Unrestricted Net Assets (2024)

Asset (current and/or fixed) donations made to not-for-profit organizations (NPOs)

Unrestricted net assets are the asset (current and/or fixed) donations made to not-for-profit organizations (NPOs). The assets are “unrestricted” because they can be used for general expenditures or any other operational purpose(s), i.e., the donor didn’t specify where or how their donation(s) are to be used.

Unrestricted Net Assets (1)

Summary

  • Unrestricted net assets are the asset (current and/or fixed) donations made to not-for-profit organizations that can be used for general expenditures or for any operating purpose.
  • Fund accounting makes it possible to record the donations received, segregated according to the purpose it is received for, hence making it an ideal accounting method for not-for-profit organizations.
  • The total net assets for a not-for-profit organization are equal to the sum of all the classifications of net assets.

Net Assets Classifications

1. Unrestricted net assets

They are “unrestricted” because there are no restrictions on its usage or expenditure whatsoever. Their usage is determined by the not-for-profit organization as it deems fit.

2. Restricted net assets

They are “restricted” because the donations are only usable for specific outlined purposes established by the donor. The NPOs cannot use these donations for whatever operational purpose they deem fit as they are earmarked for certain programs.

Further, restricted net assets are also classified into two categories:

  • Temporarily restricted net assets are donations that are specified by the donor beforehand to be used for a specific expense, or project, within a specified time period.
  • Permanently restricted net assets are the donations made for a specific purpose, without any specific time period, in perpetuity.

Total Net Assets

Total net assets for a not for profit organization is equal to the sum of the above classifications of net assets, i.e.:

Total Net Assets = Unrestricted Net Assets + Restricted Net Assets

Total Net Assets = Unrestricted Net Assets + (Temporarily Restricted Net Assets + Permanently Restricted Net Assets)

What is Fund Accounting?

Fund accounting is one of the popular accounting methods used by not-for-profit organizations for recording and reporting financial transactions.

Fund accounting involves recording and reporting an organization’s financial transactions based on the money received and the purpose for which it is stored or used. The accounting method is popular with NPOs because the organizations receive money and donations from various sources for various purposes. All the money/assets received are used or stored for different purposes in different funds, e.g., mission fund, growth fund, education fund, etc.

Hence, fund accounting makes it possible to record the donations received and segregate them according to the purpose it is received for, hence making it an ideal accounting method for NPOs.

Positive and Negative Unrestricted Net Assets Balance

The unrestricted net assets balance is positive when the total historical sum of the unrestricted donations, revenues, and gains are higher than the total historical sum of unrestricted expenses.

The unrestricted net assets balance is negative when the total historical unrestricted expenses are higher than the total historical unrestricted contributions, donations, revenues, and gains.

Recording Net Assets for an NPO

The net assets for a not-for-profit organization – including unrestricted net assets, temporarily restricted net assets, and permanently restricted net assets – are all recorded in the financial statement called “statement of position.” The statement of position is basically the balance sheet for an NPO.

More Resources

CFI offers the Commercial Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA)™ certification program for those looking to take their careers to the next level. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following resources will be helpful:

Unrestricted Net Assets (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate unrestricted net assets? ›

Unrestricted Net Assets for Operations

The Unrestricted Net Assets (URNA) available to support operations are calculated by subtracting the net equity position in fixed assets from unrestricted net assets.

What does unrestricted net assets mean? ›

Unrestricted net assets are donations to nonprofit organizations that have no strings attached. That is, the assets may be used by the organization for general expenses or any legitimate expenditure.

What is a good fundraising ratio for nonprofits? ›

According to Charity Navigator, nonprofits should spend less than 10% on fundraising spending. Charity Navigator also promotes healthy spending on activities because nonprofits that spend less than a third of their budgets on program expenses are likely to be failing to meet their missions.

How do you calculate unrestricted? ›

Unrestricted retained earnings is the portion of your total retained earnings that has not been restricted. Subtract your total restricted retained earnings from your total retained earnings to calculate your total unrestricted retained earnings.

Where are unrestricted net assets on a balance sheet? ›

The net assets for a not-for-profit organization – including unrestricted net assets, temporarily restricted net assets, and permanently restricted net assets – are all recorded in the financial statement called “statement of position.” The statement of position is basically the balance sheet for an NPO.

How do you calculate unrestricted fund balance? ›

The Unrestricted Fund Balance is the difference between the total fund balance and the sum of the nonspendable and restricted fund balances. The Unrestricted Fund Balance is not legally restricted and has three (3) components, committed, assigned and unassigned.

Can you have negative unrestricted net assets? ›

Negative unrestricted net assets/position occurs primarily if liabilities exceed assets. What it means: This indicator identifies when an entity has declining or negative unrestricted net assets/position.

What does unrestricted net assets mean in QuickBooks? ›

Besides, Unrestricted Net Asset is your net income for the first date of the new fiscal year in QuickBooks. The net income from the date before gets closed to Retained Earnings which is often renamed to Unrestricted Net Assets. As you work on the previous year's financial data, that value will keep changing.

What counts as net assets? ›

Net assets are the value of a company's assets minus its liabilities. It is calculated ((Total Fixed Assets + Total Current Assets) – (Total Current Liabilities + Total Long Term Liabilities)).

How many fundraising staff does it take to raise $1 million? ›

The conclusion from the survey is that “it takes one full-time staff person to raise $500,000, with additional staff needed for $1M and incrementally thereafter”. In other words, for every $500,000 of revenue, you'll need 1 staff member.

How much money should a nonprofit keep in reserve? ›

A commonly used reserve goal is 3-6 months' expenses. At the high end, reserves should not exceed the amount of two years' budget. At the low end, reserves should be enough to cover at least one full payroll. However, each nonprofit should set its own reserve goal based on its cash flow and expenses.

What is the rule of 7 in fundraising? ›

Simply put, the Rule of Seven recommends seven contacts with a donor within one year after that person makes a gift. In other words, for every one request you make for a gift, you need seven other meaningful contacts.

What are considered unrestricted funds? ›

Unrestricted funds support the overall mission of an organization and do not have a specific use required for spending. They allow the organization the freedom of discretionary spending, and they are essential financial resources contributing to the effective operation of a nonprofit organization.

What are the 3 types of net asset restrictions? ›

Within donor restricted net assets, some will be permanently restricted, while others will be temporarily-restricted. So, in short, the three types of net assets are unrestricted, temporarily restricted, and permanently restricted.

What is increase in unrestricted net assets? ›

Change in Unrestricted Net Assets means the change in unrestricted net assets of Borrower, including, without limitation, all forms of operating revenue derives from tuition, fees, grants, fundraising (excluding Capital Campaign Contributions), lease or rental income, interest income and other unrestricted net assets ...

What is the formula for calculating net asset value? ›

NAV is calculated by dividing the total value of all the cash and securities in a fund's portfolio, minus any liabilities, by the number of outstanding shares. The NAV calculation is important because it tells us how much one share of the fund should be worth.

Is unrestricted net assets the same as retained earnings? ›

1. Unrestricted net assets, which is the retained earnings account 2. Temp Restricted Net Assets for temporarily restricted net assets, 3. Perm Restricted Net Assets for permanently restricted net assets, also called endowment.

What is the formula for net assets? ›

Net assets are the value of a company's assets minus its liabilities. It is calculated ((Total Fixed Assets + Total Current Assets) – (Total Current Liabilities + Total Long Term Liabilities)).

What is included in unrestricted net position? ›

Unrestricted net position is the residual amount of the net position not included in the net investment in capital assets or the restricted net position.

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