The New 990: Getting Ready for Those Nosey Governance Questions!

By Nancy Church

IRS has completely revised the Form 990 for years beginning in 2008 - have you taken a look at it yet? If you have, you'll probably agree that the biggest changes to the form are in the non-financial parts. The Service has decided to gather more information than before about how exempt and charitable organizations are governed. Many of my professional colleagues are uncomfortable with that change, but I think it's where the agitation in Congress for more oversight - and some highly publicized cases of severe abuse of tax exempt status - pushed IRS to go.

Regardless of whether you support this move or not, your auditor or accountant will soon be asking you for help in preparing the 2008 Form 990, which is for years that began in 2008. You will need to thoroughly understand the authority and structure of the board and of its committees. You'll also need to know the organization's policies.

If your organization hasn't completely achieved good governance yet, completing the new 990 will be more challenging. Do you know where the board policies are? The best answer would be yes, they're collected safely in a binder that's kept in the office and given to each new board member. On top of that, they are recorded digitally. Has your board passed a conflict of interest policy or a whistleblower policy? Does each board position have a job description?

If you believe you're not completely prepared, here's a resource for you. Jonathan Ambramson and Randa Cleaves are partners in Avenue2possibilities LLP. They provide planning, development and training services to non-profit organizations. They have put together a workbook and checklist of actions "to ensure that your nonprofit organization will be ready" for the changes in the 990. And they are making this wonderful tool available to you on their website. www.accga2p.com/materials takes you directly to the page you'll want.

It's called "IRS Form 990 Revisions Made Easy" and it takes you through tasks you may have been avoiding for months: finding the original version of the mission statement that your organization submitted to the IRS when it applied for exempt status, pulling together a record retention policy, putting a notebook together with a job description for new board members. Each section addresses one issue and gives background and a description of what IRS believes makes up good governance. Then it moves on to pose questions, suggest what you should do, and make related recommendations.

Topics it covers include organizational documents, governing body, governance and management policies, investments, fundraising, conflicts of interest, and more. All the sources are footnoted so you can go to the original material if you want to for any reason.

In searching the internet, I haven't found another website with as many practical resources for building good governance in one place as this. If you need language to start with in crafting policies for your organization on fundraising, whistleblower protection, document retention and destruction, or others, look here first. You may save yourself hours of valuable time. - 15790

About the Author:

Don't get behind on the modifications to the Form 990! Visit Not-for-Profit Accounting Help, get the free report on stopping fraud, and let us know where to send your weekly updates on tax, finance and accounting for nonprofits!

Here Is What I Found About Cash Advance

By Don Pedro

Dealing with cash advance is something that needs extra attention since if you don't know exactly about the whole procedure it can hurt you pretty badly. So it requires proper knowledge about the whole thing. So you need to have proper guidance and advice in case of handling payday check online.

This is not a very uncommon case that you are in need of a handful of cash and there is no friend or relative who can help you with that. Well this is the case where payday online can come at your service. This service gives you the option through which you can get a load at the earliest possible time.

In the case of quick loan service, only the citizens of the particular country are eligible to get the loan from the organization within the country. Like in UK only a British citizen may receive the loan within 24 hours. This is to protect the investment of the financial institution since it is never easy to track a foreigner after providing the loan.

Never go for the cash advance company about which you are not feeling quite comfortable. Especially when there are many such organizations available for serving the same purpose why going for the one whose terms are not looking very promising? If you are not satisfied with one then there are always a number of alternatives from which you can pick one.

The advance cash giving organizations always look forward for the protection of their investments. For that, they always ensure the loans for a person who has a job at least for the last three months. It gives them a surety that the loan you are taking can be retrieved. So without a job there is a little possibility to get a 30 seconds loan.

So the first thing about you getting the loan is you must have a steady job. The financial institutions are very much aware about that and they never grant any loan before getting assured that you have a stable job.

When it comes to seeking loan from advance cash provider organizations always make sure hat the one you are going for is a reputed one. No matter how good and easy the terms are of an institution never go for them if they are not very much well known. By asking questions through online you can judge them.

In United States, in case of bad debts loan the requirement is you need to be a US citizen whose age is over 18. But if you can meet the basic requirements of an organization but not a US citizen then still you can get the loan. But not all the institution does that. So you need to search a little. - 15790

About the Author:

Don Pedro writes about interesting information about Alaska Cash Advance And No Faxing , and also Alabama Cash Advance Today on the resource site at http://www.cashadvancehints.com

The Generation Game: Do Age Groups Have Different Personalities

By Andrew Baud

Do different age groups have different personality types? A new study asks the question, and offers some surprising answers, as Talent Q founder Roger Holdsworth explains.

Age-related stereotypes abound in our society. From the portrait of selfish, feckless youth in TV shows like Skins through to the grumpy, conservative vision of old age provided by Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave.

But do these crude caricatures hold up to serious scrutiny? Or - to put it another way - do different generations have specific characteristics that we should be aware of as HR professionals?

At Talent Q, we compared nearly 4,000 people across three generations - Generation Y (with an average age of 22), Generation X (average of 35) and the Baby Boomers (average of 55) to see if there were any clear trends.

The results challenged stereotypes, but also posed some interesting questions for the future.

First, we found that those in their early 20s had higher ethical standards, showed greater attention to detail and were more socially adept than older generations. All of which goes against popular perceptions of modern youth.

But surprising, the younger generation also proved to be less adaptable to variety and change, less likely to be good decision-makers, and less able to cope with a fast pace of work. Generation Ys were also generally less organised, less keen on planning their workload and less efficient than other generations.

Should we be worried by this? Well yes, possibly.

A shifting economy means adaptability, efficiency and dynamism are key traits for a modern workforce. One study suggests that Generation Y is likely to have an average of 14 different jobs by the time they turn 35, so it is a little concerning - not to mention perverse - that the younger generations seem less well disposed to change than their elders.

The 20-somethings we studied also tended to be less resilient, less confident at negotiation and decision-making, less influential in a leadership capacity and less able or willing to follow the rules - all of which tallies with bosses' complaints in annual CBI surveys.

But there were positives to draw upon too. Our research explodes the myth that younger people tend to be surlier and more selfish than previous generations. In fact, the Generation Ys were found to be more socially aware and more in tune with other's behaviour than their elders.

They also generally showed a stronger ethical code, which bodes well as business flexes to meet important challenges like climate change and corporate social responsibility: these agendas, it would seem, are in safe hands for the future.

So what then of the 'Baby Boomers'? Can we put some of their caricatures to the sword too?

Well certainly, the idea that older generations are conservative and 'set in their ways' can be challenged quite strongly.

The 50 and 60-somethings we surveyed were more likely to adopt new techniques and more likely to favour radical ideas than the younger generations - proof that "you can teach an old dog new tricks."

But interestingly, the same generation were also found to be less ambitious, less competitive and less likely to fit in with different types of people.

The difference in ambition and competitiveness may be explained by the ageing process - with older people easing down as they approach retirement.

But the social dimension suggests one abiding stereotype may have a grain of truth to it. Our findings do appear to bear out the 'grumpy old man' tag. Statistically at least, older generations are less socially adept than younger people - so Victor Meldrew, it would seem, continues to flourish in our society!

Of course, these conclusions are interesting, sometimes quite amusing. But they come with a big health warning - and that is that they remain massive generalisations. The differences we did record - while statistically significant - remained small, suggesting that there is actually more similarity between generations than many pundits might have you believe.

So the bottom line is simple, if a bit dull: there simply are no short-cuts. All stereotypes are inevitably flawed. They exist, as someone wisely wrote, "to save a biased person the trouble of learning."

That's a lesson we should all remember before we make a snap judgement based on person's age. More often than not, you will be wrong. - 15790

About the Author:

Talent Q enables employers to recruit and manage talent through sophisticated assessment of the personality and intelligence of its people. Visit us for more information on psychometrics testing and talent assesment.

7 Fundraising Ideas for Profitable School Fundraising

By Juan Franco

Planning and managing a fundraising event can make you want to pull your hair out or perhaps start banging your head on the table out of frustration. Here are seven helpful tips that will help make your fundraiser a smooth and profitable success.

1.) Plan for Fundraising Success

Efficient planning is an integral part to the success of not only your fundraising campaign but any project you might think of. Without a well thought out plan of action chaos will reign and your project will suffer as a result. In fact, you should have a primary plan as well as a secondary and tertiary as well.

2.) There can be Only One Chief!

It probably can go without saying, but, there can only be one captain of a ship and the same holds true for your fundraiser. Too many heads doing the planning is a recipe for failure.

3.) Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Assign specific tasks to people in whom you have confidence and trust. In your planning create a list of tasks that must be accomplished and choose personnel for each task. Ensure that each of your chosen staff understands that accountability for their assigned task falls squarely on their shoulders.

4.) Promotion is Key

Get the word out about your fundraiser. Proper promotion of your event will ensure that you reach your goal. Send out press releases to local media outlets. Don't forget your own school web page is a great way to post your fundraiser and get the word out about it. Depending on the type of fundraiser you are planning will dictate if creating flyers and asking local business to place them in store windows would be helpful. There are many ways to promote an event and you should take advantage of as many of them as possible.

5.) Pre-Sell for Success

This plan of action will work very well for any type of fundraiser. If your fundraising event is a dance, dinner, guest speaker, or other ticketed type of program that is a one night event, you can benifet greatly by pre-selling your tickets. Start selling tickets long before the actual fundraising night. When items such as cookie dough are your main product start mentioning it to friends, family, and neighbors before the fundraiser begins.

6.) Multiple Income Streams

Do not put all of your eggs in one basket. Multiple income streams have been a recipe for success in business for many years and you should be running your fundraiser just like a business. If all of your efforts are concentrated in only one program, then your market may become saturated. You might even have another nearby school start the same thing your were planning to do the week before your kick your fundraiser off. If you are located in a small town, this can be a huge blow to your school fundraising success. Try using multiple events to your advantage. This is an excellent way to reach your goal as quickly as possible and spread out some of the risk.

7.) Post Fundraiser Analysis

This is not part of the actual fundraiser, but this is something that you should not overlook. Analyze how each of your school fundraising efforts performed when it is finished. Which one raised your school the most money? Which one was the easiest to do? You can use your analysis of your current campaign to enhance future fundraising efforts. It is also helpful to make notes in a journal for the next board to view in case all the faces on the board change next year. This way they don't have to re-invent the wheel like you did. - 15790

About the Author:

AIM Fundraising has been assisting schools in their school fundraising efforts since 1988. Over the years we have gleaned a few things that help to make a fundraiser the best that it can possibly be. Go to the AIM Fundraising website to learn what you can do to make your next school fundraising project even more successful.

Chase Credit Cards No Credit Required

By Louis Soul

There is no doubt that over the past years credit cards have become more important to people. Aside from being an effective way of obtaining credit, credit cards also make it easier for people to spend their money the right way.

One of the most popular brand names of credit cards in the market today is the Chase credit card. The Chase credit card is no different to other well known credit cards and like them accepted around the world. Other cards that are offered include auto cards, students and also travel.

Indeed, there are a number of ways in which Chase credit card can be advantageous and beneficial. Purchasing goods and services on the internet couldn't be simpler with the Chase credit card and is an ideal tool for people with little time to waste. Using the web site, secure of course means that managing your finances is only a few mouse clicks away.

At chase, they want to make managing your finances fast an easy and that is why they have so many happy customers. Chase credit cards also offer many deals and promotions like lower introductory APR's and waived membership fees that allow the holder to save more money.

There is more than one type of Chase credit card and loyal customers can expect to be rewarded when they use the card. For those that don't fly but still want rewards then they can have a version of the Chase card that will award you points when you spend any money. These points will then enable you to purchase from a Chase credit card catalogue and they will have your chosen item shipped to right next to your doorstep! There are holidays, plus other well sought after rewards and all at no charge to you.

There is bound to be a reward just for you including trips if that is what you like. It is the customer service that makes most people stay with or leave a company and Chase credit cards are no different. For me, it is that knowledge that if I need someone to help me, there is always someone there at any time no matter where I am. Having your card stolen or even lost for example can create a trying time until a new one is delivered safely to you which is the great benefit of the customer service facility at Chase.

If you are thinking about transferring your balance then this is the way to do it with a guaranteed six month zero percent interest rate which also incorporates current purchase balances as well. A no annual charge policy and if you pay your bill in full, there will not be any other interest charges to pay. Having a Chase credit card also allows the holder to earn cash rewards on purchases. If you are considering transferring your account or balance, it is easy over the internet with the secure server. - 15790

About the Author:

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