Annual Financial Report
Each year, units complete and submit an Annual Financial Report. The details and disclosures are signed by the Unit President as well as the Treasurer.
REPORT Timeline
- AFR Release Date - January 19, 2024
- AFR Submission Deadline - March 1, 2024
- AFR Late Submission Fee Begins - March 2, 2024
Please refer to the FAQs below for more information.
What's changed?
We've added questions to the beginning of the form to better assist in completing the form accurately for those who aren't sure if they need to complete an AFR.
The Units and Compliance team will review and sign off on all submissions before collecting Assessment fees to ensure accurate amounts are paid.
All fields and documents will need to be submitted before submitting for Units and Compliance sign-off
Emails will be sent to the email address used in the "save form" process to advise the status of your AFR once what you've submitted is reviewed.
The AFR Checklist
Need help tracking those important documents and assessments? Use our checklist to help you keep up with all necessary items to ensure that your unit's Annual Financial Report is completed correctly.
FAQs
Have questions about how to fill out this year's annual financial report? Refer to our frequently asked questions, contact ufi@naacpnet.org, or call 1-877-641-0878 for more in-depth questions.
How do I make the assessment fee payment for 2023?
The option to pay the 2023 assessment will be available once the Units and Compliance team reviews and accepts the financial documents and information as accurate. The 2023 assessment fee can be paid once you receive the confirmation email to resume processing the AFR. You will go to page 9, where the banking information for the unit will be provided for confirmation. On page 8 of the annual financial report, a calculation of your assessment due will be provided. To be fully financially compliant, this amount must be paid in full. Partial payments will not be accepted.
I owe (am owed) monies towards the 2022 AFR; how do I make (receive) the assessment fee payment?*
The 2022 AFR correction process did not account for a way to adjust monies paid toward the AFR to settle the balance. Resulting in a credit/balance for some Units. The monies due/owed will be applied to this year's AFR assessment and payment in full will be required at the time of submission.
Are we able to pay for other units on the same form?
Each unit or state conference has its own Annual Financial Report. The form doesn't allow a unit or state conference to make multiple payments. You are only able to pay for your unit's Annual Financial Report fee. If you are paying for another unit you will have to make the payment on their Annual Financial Report Form.
How do we separate grants and restricted income?
In the annual financial report, all grants both restricted and unrestricted will be combined and the amount will be entered into the grants section. For unit financial records, however, the restricted and unrestricted amounts must be kept separate for your bookkeeping purposes.
What is our definition of a grant and restricted income?
A grant is typically a contribution that has some kind of request attached, such as using it for general operation or for a specific program. If it is for general operation, it is unrestricted. If it is specified for a specific project or program or event where the donor specifies how you must use those funds, it is considered restricted.
How are restricted funds determined for revenue?
Restricted funds can be accepted for programs that are determined by the national office as approved programs. Those restricted funds must be used in accordance with the funders' request. The funds received for that program would be considered restricted funds and any expenses related to those funds should be allocated to such.
Would donations under $5,000 be considered unrestricted income if the category is under fundraising income?
All contributions will go under fundraising unless it is a grant/restricted income that is specifically identified in the scholarship/restricted income areas.
Do we need to list out all of the donors that provided $5,000 or more?
Yes.
If the donor provided more than $5,000 in the aggregate, do they need to be listed?
Yes.
Do the units need to report in-kind revenue and expenses on the annual financial report?
No, they do not need to be on the annual financial report.
Do remittances to the national office include all membership payments, including batches?
Yes, there is a specific section that Membership remittances to the national office will be recorded. See page 5 of the annual financial report.
The membership revenue deposited according to the unit bank should match the membership revenue recorded on the AFR unless the unit is using accrual accounting.
If a funder wants to give us a donation and they need a donation receipt, how do we do this?
Email tidesfund@naacpnet.org and provide your contact information and the Unit's name and number. The instructions and the link will be sent to place the funding request into the process.
The minimum donation accepted for a donation receipt is $2500. The funder will receive a 501c3 benefit - tax deduction.
Our Unit does not have a W-9 for banking information and cannot complete the annual financial report. What should we do?
If the Unit currently does not have a bank account and does not have or know if they have an EIN or because it was recently chartered, please get in touch with ufi@naacpnet.org to apply for an EIN.
A new unit with financial activity should file an annual financial report and advise the national office of how it conducted financial transactions on page 4 of the annual financial report to provide additional income information.
Our Unit was dormant and has decided to be reinstated. We are unsure of the EIN, but we must file our annual financial report. What should we do?
If the Unit is being reinstated, the national office must research to determine if an EIN was previously available. Please get in touch with ufi@naacpnet.org to determine if there is an established EIN or if the Unit needs a new EIN to file the annual financial report.
Why are we using the online Annual Financial Report (AFR) forms?
This eliminates the need to consolidate unit information manually to file the Group-990. The form connects to the membership portal, allowing units and the national office to input and review financial information quickly and efficiently.
What should we do if our Unit has no financial transactions but wants to be AFR-compliant?
The Unit should file an all-zero annual financial report. The annual financial report is filled out with "0" on each required field if a number is required.
What does it mean to be financially compliant?
The unit has filed its annual financial report since 2015 or the date of its inception. It has paid all of its assessment fees to date, with waivers for the 2020 and 2021 assessment years. If the annual financial report has been filed late, all penalties have been paid.
You have provided all of the 2023 bank statements and completed the 2023 annual financial report submission, payment, and late payment if applicable.
How do I know if my Unit is financially compliant?
The membership portal will show if this year's annual financial report and all prior reports back to 2015 have been filed and accepted as complete, if applicable. All assessment and Freedom Fund payments must be made and any late payments if applicable. An official letter that states that the Unit is financially compliant for 2023 will be prepared for the unit. This letter will be provided after the AFR review process and will be uploaded into the documents section in the membership portal.
Who needs to sign the AFR?
The Treasurer, Treasurer-elect, President, and Secretary will review the form and fill out their information on page 8. You can review the form via Zoom or in-person to retrieve all the signatures simultaneously.
Who should sign the electronic signature for the Prison Unit since they don't have access to do that?
The State Conference will have to assist Prison Units in filing their annual financial report. The State Conference will provide a paper version of the AFR for the Prison Unit to complete. The Treasurer of the Prison Branch will sign the last page, with the President and Secretary signing the first page near their name.
The State Conference will enter the information into the Prison Unit AFR on behalf of the Prison Unit. It will use the State Conference preparer's email address for all requested addresses for the President, Treasurer, and Secretary. That assisting person of the State Conference will complete the signing processes. They will email a scanned copy of the paper AFR prepared by the Prison Unit Treasurer as a part of the required AFR filing as proof of SUBMISSION. Please email the paper copy of the Prison Unit AFR they signed to ufi@naacpnet.org.
Our Unit is non-compliant. How can we find out why?
This is a specific question that would require further investigation. The national office will need to review. Please send an email to ufi@naacpnet.org to determine these answers.
The other compliance requirement is whether the Unit has enough members to qualify for membership compliance. Please email Field & Membership at members@naacpnet.org so that further membership research can be conducted.
How do I receive a list of members associated with the funds received for overages?
Email ufi@naacpnet.org, including your unit number, the amount received, and the date received. A list of members relating to those overages will be provided.
Can I stop and return to the form to complete my AFR?
Yes, click the resume button at the top left corner of the form to resume where you left off. Please remember to SAVE your information as you progress through each page. The form will time out if left inactive for 30 min.
If we have more than one set of bank statements, how do I upload them?
The system will allow for four sets of bank statements for each month. An "add another response" button is at the corner of each bank statement section. If you have more than four bank accounts, please email the remaining bank statements to ufi@naacpnet.org.
I did not receive a link to the annual financial report. Can I have someone forward their link to me?
The process for the annual financial report has changed. There is no need for a special link as the new form will allow the unit to select the unit's name and number in the new form. The link will be the same for all units .
Click the above link to access the AFR portal
Where can I download the annual financial report?
The annual financial report cannot be downloaded to be filled out. All of the fields must be filled out on the electronic form. All units will receive a link to find their unit name and number to complete this year's annual financial report.
I couldn't find my unit name and unit number when I opened the link. What should I do?
Please contact Field & Membership Services to determine why the Unit is not on the list. Email members@naacpnet.org and give them your Unit's name and number to research and assist.
What should I do if I receive a "413 Payload Too Large" error?
This indicates that the file uploaded is too large. The maximum combined size for all the files can only be 2.5 MB. Please compress the files or upload smaller attachments. Use the free PDF compressor if needed.
Tips to ensure a successful AFR upload:
- When answering yes to the question, "Is there at least one (1) bank account in the Unit's name?" You will be presented with the sub-question: How Many?
- This field requires a numeric (1-10) value. Please do not spell out your response.
- If the field requires a numeric (0.00) value, do not include the "$" symbol in front of the number. It will void your response.
- You must perform the save and resume option on the form before you hit submit so that you can go back into the document at a later time.
2022 AFR Assistance:
Is your AFR for 2022 still in the following status: Approved with Conditions?
- Stop, do not use the form to submit your 2023 AFR until your 2022 AFR is fully approved.
- Please contact your National Office Staff person by emailing: members@naacpnet.org
- Please include your contact information, Unit Number and Name, along with best times to reach you to assist with scheduling an office hours appointment to finalize your AFR
- Please Use. "Approved with conditions AFR" as the subject line.
- We will schedule an Office Hours meeting with you and the Units and Compliance team to address any outstanding issues.
- In the meantime, please review the last communication from the team to ensure you're prepared to discuss the changes/updates needed during that meeting to finalize your 2022 AFR.
AFR Video Tutorials
- To view the AFR Video Tutorials, please click here.
Do youth units have to provide bank statements if they don't have a bank account?
- If there is no separate bank account, the 12 bank statements do not need to be uploaded. If the youth unit has bank accounts separate from the adult unit, bank statements will be required for the months that are applicable.
- Please provide the name and unit number of the person responsible for managing the financials and bookkeeping of your branch or unit when answering the question, "Is there at least one (1) bank account in this unit's name?" and then specify the entity or unit number responsible for managing the financial bookkeeping of your unit on page 2 of the AFR.
I manage our adult and youth units, and we only use one bank account. How do I file our AFR?
We encourage two separate bank accounts for record-keeping purposes.
The units will have separate annual financial reports. While the Units work to establish two separate accounts, only upload the bank statements for the adult annual financial report. The youth annual financial report will not require any bank statements. When submitting the Youth AFR, indicate the Unit Name that handles the financial records for the Unit when prompted.
Our youth unit's school handles their financial transactions, and we don't have access to the bank statements. What do we do?
Contact your school to assist you with obtaining the financial information that will be needed to prepare the annual financial report.
Provide the name of the entity responsible for managing the financial recordkeeping when prompted.
Our youth unit's financial transactions are taken care of by our State Conference. What do we do?
- Prepare the youth unit's annual financial report, but do not upload bank statements.
- Answer No to the following question in the AFR: Is there at least one bank account in this Unit's name?
What if the President, Secretary, and Treasurer have graduated and are no longer at the branch?
The youth unit annual financial report must still be filed and if it is possible to have them sign, it is still a part of their required duties when they were elected to be on the executive team. If it is absolutely not possible, the youth advisor for the unit will sign the annual financial report on behalf of the previous executives.
- Annual Financial Report