Addition of non-profit accounts

[Mike or Penny Novack]

jpiapupstbc wrote:

>We hope that the developers will include some accounts designed for
>non-profit organizations, as well as making the reports more customizable
>for NPOs. Since NPO stakeholders do not typically require B/S and P&L
>especially if the NPO is a small one, customizable reports will do better
>for us. Thanks.
>  
>
That's odd. Certainly need to be able to produce THOSE reports for our 
organizations. What exactly do you mean? For example, how would you be 
able to show whether you had to file a 990, could file a 990-EZ, or 
could just file a 990-N electronic postcard without the Statement of 
Revenues  (aka Income Statement) or assets (Balance Sheet -- in this 
case the same name used). And anybody we ask for a grant might ask to 
see those reports.

1) Yes, not CALLED the same thing (traditional for a non-profit to use  
different names for the reports).
2) Final form of presentation different (traditional to present the 
reports for two consecutive periods, current and previous).

I have not addressed either (didn't create custom reports) as told not 
to bother by the accountant person who prefers using his own favorite 
editor. It isn't just a little bit of reformatting. You'd need the 
capabilities of an editor to be adding notes to the report. Every amount 
that is "unusual" needs a notation.

Now some things a non-profit could use/need GnuCash doesn't do. But that 
is more because not actually part of double entry bookkeeping which only 
allows ONE hierarchy of accounts. Thus it would be nice to also have " 
based upon donors" (for doing any necessary donor accounting) without 
having to enter twice but that's essentially "quadruple" instead of 
"double" and specialized systems would probably solve that by separate 
books and "feeds" between the systems (the sort of thing they used to 
pay me to design -- I'm from the world of BIG financial systems).

Michael D Novack

PS -- there are parts of this question that I really don't understand. 
What could have possibly been meant by "include some accounts for 
non-profit organizations"? The built in accounts are just to get those 
with zero bookkeeping experience started. Normally you ignore those and 
just create whatever chart of accounts suits your organization.

-- 
There is no possibility of social justice on a dead planet except the equality of the grave.