Non-Profit Organizations - What Are They?
Non-Profit Organizations - What Are They? by: John Day Definition of Fund; Assets; and Fund Balance According to the “Financial and Accounting Guide for Not-For-Profit Organizations” written by CPAs Gross, Larkin, Bruttomesso, and McNalley, (fifth edition, pg 25) the definition of a these three terms is as follows: - A fund is any part of an organization for which separate account records are kept. - Assets are valuable things owned or controlled by the organization. Types of assets include cash, investments, property, and amounts owed to the organization. - Fund balance is the mathematical number obtained by subtracting total liabilities from total assets; it is a numerical representation of the net worth of the organization, but has no other significance. Fund balances do not exist except on paper; unlike assets, they have no intrinsic value and cannot be spent. Both assets and fund balances (as well as liabilities, revenues, and expenses) are part of the accounting recor...