that page, select 'Start' next to Revenue and Contributions from Fundraising Events. Now select 'Yes' for the question, "Did you receive any contribution from fundraising events?". A popup appears and prompts you to enter the details of your fundraising event. To add more than one fundraising event, click on the Add Another button. 
 

Reporting contributions received from various fundraising events with Tax990’s Form-based Filing Style

While filing your Form 990 with Tax 990 using the form-based filing style, please go to Part VIII, line 1c of the Contributions, Gifts, Grants and Other Similar Amounts section.

Line 1c requires the following information on the fundraising event, such as 

1. Gross Income and Contribution in this Event
   • Name of the Event
   • Total Revenue from the Event
   • Total Fair Market Value (FMV) of Noncash Contributions
2. Direct Expenses made in this Event, such as
   • Cash Prizes
   • Food and Beverages
   • Noncash Prices
   • Entertainment
   • Rent/Facility Costs
   • Other Direct Expenses
      

Reporting Schedule G, Supplemental Information Regarding Fundraising or Gaming Activities

If your organization reports more than $15,000 total on lines 1c and 8a and answers “Yes” to the question, “Did the organization report more than $15,000 total of fundraising event gross income and contributions on Part VIII, lines 1c and 8a?” on Part IV, line 18, then you must complete Part II of Form 990 Schedule G, Supplemental Information Regarding Fundraising or Gaming Activities (Form 990 or 990-EZ).

Schedule G Part II will be enabled when both the above-mentioned conditions satisfy. In Part II, the filing organization must provide details of the two major gaming events and other events (total) as a single event. In addition, the events must have gross receipts of more than $5,000.

To know how to report Fundraising events in Form 990-EZ, click here.