May 7 deadline: project: non-profit makeover

If your website, logo, letterhead, and business cards are out of date, not in sync with your mission, or you just need a new look, project: non-profit makeover is for you!

do good Consulting has teamed up with the Champaign-Urbana Design Org (CUDO) to sponsor project: non-profit makeover, a one-day design-a-thon to create a new website, logo, letterhead, and business cards for one Illinois non-profit organization – an incredible opportunity for over $10,000 worth of FREE professional graphic design services.

Your website, logo, letterhead, and business cards speak volumes about your organization. Well-designed, sleek, aesthetic web and printed materials communicate to your audience that you are well-managed, fiscally responsible, and effective.

Too many groups struggle with outdated materials or materials designed by volunteers ages ago in incompatible formats. Today more than ever, it is critical that your materials accurately and clearly communicate your message to the public. After all, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

How does project: non-profit makeover work? Head to www.dogoodconsulting.org/projectnonprofitmakeover for contest requirements and an official application. It's easy: provide us with a brief summary of your organization’s principal activities, a description of your primary audience(s), and a cover letter by Friday, May 7.

do good and CUDO will select applicants for brief interviews in May and announce the winner June 1. The one-day design-a-thon must be attended by one organizational representative Saturday, July 10 in Champaign-Urbana.

The estimated value of this free makeover is over $10,000. Hurry: the deadline for project: non-profit makeover is Friday, May 7! Apply now!

Confused yet? Staying current and compliant with HR laws

by Jenn Raley Miller, Management & Communications Specialist, do good Consulting

By now, every employer’s head is spinning as a result of a recent flood of federal and state legislation and new regulations that affect employee policies. Some questions your organization may be asking:

• Now that health care reform has passed, is there anything I need to do right away?
• Do the extensions to unemployment and COBRA affect my organization?
• Does the recent jobs bill offer any help to employers?
• What’s this I hear about amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act? Anything we need to do differently?
• Do any of these things actually apply to an organization as small as mine?

Frankly, it’s bewildering. But don’t worry – think of this as an opportunity to do something that every employer should undertake every two to three years: a Human Resources audit.

An HR audit is a great way to take a comprehensive look at your organization’s employment policies and practices. It gives you a chance to evaluate compliance with laws, regulations, and industry best practices, and make strategic decisions about how your organization can have strong human resources policies that fit your organization’s goals and culture.

Otherwise, you end up plugging holes as you haphazardly find out about changes you need to make to your policies – resulting in a patchwork of employee policies that are poorly implemented, explained, and enforced. That’s no good for you or your employees, and it puts your organization at risk if you get audited by a government agency.

You can choose to make your organization’s HR audit as narrow or broad as you like. For example, you might decide simply to review your employee policy manual and make sure the policies are up-to-date and appropriately enforced. Or, you could choose to take a broad look at how well your organization meets employee needs in a variety of areas, from compensation and benefits to job satisfaction to workplace safety.

Feeling better? The best way to go from feeling confused and overwhelmed is to plan and be methodical. Plan and conduct an HR audit so your organization can ensure compliance with applicable laws. do good Consulting is here to help.

Q&A: Tax benefits for hiring and benefits

Dear do good:

I saw on the news that Congress recently passed some new tax incentives for small businesses that hire new employees and provide health care benefits. Are non-profits eligible, even though we are tax-exempt?
– Help Wanted in Champaign

Dear Help Wanted,

I’m so glad you asked, because the answer is, Yes!

Although non-profit organizations do not pay corporate taxes, if you have employees, you do pay a payroll tax. So it is possible for a non-profit to obtain tax benefits.

Tax Benefits for Hiring
The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE Act) passed in March provides a new tax benefit that non-profits can take advantage of, if hiring workers who were previously unemployed or only working part time. Here are the basics:

• Hire unemployed workers this year (after February 3, 2010 and before January 1, 2011).
• Your organization may qualify for a 6.2 percent payroll tax incentive.
• Basically, this is an exemption from the employer’s share of Social Security taxes on wages paid to these workers after March 18, 2010.

This tax benefit is especially helpful if your organization is adding positions to your payroll. New hires filling existing positions also qualify, but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify.

To ensure that an employee is an eligible new hire, have her/him fill out the new IRS Form W-11 (PDF). There are some important additional details to keep in mind; see the IRS website for details. It’s important that you work with whoever does your payroll to make sure the taxes and withholdings are calculated correctly.

Tax Credits for Health Insurance Benefits
The new health care reform laws include a tax credit, effective immediately, designed to encourage small employers to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain coverage they already have. The tax credit for tax-exempt organizations is up to 25% of the health care premiums paid by the organization.

Eligibility requirements include:

1. The organization must have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees (“FTEs”) for the tax year.
2. The average annual wages of its employees for the year must be less than $50,000 per FTE.
3. The employer must pay the premiums under a “qualifying arrangement," including paying at least half of the cost of single coverage for employees.

Tax-exempt organizations should contact the IRS to find out how to take advantage of this tax credit. Visit the IRS website for more details about this tax credit.

- Jenn Raley Miller, Management & Communications Specialist, do good Consulting

Wondering about the impact of public policies on your organization's human resources policies and procedures? Contact Jenn Raley Miller at 240-688-8037 or jennraleymiller@dogoodconsulting.org. Have a question for do good? Contact our experts at 217-778-1687 or dogood@dogoodconsulting.org.

ONE SIMPLE ACT

In each month’s Doing Good, you’ll find one great tip to implement over the next month. By taking this one small, achievable action each month, you can make big changes in your organization’s and your own performance, increase donations and volunteerism, and expand your group’s visibility. Give it a try!

This month's ONE SIMPLE ACT focuses on trying new technology that can help you be more efficient in your personal or professional life.

Group Profile: Faith In Place

Peas for peace? Muslims and Mennonites are working side-by-side on a community garden in the heart of Champaign-Urbana, thanks to Faith In Place. In sowing the seeds for peas and other great food, they are truly sowing the seeds of peace.

Faith In Place has organized volunteers from the First Mennonite Church and the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center to garden together through a project called "Muslims and Mennonites: Planting Peace One Seed at a Time." Peace, as discussed in dialogue between Muslim and Mennonite garden volunteers this month, is informed by sharing ecological responsibility on our common land, participating in projects that bring about positive change in communities, and learning about local food economies. The Champaign-Urbana garden will take shape this spring on land near the First Mennonite Church at Springfield and Lincoln Avenue in Urbana.

Community gardening among religious communities is one program by which Faith In Place accomplishes its mission: to give religious people tools to help them steward the Earth. Other tools include energy and water conservation resources to green religious buildings, education on connections between religion and ecology, and public advocacy and awareness among religious congregations on state-level environmental legislation.

Faith In Place has worked with over 600 congregations in the Chicagoland area. In January, Faith In Place expanded to central Illinois with an office in the University YMCA in Champaign to bring its resources to Champaign County’s religious community. Already, initial relationships have taken place with over 30 religious congregations across the county.

For more information, contact Brian Sauder, Faith In Place Central Illinois Outreach & Policy Coordinator, at 217-649-1898 or brian@faithinplace.org. To learn more about Faith In Place, see www.faithinplace.org.

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