Form 990
The 990 form, is a document that must be filled out by Non-Profit organizations once every three
years, if not every year, so that the organization can remain tax-exempt. The 990 form provides
the financials of non-profits, even though they do not need to pay taxes. Its main purpose is to
provide the IRS and the public with information on an organizations operations, including but
not limited to a non-profits mission, programs and finances.
I have recently looked into the Salvation Army’s form 990 and was quite surprised. The first
thing that surprised me was right out in the open on part I of the form, that being the Salvation
Army’s mission was stated on the first line. I found this interesting, because when I think of tax
documents my head goes right to the numbers and I don’t really think about what the
organization is providing. Part IV of the 990 is series of 36 “yes or no” questions, all of which
determine what other schedules/parts of the document need to be filled out. I found this
interesting as it makes filing the form kind of a puzzle. All of the questions are along the lines of
the Salvations Army’s financials, assets and what has been recorded. Another thing that I found
surprising was that schedule “G” gives information pertaining to how the Salvation Army raised
fund. Including things such as mail, internet, and email solicitations as well as governmental and
non-governmental grants. I found this interesting because other non-profits could look at this
info and adopt the Salvation Army’s practices. A final thing that I found surprising about the
Salvation Army’s 990, was that the statement of revenue breaks down where all of the cash came
from (Federated campaigns, membership dues, fundraising event, etc.)
The 990 differs from a traditional tax form quite a bit. The form 990 is much more in-depth, as it
provides background information on the company, its mission, programs as well as their
financials. While looking at part I of the 990, you see things such as number of voting members,
number of employees and a revenue/expense section. As on the traditional tax form you see the
standard income, deductions and tax credit sections. Another difference is that the 990 form
focuses on change in net assets, while the traditional tax form is all about net income. The
amazing cause will also return an individual tax deduction which is a nice bonus for donating.