When a Non-profit closes its doors

I just had a question from an accountant friend of mine who asked me the following: a nonprofit client is shutting down its operations and it has a suplus. Where does the surplus go? The answer is "it depends". If the non-profit is a registered charity - the surplus should go to another registered charity. The articles or by-laws of a corporate charity may indicate what sort of charity (usually similar in nature) the proceeds will be disbursed to. If the organization is a nonprofit but not a charity, the proceeds can be disbersed to its members, unless its articles or by-laws stipulate otherwise. Of course this is just Ontario law, folks! Every jurisdiction has different rules.