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Board OntologyFinance

Special Events, Net of Direct Costs

Revenue from galas, walks, auctions and similar events, stated NET of the direct benefit costs given to attendees (meals, entertainment, prizes). Reported net because the gross figure flatters the result: an event that raises a large gross and spends most of it on the venue has not funded the mission. โ€” Finance KPI anchored to FASB ASU 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities.

Rogue ID: finance.np_special_events_net Type: Currency Domain: Finance

Definition

Revenue from galas, walks, auctions and similar events, stated NET of the direct benefit costs given to attendees (meals, entertainment, prizes). Reported net because the gross figure flatters the result: an event that raises a large gross and spends most of it on the venue has not funded the mission.

Formula

Gross special-event revenue for the period less the direct cost of benefits provided to attendees. Fundraising labour and promotion stay in fundraising expense, not here.

Why it matters

The net figure is the honest one, and it is the figure a watchdog rating and Form 990 both read.

How to interpret

A net close to zero is a signal that the event is a cultivation activity rather than a revenue one โ€” which can still be the right call, but should be said out loud.

  • finance.np_total_support_revenue
  • finance.np_fundraising_expense

Source

FASB ASU 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities ยท section: ASC 958-605 (special events, direct benefit costs) โ€” published 2016-08-01.

Why does this cite FASB ASU 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities? Read the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system, attribution rules, and dispute process.

Stage relevance

Company stagePriority
Pre-SeedCore
SeedCore
Series ACore
Series BCore
Series C+Core
PublicCore

Suggested for stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.

Default owning functions

  • Finance
  • Development

Machine-readable

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