|

COBRA Changes Related to New COVID-19 Legislation

Did you know that COBRA health coverage is included in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)? This change in regulation allows qualified individuals to gain coverage on or after April 1, 2021 without requiring them to pay premiums from the original loss of coverage date. Employers will need to pay the COBRA premium of effected…

| |

Whistleblower Policies Protect Both Staffers and Your Nonprofit

According to the Nonprofit Times, only 41% of not-for-profits have whistleblower policies. Perhaps nonprofit leaders believe their organizations are too small or collegial to worry about illicit activities — let alone people reporting them. Or perhaps a whistleblower policy seems like one more thing that requires time and money they don’t have. This is a…

New Legislation Proposes to Help “Rescue” Nonprofits

No one needs to tell nonprofit organizations how tough the past year has been. According to the John Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 7.7% of not-for-profit workers — nearly one million people — lost their jobs between February 2020 and January 2021. An even higher percentage of arts and education organizations lost jobs last…

The latest on COVID-related deadline extensions for health care benefits

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01, which is of interest to employers. It clarifies the duration of certain COVID-19-related deadline extensions that apply to health care benefits plans. Extensions to continue The DOL and IRS issued guidance last year specifying that the COVID-19 outbreak period — defined as beginning…

|

Nonprofits: Hit Your Targets With Benchmarking

How committed is your not-for-profit organization to benchmarking? Perhaps you think it makes sense in the for-profit sphere, but not as much for charities and other nonprofits. If so, you’re probably missing out on benefits — including long-term sustainability. Here’s how to overcome reluctance and learn to love benchmarking. True impact Even if your staff…

|

Rebuilding Your Nonprofit’s Operating Reserves

Events of the past year put a dent in many not-for-profit’s reserves. Perhaps you tapped this stash to buy personal protective equipment or to pay staffers’ salaries when your budget no longer proved adequate. As the pandemic wanes and economic conditions improve, you’ll need to start thinking about rebuilding your operating reserves. Back on steady…

|

Defrauded? How to Help Your Nonprofit Recover

Thousands of not-for-profit organizations fall victim to embezzlement schemes every year — some even losing millions of dollars. But losses go beyond actual dollar amounts. The hit to a group’s reputation may scare off donors, grantmakers and other supporters. However, with the right response, nonprofits can bounce back from fraud. Here’s how. One best practice…

|

How Nonprofits Can Work With Social Media Influencers

With the competition for donation dollars fierce right now, many not-for-profits are turning to influencers — from Hollywood celebrities to politicians to blog stars — to raise awareness of their organizations and causes. But before your nonprofit solicits influencer support, there are a few things you should know. On the plus side If influencer marketing…

It may be Time to Tune up Your Nonprofit’s Accounting Function

Many organizations get stuck in procedural ruts because it’s easier in the short term to continue doing things the way they’ve always been done. But it generally pays to regularly review your not-for-profit’s accounting function for inefficiencies and oversight gaps. You might plan to conduct a review once a year or perform an assessment whenever…

New Revenue Idea? Watch Out for the Commerciality Doctrine

If your not-for-profit has lost financial support during the pandemic, you may be looking for ways to raise new revenue. But if your proposed solution is a side business, be careful. Even when business ventures are related to a nonprofit’s exempt purpose, they can run afoul of the commerciality doctrine — and jeopardize an organization’s…