161: A Rinky-Dink Outfit | Why Recording In-Kind Donations Matters For Your Nonprofit

161: A Rinky-Dink Outfit | Why Recording In-Kind Donations Matters For Your Nonprofit

April 1, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 161

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of recording in-kind donations for nonprofits to accurately reflect their financials and improve funding opportunities.

Your nonprofit is doing real work, but do your financials show it? In this episode, Meghan and I tackle a listener question from a small nonprofit that's running into a big problem: their numbers don't match their story. The for-profit company supporting them pays for nearly everything, but none of that shows up on the books, and funders are raising eyebrows. Real Listener Question: "Our employees, office space, and equipment are all paid for by a for-profit company and donated to our nonprofit. Our financials make it look like we're barely doing anything. I've been tasked with finding major funders and the narrative just doesn't match the numbers. What do I do?" If your nonprofit receives donated goods, services, space, or time, this episode is for you. Meghan and I break down what in-kind donations are, why recording them matters, and how getting this right can completely change how funders see you. What You'll Learn: What counts as an in-kind donation and how to assign it a value How to record donated office space, employee time, and services on your books Why your financials need to tell the same story as your narrative How in-kind contributions can strengthen your grant…

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