Recent News & Blog / Nonprofit
6 ways nonprofit retirement plans are changing
The SECURE Act 2.0 includes many provisions affecting 403(b) retirement plans. Make sure your nonprofit is adhering to the rules and implementing optional enhancements where they make sense. Contact the CPAs and business advisors at SEK for the latest tips for your not for profit.
Internal hiring can help fill your nonprofit’s open job positions
For the past two years, the U.S. unemployment rate has remained below 4%. This is great news for jobseekers but it can make hiring for your not-for-profit challenging. Consider looking within. By promoting existing staffers, you can save on the costs of recruiting workers. In addition, the process could go faster because you already know the candidates. However, hiring internally has the potential to create resentment among staffers. Contact the CPA's and business advisors at SEK for tips on how to run your nonprofit.
Nonprofits: Encouraging charitable donors to include you in their estate plans
Planned, legacy or deferred gifts are often larger than current donations, so not-for-profits can’t afford to neglect pursuing them. These gifts generally are made through wills and living trusts, retirement plan and life insurance beneficiary designations, or via more complex charitable annuities and trusts. Include information about planned gifts on your website and in promotional materials and emphasize the potential tax benefits. Contact the CPA's and business advisors at SEK with your financial questions and for more tips.
Nonprofits: 3 tips for making the financial statement auditing process smoother
Not-for-profits aren’t required to produce audited financial statements. But such statements are more likely to reassure stakeholders about your financial stability and generally will be required if you apply for a bank loan. Make the process easier by presenting your auditor with estimates and other requested documents. Your auditor will determine whether your internal controls, accounting policies and estimates are adequate to prevent or detect material errors or fraud. Contact the CPA's and business tax advisors at SEK for guidance with your not for profit or for more tax tips!
Nonprofits: Why uncertainty calls for a more flexible budget
When times are turbulent, your not-for-profit’s budget could end up falling short. Even if you’ve already made a fixed budget for 2024, consider taking a different approach in the future. Identify variable costs and revenues and the effect trigger events might have on them. Then reforecast items likely to differ substantially from your original estimates. Contact the CPA's and business advisors at SEK to answer your tax questions and for more tax tips.
Nonprofits: Got independent contractors? Get to know Form W-9
If your not-for-profit is shorthanded, you may decide to engage independent contractors to pick up some of the slack. Just make sure you’re collecting the right information. Organizations need a completed Form W-9 for every nonemployee they pay for services. If a contractor doesn’t provide you with a Tax Identification Number or the number is wrong, the IRS may require you to “backup withhold” a portion of payments. Contact the CPA's and business tax advisors at SEK for your tax questions and more tax tips and tax news.
Going global: How your nonprofit can navigate potential obstacles
Are you planning to make 2024 the year your not-for-profit ventures overseas? If you plan to solicit donations, recruit members, employ staffers or sell products in foreign countries, make sure you’ve analyzed potential tax and legal issues, at home and abroad. A cultural advisory committee that includes expatriates can help you navigate new markets. And we can analyze your financials to help ensure the venture is feasible. Contact the CPA's and business advisors at SEK for tax guidance, tax tips and tax news!
Nonprofits: When are sponsorship and advertising payments subject to tax?
Sponsorship and advertising can provide a real boost to your not-for-profit’s income. However, if sponsors or advertisers receive a “substantial benefit” or if providing benefits isn’t a related business activity, you may owe unrelated business income tax (UBIT). If you’re seeking sponsors or advertisers for your nonprofit and aren’t sure what’s taxable, contact the CPA's and business tax advisors at SEK for tax tips and tax questions.
Nonprofits: Using the personal touch for last-minute fundraising
As 2023 hurtles toward Dec. 31, your not-for-profit probably is fully engrossed in last-minute fundraising. One of the most effective year-end strategies is to have board members reach out to family, friends and professional contacts. Board members should “humanize” their request with personal stories illustrating why they support your nonprofit’s mission. Contact the CPA's and business tax advisors at SEK with questions about fundraising and other tax tips.
Nonprofits: Consider these 2 issues before searching for new staffers
Despite many predictions to the contrary, U.S. employers have continued to add workers to their payrolls and the unemployment rate has remained low. Is your nonprofit among the employers that need new staffers? To make the right decision, conduct a human resources assessment. Our CPA's and business tax advisors can help your nonprofit by reviewing your finances and suggesting ways to free up cash. Contact us today for all more tax tips and financial advice.