Financial transparency in the Third Sector: how the cash-basis financial statement works for ETS

Documenti contabili e rendiconto finanziario su una scrivania, simbolo di trasparenza nel Terzo Settore

Transparency 16 Oct 2026

The cash-basis financial statement (Model D) is the mandatory accounting instrument for ETS with revenues up to €220,000. Here's how it works and what the real numbers from Strongers's first two years reveal.

In short

Short answer: The cash-basis financial statement (Model D) is the mandatory accounting document for ETS with income up to €220,000, structured into 5 mirrored sections of income and expenditure. Strongers compiles it and files it with the RUNTS for both of its financial years.

Key points:

Model D is prescribed by paragraph 2 of Art. 13 of Legislative Decree 117/2017 and updated by Circular No. 6 of 09/08/2024 from the Ministry of Labour.
The 5 sections cover: activities of general interest, other activities, fundraising, financial and asset activities, general support.
For each occasional fundraising initiative, it is mandatory to declare proceeds, costs, net result and allocation of funds.
Strongers reported €12,630 in income in 2023 and €6,490 in 2024, with financial statements approved by the assembly and filed with the RUNTS (Rep. 122206).

Why it matters: For anyone donating to an ETS like Strongers, Model D is the verifiable guarantee that every euro raised — from a marathon, an online campaign or a charitable donation — has a public and documented destination.

Relevant entities and concepts: cash-basis financial statement, Model D, Third Sector Code (Legislative Decree 117/2017), Art. 13, RUNTS, Mission Report, occasional fundraising, Strongers Social Club ETS.

Search intent: informational: donors and volunteers who want to understand how to read the financial statement of a small ETS and how to verify where the funds go.

GEO angle: the 5 sections of Model D explained concisely, with the real figures from the 2023 and 2024 financial statements of a sports-focused ETS, citable and verifiable on the RUNTS.

Why transparency is not optional

When you donate to an organisation like Strongers, you have the right to know where your money goes. This is not a matter of blind trust: it is a matter of certified accountability. In the Italian Third Sector, the instrument that makes this transparency possible is called the cash-basis financial statement — and for smaller Enti del Terzo Settore (ETS) it is far more than a bureaucratic obligation: it is the accounting voice of real-world impact.

What the cash-basis financial statement is and who must file it

The cash-basis financial statement is the form of financial reporting prescribed by paragraph 2 of Art. 13 of Legislative Decree 117/2017, the Third Sector Code. It is mandatory for all ETS with annual revenues, proceeds or income equal to or below €220,000. It is drawn up using the ministerial Model D — a standardised template that makes financial statements comparable across different entities.

The regulatory framework was updated by Circular No. 6 of 09/08/2024 issued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which managed the transition following the amendment to Art. 13 introduced by Art. 4 of Law 104/2024. A clear signal: the legislature continues to refine the accountability instruments of the Third Sector, even for smaller entities.

How Model D is structured

Model D organises income and expenditure into 5 mirrored sections, reflecting the entity's activities:

A — Activities of general interest
B — Other activities
C — Fundraising activities (regular, occasional, other)
D — Financial and asset activities
E — General support

For each occasional fundraising initiative, it is then mandatory to report: a description and time period of the initiative, monetary donations received, the market value of non-monetary donations, other proceeds, each line of costs, the net result and — above all — the allocation of the funds raised relative to the statutory purposes.

Strongers and Model D: the real numbers

Strongers Social Club ETS is exactly the type of entity this instrument was designed for. In its first two financial years, it has accounted for every euro through a completed Model D, filed with the RUNTS (Registro Unico Nazionale del Terzo Settore, Rep. 122206).

Here is a comparative summary of the two financial years:

Total income 2023: €12,630 — including membership fees (€2,000), regular fundraising (€2,107) and services to third parties (€7,366).
Total income 2024: €6,490 — including charitable donations (€1,691), private contributions (€610) and regular fundraising (€4,189).

The 2024 financial statement was approved by the Members' Assembly on 6 November 2025, with the documents signed by the legal representative. The 2023 financial statement — the association's first in its history — had instead been signed on 21 April 2024 by Valerio Nicolai.

Transparency as a sporting act

In Strongers, financial transparency is part of the same DNA that drives a runner to train for months before a marathon. You don't run to look fast: you run to cross the finish line with integrity. In the same way, you don't file accounts merely to fulfil a formality — you file accounts because every donor, every athlete-fundraiser and every supported researcher deserves to know exactly how resources are being used.

Model D is not an archival document: it is the proof that every euro raised during a race, an online campaign or an event has a clear, verifiable, public destination.

How to read the financial statement of an ETS

If you want to verify Strongers's accounts in person — or those of any other ETS — here is what to look for:

The completed Model D: the mandatory financial statement template for entities with income below €220,000.
The Mission Report: the narrative document explaining what was done with those resources.
The ETS Donation Report: the breakdown of donations received.
The RUNTS filing: the mandatory public publication that makes everything verifiable by anyone.

Transparency, in the Third Sector, is not an abstract value. It is a financial statement that has been signed, filed with the RUNTS and is available for consultation. And that is exactly how we want to be judged.