Unlike commercial businesses, nonprofit organizations tend to operate at the edge of the public eye. There are no commercials or product announcements, and few publicists. Many nonprofits work on shoestring budgets to provide some sort of community.service and do not expect to make money. In exchange, California nonprofits do not have to pay federal or state income taxes. But sometimes creative means of makings ends meet can go awry. Whether a nonprofit’s mission and guidelines have fallen by the wayside or a financially successful organization proves too strong a temptation for some high-ranking employee, there are times when reporters will want to look behind the do-gooder façade of a nonprofit and examine its operations and finances. Continue reading REPORTER’S FILE: Using Tax Returns to Investigate Nonprofit Organizations, by Mónica L. López →