Tax, Legal & Compliance

Overtime Pay or No Overtime Pay? What Nonprofits Are Doing (And What Should They Do?)
November 28, 2016 at 11:32 am

The new overtime regulations may be implemented or repealed in the coming months. How will nonprofits handle the situation if the regulated overtime pay is no longer required? If they have implemented an overtime-pay-for-extra-work model, how do they then undo it without crashing employee morale and inciting the mass exodus of disgruntled employees that could follow? I talked to several nonprofits to see how they have been preparing...

Federal Court Blocks Overtime Rule Set to Take Effect Next Week
November 23, 2016 at 9:16 am

Yesterday, a federal judge blocked President Obama's rule to amend overtime rule regulations, which was set to take effect next Thursday, Dec. 1. U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant agreed with the 21 states and a group of businesses, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that the rule is unlawful, Reuters reported...

Trump Tax Plan Could Reduce 2017 Charitable Giving by Up to $26.1B
November 10, 2016 at 11:28 am

As America alternately celebrates and copes with the results of the country's most grueling and contentious presidential election since its birth, nonprofits are already looking ahead. Yesterday, we talked immediate reaction to a Donald Trump presidency. Today, we're looking at the numbers. They don't look great...

'Disgusting Activity': Why Charities Need to Vet Fundraisers, Protect Trademarks
November 7, 2016 at 10:52 am

Dennis Daugherty wanted to give back, so he decided to host a charity golf tournament for Make-A-Wish Foundation. It would be perfect. Picturesque greens, the whoosh of swinging drivers cutting through the fall breeze, golfers raising money for a great cause—you can't beat that. But there were two minor problems...

Fake Check Scam Returns to Target Charities
November 4, 2016 at 9:20 am

Back in February, BBB Wise Giving Alliance alerted the charitable community about a fake-check overpayment scam. It appears this scam is continuing using different names and affiliations, but the same scenario. Charities receive an email from an individual expressing interest in making a five-figure donation, and the individual then sends the gift using overnight mail.…

Goodwill Omaha CEO Resigns After Investigation Into Executive Pay
November 4, 2016 at 9:14 am

The CEO of Goodwill Omaha resigned last week in the wake of a World-Herald investigation showing that the charity’s top-dollar executive pay has consumed the profits of its signature thrift stores, leaving scant dollars for programs to help disabled and needy job seekers. Frank McGree, the 64-year-old who led the Omaha charity for 30 years,…

Whistleblowing About Nonprofit's Lavish Spending Cost Bookkeeper Her Job, Suit Claims
November 2, 2016 at 10:20 am

A Portland, Ore., bookkeeper—who said she couldn't stay quiet about "disturbing" spending by a nonprofit organization that was supposed to help Oregon's foster children—is suing her former employer for $375,000, claiming she was wrongfully fired from her job. Deborah Muller said in a lawsuit filed last week that she lost sleep after her boss, certified…

Study: Nonprofits Spending More on Staff, Adding Volunteer Hours
November 1, 2016 at 10:16 am

According to "The Nonprofit Almanac, 2016: The Essential Facts and Figures for Managers, Researchers and Volunteers," updated and released by the Urban Institute, growth in the sector occurred mostly in the health care and social assistance sectors, which include hospitals, mental health centers, crisis hotlines, blood centers, soup kitchens, senior centers and similar organizations. That…

Can Nonprofits Afford to Pay a Living Wage?
October 24, 2016 at 10:22 am

Some Minnesota nonprofits are starting to boost their wages as a moral and economic good. Nonprofit landlord and developer Aeon raised the minimum pay for its workers to $15 this year, $5.50 more than the state’s minimum—ensuring a raise for 34 of its 119 employees. People Serving People, which helps homeless families, has set a…

IT on a Budget: 7 Ways to Secure Your Database and Protect Donor Info
October 21, 2016 at 10:42 am

For nonprofit organizations, finding high-quality, low-cost IT resources can be a challenge. You may not have the budget, or the in-house with a deep enough background in technology to know what the best decisions are. This is especially true when it comes to data protection. Your donors are your greatest asset, and the last thing they want is to have to worry about whether or not you are preventing their personal information from being stolen...