The CARES Act provides that the new deduction cannot be used by itemizing taxpayers—these taxpayers are still permitted to take their charitable contributions “below the line” as itemized deductions. This new benefit is limited to $300 on both individual and joint returns, and only applies to tax year 2020.This benefit underscores the important responsibility that nonprofits carry to ensure that their donors receive appropriate acknowledgements and receipts for their donations.  While it is not[…]

With so many nonprofits cancelling, postponing, or moving their big annual celebrations, galas, graduations, and fundraisers, not only are nonprofits seeking new opportunities for revenue generation, they may have also missed out on their annual volunteer appreciation celebrations.Did your organization take your regular volunteer appreciation event or celebration off the schedule for this year? With restrictions on in-person gatherings and celebrations, this is definitely a sign of the times and[…]

I am an avid newspaper reader. For more than 25 years, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to catch up on the news of the day from my own home without a computer screen!I’ve been interested in following so many different headlines and stories these days and I’m especially enthusiastic about the now growing sports section.  After so many months with most sports on hold, news of the upcoming baseball season has me in an anticipatory mood.  I’ve been following the stories of this week’s[…]

We have had to adopt so many new important daily practices to stay safe and healthy in the midst of the pandemic: social distancing, wearing masks, staying at home, keeping up with the number of infections, are just a few. At my house, we have also been focused on keeping up with friends and loved ones, baking new foods, hunting for hard to find items (like: disinfectant wipes, toilet paper, and cream of wheat cereal) as well as cleaning and clearing out closets and preparing to donate items[…]

If you follow this blog, you may have read my post from a few weeks ago about the rising levels of public trust in America’s nonprofit sector.  I cited a recent study conducted by Luth Research, and the Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences which showed that public trust levels in the nonprofit sector are on the upswing in the midst of the pandemic. The report also showed that the public’s trust in nonprofits is much stronger than trust[…]

The Standards for Excellence Institute Announces that the 2020 Licensed Consultant Training Program will Take Place in a Virtual Setting Over Five Days, Deadline Extended to July 15, 2020The Standards for Excellence Institute continues to actively monitor the incidence of COVID-19 in our region and across the nation. As we reviewed and evaluated the current situation, it has become increasing clear that offering the Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant program virtually is the best[…]

So much of our experiences in the last few months have been out of the ordinary. So many intense, long work-days with short turn-around projects, presentations, and meetings—working diligently to meet the needs and challenges before us. One of the things that strikes me as truly extraordinary during the recent months working remotely is how much time I have invested in acquiring new skills, delving into topics and technologies for which my expertise was initially fairly elementary (or a brand[…]

I read with interest a recent article from the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled “Philadelphia Mulls Protections for COVID-19 Workplace Whistleblowers.” (June 11, 2020 by Karen Kahn). The story discusses a bill that the Philadelphia City Council is considering which would protect employees who speak up about unsafe conditions in their workplaces related to COVID-19 risks and transmissions.The story cites the findings from the National Employment Law Project (NELP)’s recent study, Silenced About[…]

Like you, we follow the headlines. Of course, the headlines have been dominated the last few months with news and updates about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our communities, country and world. We’ve been keeping up with the infection rates, the numbers of deaths and recoveries, and the situations related to stay-at-home orders and news on re-opening. Most recently, we’ve been overwhelmed and profoundly saddened by the headlines about systemic racism, life-threatening situations faced[…]

News headlines in the recent past have been filled with stories of candidates for political office using nonprofit organizations as backdrops for their campaigning efforts without asking for permission and in some cases, while harming people in the process. To many, these graphics are disturbing. To others, the graphics are sickening, grotesque, or worse. What happens if a political candidate approaches your organization with a request to hold a campaign event, such as announcing their candidacy[…]