ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation

Illustration by Jocelyn Ruiz

Illustration by Jocelyn Ruiz

Nonprofits in Arizona are facing some terrifying scenarios when it comes to maintaining funding amid COVID-19. News stories continue to report on the loss of revenue to date throughout a variety of sectors, with some reports say as much as nearly $53 million. Nonprofits in Arizona are looking at a potential annual loss of over a quarter of a billion dollars, with over 90 percent of groups reporting a decrease in revenue, three quarters seeing a disruption of services and volunteers pulling back on their commitments. According to the ASU Lodestar Center, only 5 percent of nonprofits reported normal operations as the pandemic first unfolded.

All of the above points are concerning, and as Kristen Merrifield, the CEO of Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits said, “it is just the tip of the iceberg.” This statement is as foreboding as it is accurate.

For the general public, the designation “nonprofit” is often correlated with donations. The thought of a nonprofit entity earning revenue and having customers can appear contradictory. However, these entities can earn revenue and have customers, so long as these transactions serve their mission and purpose.

Why, suddenly, is earning revenue and having customers an important topic for nonprofits?

As part of its convergence project to remove inconsistencies and weaknesses in existing revenue requirements, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This new revenue recognition standard is intended to improve the comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions, and capital markets, including nonprofits.