Tax Tips for Nonprofit Volunteers

Volunteers are an indispensable aspect of any nonprofit organization or charity. They help complete the daily tasks required, which allows your organization to continue reaching its mission or goal.

Many of you may already have a process in place for recruiting volunteers - email blasts, social media, sign-up events, and others.

But the key to secure potential volunteers is transparency. From the start, let your prospects know what you’re aiming to achieve and how they can assist. Another way to entice is explaining the benefits of volunteering. One of the many incentives for people donating services are the tax deductions.

Here are a few tips and guidelines from the IRS about claiming credits from services to charity.

Qualified Organization
Before your volunteers can deduct any service costs, the nonprofit or charity must be officially recognized by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) exempt organization - this leads right back to being transparent with your potential helpers. You’re obligated to explain whether your nonprofit is officially tax-exempt, waiting on approval, or haven’t even registered. Church and government organizations are automatically qualified.

Out-of-Pocket Spending
Volunteers can deduct traveling costs necessary to donate their services. All costs must meet the following criteria for eligibility:

• Unreimbursed expenses
• Fees accrued due to given services
• No living, family, or personal expenses
• Costs directly related to donated services

Substantial & Authentic Work
Your volunteers must perform work that is “real and valuable” to the organization. Any travel expenses are ineligible for tax credits if the volunteer duties were minimal or have no impact or significant importance with your nonprofit or charity.

Value of Services & Time
According to the IRS, volunteers can’t deduct the value of their donated services - what this means is that they can’t claim what they would typically charge for a particular service. For example, let’s say a caterer volunteers to feed your fundraising event or gala - they’re ineligible to write-off the usual amount they would’ve charged to cater such an event; however, the cost of supplies, utilities, and travel for the event are approved deductions.

Claims on Travel Costs
Travel expenses that volunteers can deduct includes

• Car expenses
• Lodging costs
• Meal expenses
• Train, air, and bus transportation
• Other transportation costs needed for local travel

Check with your community’s tax professional or CPA about how you can further explain the tax incentives for nonprofit volunteers. And once you’ve got your volunteer situation complete, visit us at ExpressTaxExempt.com for all your federal e-filing needs.

With our services, you can e-file IRS Form 990-N (e-Postcard), 990-EZ, 990 (long), and Extension Form 8868 for an automatic, 3-month tax extension. Time is starting to wind down for those of you who extended your IRS deadline to November 15 - e-file right now with ExpressTaxExempt.com to avoid any late filing fees.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the e-filing process, our U.S. - based customer support is ready to help out. Call us at 704.839.2321, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, or email us at your convenience with support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

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Why Do People Volunteer? Here Are 6 Reasons

Why do people volunteer?

That’s a big question. There are plenty of reasons why, honestly.

As a volunteer, you may identify with these yourself.

As an exempt organization, once you understand your volunteers’ motivations, you can tap into these reasons to better your recruitment!

So what are the reasons people volunteer? Here are just a few!

Personal Tie to the Cause

Basically, if a cause is important to someone, they might volunteer.

Maybe they are a cancer survivor, or are related to one. Maybe they grew up impoverished and want to help kids with disadvantages succeed in school.

Regardless, they want to help. And with this personal tie comes a passion you can’t fake.

For Resume Building

Whether you’re an entry level college grad or a seasoned worker, volunteering helps that resume.

These volunteers may seem dedicated for the “wrong reason” to some, but in the volunteer business you want to accept any helping hand.

And resume building is a legitimate act that leads many to help!

For Leadership

Beyond resume building is leadership training. While this may be a team building exercise, it might also be an entrepreneur looking to use their leadership skill set to do good.

Not only that, some people will learn valuable leadership skills FROM volunteering.

And if you want to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk. And helping a nonprofit in any way is definitely walking the walk.

To Meet People

Sure, it might sound like a strange method for making new friends, but you are likely to find people with similar interests as you if you pick a cause you care about.

And you might be meeting a future collaborator, or your next best friend. Either way, all the more reason to volunteer!

It Feels Good "Doing Good"

Sometimes, it just feels good to do good. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

One of your volunteers might get involved with your exempt organization because they want to feel good. And you should let them know they’re doing good!

Sometimes, the Doing Good crowd will be involved in the smaller gestures, like donating canned food or pledging a dollar as an add-on. But even with small gestures, the do good crowd helps out!

And while some out there cringe at the idea of helping just because you’re “doing good,” it is really the key concept to philanthropy. So we’re not gonna knock it.

Increase Your Self Awareness

And finally, when you put yourself in the role of volunteer, you are able to see things the average person doesn’t. And you increase your self awareness and your understanding of the world.

That has to be reason enough to volunteer, if you ask us.

After you bring in new recruits and key donations, make use of our bulk uploading and multi-user accounts at ExpressTaxExempt. And if you have any questions building up to the May 15th deadline, reach us by phone at 704.839.2321 or by email at Support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

What motivates your volunteers?

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Welcome to Volunteer Appreciation Month

Did you know that about 62.6 million people volunteered through or for an organization at least once between September 2014 and September 2015?

Did you also know that April is Volunteer Appreciation Month?

Good job, volunteers! Keep up the good work. And good job to our dedicated nonprofit and exempt organizations who reach out and organize their volunteers!

While volunteering differs depending on the organization, we offer our appreciation to all of you out there who have taken your time and money to better our world!

How Can You as an Exempt Organization Show Your Appreciation?

Well, communicate with your volunteer base! Send out an email or a social media message that conveys your appreciation.

If you’re already following our guide to email marketing, this should be easy for you.

Reach out to a Local Company as a Partner

Let’s be honest, there are many benefits for businesses when it comes to volunteering. They can market their products and services through events and increase their appeal to the community by helping out.

For Volunteer Month, team up with a local company that could offer your volunteer base some cool perks. This could range from free swag to discounts, depending on what the local business does.

Everyone Loves a Good Meal

It turns out collecting, preparing, distributing, and serving food were the activities volunteers performed the most in 2015. Around 11 percent of volunteers reported this as their main activity, with teaching, fundraising, and general labor following, respectively.

Show your volunteers you appreciate their efforts by throwing them an appreciation banquet, cookout, or even a pizza party!

On top of everything, these events are the perfect opportunity to reconnect with and learn more about your volunteers.

What Makes Volunteers Tick?

Appreciative emails and cookouts aside, April gives you the perfect chance to learn more about your volunteer base.

How? By surveying your base, you can find out why they volunteer, what works as a call to action, and how you can make the process easier for them.

Some people would rather donate canned goods or funds, and some would rather use their time doing hands-on activities to better the organization. Do you know which volunteers are which? This is the time for you to find out!

Of course, we would like to extend our appreciation to both volunteers and nonprofits out there! Without your dedication and philanthropy, the world would be a darker place.

Don’t forget, if you’re an exempt organization running on a calendar year, you have a deadline for your tax return on May 15th. Whether you’re e-filing Form 990-N or the 990 long, we’re here to answer any questions you may come across. Just reach out to us at 704.839.2321 or Support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

How are you going to appreciate your volunteers this month? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter!

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Want Volunteers? Reach out to Students

So you’re sending out killer emails, drawing in both donations and traffic to your social media channels. Things are looking up for your growing nonprofit—but what if you need more volunteers to achieve your mission? Sure, you can use these same methods to call people to action, but there is another approach you can consider.

Looking for a new volunteer pool to dip into? Have you considered the student population?

Students are Natural Helpers

Why students? First, understand why you can consider the local student population a great volunteer resource. Educational facilities like colleges, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools typically have good reasons to promote volunteerism.

For younger students, expect a structured volunteer system set up by teachers and parents. As students reach high school and college, they are sometimes promoted to volunteer on their own time and in student run organizations.

Understanding Student Volunteers

Why would a student want to volunteer? Yes, most people volunteer to help. For a student, they might have a grade attached to their drive. Don't’ let that dissuade you, though, because help is help! Apart from academics, sometimes participating in Greek Life requires students to volunteer, so find your local university and see how fraternities and sororities can help. For an academic approach, contact professors and instructors who can work assignments into volunteering.

When you’re dealing with student volunteers, we suggest implementing that social media campaign we talked about. Since students have a heavy social media presence, tap into that with your own customized hashtag. Hey, you might even inspire your next batch of volunteers that way!

Make Volunteering Fun

And whatever you do, make sure you keep your volunteer events fun and lively! If you’re on a campus, give out free stuff and mimic a festival atmosphere if possible. You can give out things like t-shirts, Frisbees, water bottles, or anything that you can support your cause with.

Don’t forget, any event you plan, you will want to capture with video. Still don’t have a video plan? Check and see if the school you’re working with has any budding videographers willing to volunteer their services! Grab some interviews with students from before they volunteered, during their events, and afterward and you will have some killer promotional material!

So start Googling your local colleges, and look for their student outreach programs! After you raise all those funds, be sure to e-file your tax exempt returns with ExpressTaxExempt! We offer Form 990 long, Form 990-N (e-Postcard), and Form 990-EZ. We even offer tax extension Form 8868, for nonprofits that need some more time!

Questions? Contact our dedicated support team in Rock Hill, SC by phone at 704.839.2321, live chat on our website, and by email at support@expresstaxexempt.com.

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The Volunteer Experience

For many nonprofit organizations, volunteers are an essential part of the day-to-day operations. In some ways, volunteers can prove to be just as vital as donors, if not more. You may have the resources to offer a service, but volunteers are your means of properly executing that service. Whether your nonprofit is small or large, any exempt organization can benefit from having volunteers. But are your volunteers benefiting from your organization?

Do your volunteers know what to do once they arrive to help? Are they showing up during a set schedule, or are they allowed to come and go? Do they regularly feel that there’s nothing to do, or are they unsure what to work on next? The experience your volunteers have with your organization can greatly impact future volunteering, monetary support, and even your nonprofit’s reputation.

Here are a few ways you can easily enhance the experience of your organization’s volunteers:

Organization Website
It all starts by getting volunteer information to those who are interested. As soon as a viewer enters your web page, they should be able to get that information effortlessly. Your volunteer registration form should ask the following information:

• Contact name/info
• Reason for volunteering
• Any physical constraints
• Education or special training
• Professional/volunteer experience
• Personal interest or hobbies

What may seem like extraneous information will actually help you give volunteers tasks based on their set of skills. When the volunteer is excited with what they’re doing, it’s more likely they’ll continue with their support. But signing up isn’t the only important thing. Make sure your website displays volunteering impact, available opportunities, coordinator contact info, guidelines, and release forms. Videos, photos, or testimonials from previous volunteers would be a nice touch as well.

Schedule, Communicate, & Prepare
After your volunteer has registered, communicate with them on a regular basis. They should know where to be, what to bring, and what to expect. You can personally ensure that your volunteers understand the guidelines, know their schedules, and are aware of their duties and responsibilities.

Volunteer Day (V-Day)
The most critical part of the entire experience - this should be no different than the first day of a new employee, board member, or important donor. Here a some suggested guidelines:

• Provide distinct instruction and expectation before volunteers arrive
• Have a leadership member greet volunteers and escort them to the volunteering area (room, section, hub, etc.)
• Have the volunteer coordinator share details of the organization - including the need for volunteers
• Demonstrate what volunteers will be doing over the course of their scheduled time
• Let volunteers work
• Allow the necessary work breaks
• Take a photo or video of volunteers working
• Allow the volunteers to mitigate back in the volunteer area
• Inquire about today’s experience, thank volunteers for their time, and let them leave

Recognition - The Follow-Up
Within 24 hours, you should follow up with your volunteers with either a “Thank You” call or email. Any photos or videos can be posted on social media along with public acknowledgement of the group and volunteer support. Even if you already asked, you may still want to inquire about their experience. Sending electronic surveys to your volunteers can provide feedback or insight.

Follow-ups can also be used to request donations. Studies have shown that volunteers give ten times more in donations than non-volunteers - a reason why your volunteer experience should be top-notch to begin with. Any volunteering program your organization has in place should be as crucial as bringing in new donors. Not only does it reflect upon your organization’s reputation, but those volunteers could become your next major donors. And while you’re focused on that, let us make filing your tax-exempt returns as easy as possible.

With ExpressTaxExempt, our built-in audit check scans your information entered for any possible errors that could cause a rejection - so you can transmit an accurate form the first time around. If your 990 form is still rejected, you can make corrections and re-transmit it at no extra charge.

Look no further for the most comprehensive help in the industry to assist with your e-filing process. Our live technical support team in Rock Hill, South Carolina is available for any questions or assistance with e-filing our tax-exempt forms. Contact us at (704) 839-2321, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We also offer 24/7 support through email at support@expresstaxexempt.com.

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