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DOING
GOOD MAY 2010 || HR, TAX LAWS, COMPLIANCE, OH MY!
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-
May 7 deadline: project: non-profit makeover
- Confused yet? Staying
current and compliant with HR laws
- Q&A: Tax benefits for
hiring and benefits
- ONE SIMPLE ACT
- Group Profile: Faith In
Place
May 7 deadline: project: non-profit makeover
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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your website, logo, letterhead, and business cards are out of
date,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
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/projectnonprofitmakeover/]
is
for you!
do good Consulting has teamed up with the
Champaign-Urbana Design
Org [http://thecudo.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with outdated materials or materials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
[http://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
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/projectnonprofitmakeover]
is
Friday, May 7! Apply now
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/projectnonprofitmakeover]!
Confused
yet? Staying current and compliant with HR laws
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by
Jenn Raley Miller [jennraleymiller@dogoodconsulting.org],
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
[http://www.healthreform.gov/] has
passed, is there anything I
need to do right away?
* Do the
extensions to unemployment
[http://www.ides.state.il.us/individual/certify/extension/default.asp]
and
COBRA
[http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-cobra-premiumreductionEE.html]
affect
my organization?
* Does the recent jobs bill
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/18/putting-americans-back-work]
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] is here to help.
Q&A:
Tax benefits for hiring and benefits
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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
[http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw11.pdf]
(PDF). There are some
important additional details to keep in mind;
see the IRS website
for details
[http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=220745,00.html].
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.
[http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=220848,00.html]
-
Jenn Raley Miller [jennraleymiller@dogoodconsulting.org],
Management
& Communications Specialist, do good Consulting
Wondering
about the impact of public policies on your
organization's human
resources policies and procedures].
ONE SIMPLE ACT
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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.
May's ONE SIMPLE ACT is:
Check out do good's
list of websites and other tech
tools
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/resources/documents/Computers_Dont_Bite.pdf],
which
are organized based on what you'd like to accomplish. Sign
up and/or
try just one of these tools to see if it helps you be
more efficient
at getting yourself organized, getting the word
out, recruiting
volunteers, and more!
Group
Profile: Faith In Place
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Peas
for peace]. 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 [brian@faithinplace.org]. To
learn more
about Faith In Place, see www.faithinplace.org
[http://www.faithinplace.org].
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ALERT!
IRS filing requirements
Starting May 15, the IRS may begin to
revoke the tax-exempt
status of any organization that has not filed
some version of the
Form 990 (including the Form 990-EZ or Form
990-N) within the
last few years.
Prior to 2006, non-profits
with annual revenue less than $25,000
did not need to file with the
IRS. However, the Pension
Protection Act of 2006 includes a
requirement that all charities
file tax forms. The law directs the
IRS to revoke exemptions for
groups that fail to file for three years
in a row.
At the moment, the IRS does not seem to be moving
aggressively to
revoke the tax-exempt status of non-compliant
organizations.
Visit the IRS website for details.
[http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=217087,00.html]
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Search
Support for Visual Thinkers
Not everyone thinks in straight lines.
Thankfully, there are a
number of graphic-interface search engines.
"Galleries" list
results in an order similar to what you would find
on other
engines. For those who don't think that way, there are a
variety
of others which group key words by relevance. Try a few and
see
what you like!
Sites with Alternate Groupings:
www.quintura.com
[http://www.quintura.com]
www.oskope.com [http://www.oskope.com]
www.ziipa.com
[http://www.ziipa.com]
Sites with Galleries:
www.viewzi.com
[http://www.viewzi.com]
www.search-cube.com
[http://www.search-cube.com]
www.middlespot.com
[http://www.middlespot.com]
-by Elizabeth Simpson
[elizabethsimpson@dogoodconsulting.org],
Group Dynamics Specialist,
do good Consulting
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Providing
Anchors in Stormy Times
As management shifts or budgets tighten,
staff get antsy and
productivity goes down. The most important step
in such
circumstances is to be clear about what's happening. Have
full-staff,
in-person meetings to get everyone on the same page
about the
changes occurring. Clearly define what is changing, and
what isn't.
If there is an unknown, be upfront about it. In the
meeting:* Explain
the purpose behind the change. People will not
support what they
don't understand.
* Create a vision of why the change is worthwhile.
Without a
shared goal, staff will flounder in difficult times.
*
Define a step-by-step plan. This lays the groundwork to mark
progress
and measure results.
* Give each person a part to play in the
process, so that
everyone has a tangible role in the change.
During
times of change it is especially appropriate to recognize
contributions
and provide positive feedback to staff. In
particular, for those who
may move to other jobs, be supportive
by providing resources and
guidance for that process.
-by Elizabeth Simpson
[elizabethsimpson@dogoodconsulting.org],
Group Dynamics Specialist,
do good Consulting
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SOCIAL
JUSTICE NOMINEES SOUGHT: McKinley Church & Foundation
[http://www.mckinley-church.org]
seeks nominations for their 2010
Social Justice Awards, which
recognize students, individuals, and
student and community
organizations that demonstrate dedication
to advancing a cause of
social justice locally, nationally, or
internationally. The award is
accompanied by a $500 gift to the
organization selected. Nominations
are due by 5PM June 11. To
nominate, complete this form
[http://www.mckinley-church.org/Forms/Social%20Justice%20Nomination%20Form.pdf].
More
information here [http://www.mckinley-church.org/index.php]
at
217-344-0297.
MAJOR GIFTS SEMINAR: Developing & Implementing
Solicitation
Strategies for the Major Gift
[http://afpcentralillinois.org/calendar]
will be presented from
8:30AM-4PM Wednesday, May 19 by Bill
Sturtevant, Vice President
for Principal Gifts at the University of
Illinois Foundation.
Best Western Ashland House, Morton, IL. Lunch
provided.
Registration: $65-$90 depending on AFP membership. To
register,
contact Beth Gilbert [Beth.Gilbert@peoriaymca.org].
BOOTCAMP
FOR NEW NON-PROFIT LEADERS: North Park University
[http://www.northpark.edu/]'s
BootCamp July 7-9 is designed to
help new non-profit leaders
determine what should be on their
radar screens as they assume a new
leadership role. Aimed at
CEOs/Executive Directors who have been in
their role for under
three years, the three-day intensive experience
will accelerate
learning. Click here
[http://www.northpark.edu/Centers/Axelson-Center-for-Nonprofit-Management/Miracle-Major-Gifts.aspx]
to
download the Non-profit BootCamp brochure and application.
Application
deadline: June 1.
DUMP & RUN: The University YMCA
[http://www.universityymca.org]
in Champaign, IL will host a "Dump
& Run
[http://www.universityymca.org/dumpandrun/]" event,
collecting
and re-selling reusable items that would otherwise be
discarded
during the typical move-out /spring cleaning period each
May. The
Y sells items at a huge annual "garage sale" each August.
The
project reduces waste, saves landfill space, provides inexpensive
items
for folks to buy, and raises funds for University Y
programs. For
May collection/drop-off times, click here
[http://www.universityymca.org/dumpandrun/].
The sale itself is
8AM-4PM Sat., Aug. 21 ($2 admission) and 11AM-6PM
Sun., Aug. 22
($3 bag sale, and 1/2 price furniture, and free sale
from
4:30PM-6PM). For more information, contact Becca Guyette
[becca@universityymca.org]
at 217-337-1500.
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE: The 12th Annual
Illinois Leadership
Conference: Understand... Imagine... Create!
will be held
Wednesday, June 9 at Jumer's Chateau Hotel in
Bloomington, IL.
Designed for those in leadership positions, serving
on a board of
directors, working on community projects or with
committees, or
seeking to manage and lead more effectively, the
conference will
help attendees learn more about turning their ideas
into action.
Topics include managing generational differences,
developing and
managing a volunteer base, and alternative energy
options in
Illinois. The $75 event will feature learning stations for
participants
to explore successful strategies and effective
programs for
community and organizational improvement. Includes
refreshment
breaks, lunch, and all materials. For more
information, contact Anne
Heinze Silvis [asilvis@illinois.edu]
or click here
[http://web.extension.illinois.edu/illinoisleadership/index.cfm].
VOLUNTEER
CONFERENCE: On Thursday, June 10, the 2nd Annual East
Central
Illinois Volunteer Conference will be held at Heartland
Community
College in Normal, IL. In addition to two national
keynote speakers,
local volunteer professionals will lead
workshop sessions on a
variety of current topics and trends. For
more information go to
www.ecivc.net [http://www.ecivc.net].
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With
decades of real-life experience and proven results in
non-profit,
small business, and community-based work, do good
Consulting
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org] brings a wealth of
knowledge in
developing the effectiveness of organizations across
Illinois.
Whether you need assistance with fundraising
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/fundraising.html],
strategic
planning
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/strategic_program_planning.html],
hiring
help
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/hiring.html],
communications
and marketing
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/marketing_media_comm.html],
grantwriting
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/fundraising.html],
database work, or teambuilding
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/interpersonal_dynamics.html],
or
board development
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/board_dev_train.html],
do
good can help.
Through dynamic and customized workshops and
trainings,
one-on-one sessions, strategic advice, and plan
development, do
good Consulting helps small- to mid-sized
organizations and
businesses raise more money, involve more people,
and do the good
work they do even better. do good's associates
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/consultants/]
work with clients
to develop a better sense of organizational
possibilities and
potential while creating realistic and practical
step-by-step
plans and ideas for implementation and lasting impact.
Learn more
about do good Consulting's trainings, services
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/],
and resources
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/resources/].
For
more information on do good Consulting's associates
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/consultants/],
consulting and
training services
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/services/],
free resources
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/resources/],
clients
[http://www.dogoodconsulting.org/clients/], and more, go
to
www.dogoodconsulting.org [http://www.dogoodconsulting.org].
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Thanks,
Laura
Huth, do good Consulting