Skip to content
  • Home
  • Services
    • Audit & Attest
      • Financial Statement Audits
      • Employee Benefit Plans
      • Attestation Engagements
      • Compilations & Review
      • SOC
      • Agreed-Upon Procedures
    • Advisory
      • Transaction Advisory Services
      • Cybersecurity, Technology Risk, Privacy
      • High Net Worth Services
      • Forensic Services
      • Litigation Services
      • Management Consulting
      • Technology Services
      • Valuation Services
    • Business & Tax
      • Corporate Income Tax
      • Individual Income Tax
      • International Tax
      • State and Local Tax Compliance and Tax Minimization Services
      • Tax Planning
    • T&C Family Office Group
  • Industries
    • Car Wash
    • Construction & Real Estate
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing & Distribution
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Privately-held Companies
    • Professional Services
    • Technology
  • Firm
    • Overview
    • Our People
    • Our Community
    • Templeton Group
      • PracticePro 365
      • T&C Family Office Group
      • Templeton Investigative Services
  • Careers
    • Experienced
    • Students
    • Benefits
  • Pay My Bill
Menu
  • Home
  • Services
    • Audit & Attest
      • Financial Statement Audits
      • Employee Benefit Plans
      • Attestation Engagements
      • Compilations & Review
      • SOC
      • Agreed-Upon Procedures
    • Advisory
      • Transaction Advisory Services
      • Cybersecurity, Technology Risk, Privacy
      • High Net Worth Services
      • Forensic Services
      • Litigation Services
      • Management Consulting
      • Technology Services
      • Valuation Services
    • Business & Tax
      • Corporate Income Tax
      • Individual Income Tax
      • International Tax
      • State and Local Tax Compliance and Tax Minimization Services
      • Tax Planning
    • T&C Family Office Group
  • Industries
    • Car Wash
    • Construction & Real Estate
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing & Distribution
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Privately-held Companies
    • Professional Services
    • Technology
  • Firm
    • Overview
    • Our People
    • Our Community
    • Templeton Group
      • PracticePro 365
      • T&C Family Office Group
      • Templeton Investigative Services
  • Careers
    • Experienced
    • Students
    • Benefits
  • Pay My Bill
CONTACT US

Challenges with Gifts-In-Kind

  • Blog, Nonprofit

Home » Challenges with Gifts-In-Kind

By Tammy Ricciardella, CPA

Many nonprofit organizations receive a variety of gifts-in-kind (GIK) that provide them with resources to supplement their programming.

GIK represent a wide variety of non-cash items donated to nonprofits. Nonprofits must follow Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement, to account for the GIK. This means that GIK must be recorded at fair value which is defined as “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.” This creates difficulties for many entities since they receive the goods as a contribution and not a market participant. This creates the question of how to value the items received. The entity must assess what market they would use if they were to sell the donated goods. This assessment must be performed in the process of determining the fair value even though the entity has no plans to actually sell the donated goods. Would the goods be sold in an exit market as a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer, or in some other market? Once the market is determined, there can still be complications if the entity doesn’t have access to the valuation inputs in that market. The entity may have to use the inputs available to them to assess the fair value and then make an adjustment to the market they chose.

These are all complications faced by entities who receive GIK as they may not have prior transactions or the market experience to use as a resource for the fair value inputs. Under the ASC, entities must distinguish between the principal market and the distribution market. The principal market is defined as “the market in which the reporting entity would sell the asset or transfer the liability with the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset or liability.” Based on this definition, the actual location in which the donated goods may be distributed at no cost is not necessarily the principal market.

Determination of the fair value also has to take into consideration if there are any legal restrictions either on the entity or the donated assets. Asset restrictions may limit the legal sale of GIK to certain markets which would affect the determination of the principal market. Since these legal restrictions on the asset restrictions would be considered by a potential buyer, the entity has to take this into account in the fair value assessment.

It is important to note that the value assigned by the donor of the goods may not relate to the principal exit market of the nonprofit. In addition, the donor’s tax values are not equivalent to the fair value under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. In many cases, the nonprofit will not have access to the same market as the donor. The nonprofit must value the GIK based on the principal exit market from their perspective.

To assist in addressing these complications, entities should have a documented policy on accepting GIK and a policy on how the fair value assessments will be performed. The determination of fair value for each type of GIK received should be clearly documented, including management’s assessments and factors considered and the final conclusion reached.

This article originally appeared in BDO USA, LLP’s “Nonprofit Standard” newsletter (Fall 2019). Copyright © 2019 BDO USA, LLP. All rights reserved. www.bdo.com

Categories
  • Agribusiness
  • Assurance, Advisory & Review
  • Blog
  • Business Consulting & Corporate Compliance
  • Current Opportunities
  • Employee Benefit Plans / 401(k)
  • Healthcare
  • High Net Worth Individuals
  • Manufacturing & Distribution
  • Newsletter Articles
  • Newsletters
  • Nonprofit
  • Press Releases
  • Privately Held Companies
  • Professional Services
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Retail
  • Specialty Tax Services
  • T&C Family Office Group
  • Tax Planning & Compliance
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Valuation Services

SHARE THIS ON:

RELATED POSTS

A Closer Look at IRC Section 1031 Exchanges

By John Chenoweth, CPA What is an IRC Section 1031 Exchange? An IRC Sec. 1031 like-kind exchange is an effective method for investors to defer

Read More »

Steve Templeton Named Power Leader by South Florida Business Journal

West Palm Beach, Fla., February 7, 2023 – Steve Templeton, Founder and Managing Partner of Templeton & Company, was named a Power Leader in the

Read More »

How Will CECL Affect Your Not‑for-Profit?

In 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses

Read More »

Contact Us

WEST PALM BEACH
Esperante Building
222 Lakeview Avenue
Suite 1200
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 798-9988
Fax: (561) 798-4053

FORT LAUDERDALE
The Main
201 East Las Olas Boulevard
Suite 1650
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 333-0001
Fax: (954) 765-0719

Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube Linkedin
© 2023 Templeton & Company. All Rights Reserved. Website by Weber & Co.
Services
  • Audit & Attest
  • Advisory
  • Business & Tax
  • T&C Family Office Group
  • Pay My Bill
  • Audit & Attest
  • Advisory
  • Business & Tax
  • T&C Family Office Group
  • Pay My Bill
Industries
  • Car Wash
  • Construction & Real Estate
  • Government
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing & Distribution
  • Nonprofit Organizations
  • Privately-held Companies
  • Professional Services
  • Technology
  • Car Wash
  • Construction & Real Estate
  • Government
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing & Distribution
  • Nonprofit Organizations
  • Privately-held Companies
  • Professional Services
  • Technology
Firm
  • Overview
  • Our People
  • Our Community
  • Templeton Group
  • Overview
  • Our People
  • Our Community
  • Templeton Group
Careers
  • Experienced
  • Students
  • Benefits
  • Experienced
  • Students
  • Benefits
Cleantalk Pixel