When I was in the SLP program we were thrown a Non For Profit (NFP) practice case and it threw everyone off. We all thought 'Non for profit - I guess that means that its not about financial performance but rather about the qualitative aspects instead' - we thought wrong. We had a discussion with out moderators about doing a case on NFP vs a regular for profit (FP) company and it turns out that we should be approaching both in the same way essentially.
Should you calculate NPV, pro-forma, ratios, etc.? Yes!
Why? -- Because any company, whether for profit or not, needs money in order to continue operations. A non for profit will not be much use to the community if it has no funds to operate and has to close its doors. Also, a NFP needs money not only to maintain operations but also to expand and do more projects. That is why financials for a NFP are very important. Hence, you will still need to do a financial analysis and calculate NPV, pro-forma, etc. for a NFP company.
Just like with FP companies, you will look at both quantitative as well as qualitative aspect to decide on which alternative should be pursued. One thing to remember is that part of a FP company's mandate is to maximize/increase profitability, however a NFP company would not likely have this as the mandate, however they still need to be profitable to keep operating and to expand.
Should you calculate NPV, pro-forma, ratios, etc.? Yes!
Why? -- Because any company, whether for profit or not, needs money in order to continue operations. A non for profit will not be much use to the community if it has no funds to operate and has to close its doors. Also, a NFP needs money not only to maintain operations but also to expand and do more projects. That is why financials for a NFP are very important. Hence, you will still need to do a financial analysis and calculate NPV, pro-forma, etc. for a NFP company.
Just like with FP companies, you will look at both quantitative as well as qualitative aspect to decide on which alternative should be pursued. One thing to remember is that part of a FP company's mandate is to maximize/increase profitability, however a NFP company would not likely have this as the mandate, however they still need to be profitable to keep operating and to expand.
