If your not-for-profit is trying to fulfill its mission with less volunteer help these days, you’re not alone. A December 2021 Gallop poll found that although donating to charity has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, volunteering was still down. Only 56% of survey respondents said they’d volunteered in the past year, compared with 64% in […]
Category: Charity
4 Tips For Rebuilding Your Operating Reserves
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven home many lessons for nonprofits, perhaps none so much as the importance of operating reserves. If your nonprofit is among those organizations with dramatically depleted — or nonexistent — reserves, here are some steps you can take to remedy the situation. 1. Achieve buy-in. It sometimes can be difficult to […]
Educate Your Children On Wealth Management
If you’ve worked a lifetime to build a large estate, you undoubtedly would like to leave a lasting legacy to your children and future generations. Educating your children about saving, investing and other money management skills can help keep your legacy alive. Teaching techniques There’s no one right way to teach your children about money. […]
Did You Give To Charity In 2021? Make Sure You Have Substantiation
If you donated to charity last year, letters from the charities may have appeared in your mailbox recently acknowledging the donations. But what happens if you haven’t received such a letter — can you still claim a deduction for the gift on your 2021 income tax return? It depends. The requirements To prove a charitable […]
Handle Your Nonprofit’s Restricted Gifts With Care
Most not-for-profits encourage donors to make unrestricted contributions that will give the organization flexibility to use the money where it’s needed most. But there will always be some donors who place restrictions on their gifts — and these require a higher level of responsibility. If your nonprofit fails to use a restricted donation as intended, […]
Should Your Established Nonprofit Sponsor A Smaller Project?
During the initial COVID-19 outbreak, a small community group decided to organize grocery deliveries to low-income seniors. Time was of the essence and participants in the fledgling project didn’t have time to file for 501(c)(3) status or build fiscal infrastructure. Fortunately an established nonprofit agreed to act as a fiscal sponsor — providing a legal […]
Why Excess Benefit Transactions Are Out-Of-Bounds
Emily was a dedicated board member of her community’s most prominent social-services charity. But her commitment to the cause and the nonprofit’s programs didn’t prevent her from inadvertently violating the rule against excess benefit transactions. This happened when the organization wanted to build a new facility and bought land from her even though similar, and […]
Established Nonprofits Must Continue To Build And Grow
If your not-for-profit was well-established before 2020, it has probably weathered the pandemic and economic stress of the past year-and-a-half better than younger organizations. But as you transition out of “survival” mode, challenges remain, including those faced by most nonprofits, such as finding staffers and fundraising in an inhospitable environment. Then there are obstacles specific […]
Feeling Generous At Year End? Strategies For Donating To Charity Or Gifting To Loved Ones
As we approach the holidays, many people plan to donate to their favorite charities or give money or assets to their loved ones. Here are the basic tax rules involved in these transactions. Donating to charity Normally, if you take the standard deduction and don’t itemize, you can’t claim a deduction for charitable contributions. But […]
Preparing Your Nonprofit For An Enviable Challenge
Contending with a large outpouring of support sounds like a problem any not-for-profit would embrace. But, in fact, it’s possible to become overwhelmed by supporter interest and donations — particularly if your organization is small or relatively new. Expanded tax deductions for charitable gifts made in 2021 may boost giving this holiday season. Make sure […]