New Leadership? No Problem: Organizational Leadership Transition Tips

As we ease into the month of July, some organizations are embracing [or planning to elect] new leadership to continue carrying out the work of their group. Good leaders strive to leave their organization in good standing and provide future leaders with ample information to ensure a smooth transition. While some organizations in this predicament may have a transition method in place to train new leaders, there are others that may need or want to implement some useful strategies to ensure the core leadership of their group remains solid.

Major things such as annual tax filing due dates, record keeping, or maintaining tax-exempt status cannot afford to “fall by the wayside” during each transition of leadership.

At ExpressTaxExempt, we realize that your mission is to help others, so now, let us help you! Here are some leadership transition tips that could be beneficial to your organization:

TRANSITION CHECKLIST

Get Organized - Prior to new leaders beginning their term, try your best to make sure things are organized so that leaders can focus on their duties without having to go against any unnecessary roadblocks.

Leadership Transition Binder - A great tool and gift to incoming leaders is to provide them with a binder that has all of the documents they need to be successful in their new leadership role. They will reference these items throughout their tenure, so make sure they are detailed and organized.

• *Each binder should have general “must-haves” like the organization’s bylaws, calendar of events, etc., as well as specific documents that would be helpful to the individual and their position. For example, the organization’s treasurer or director of finance should receive information like previous financial records, state tax forms/info, tax filing information (EIN/Tax ID#, bank account information, pending significant financial transactions, fundraising information) and more.

-Discuss Organization’s Policies & Procedures

-Set realistic goals and objectives for the year
-Go over each leader’s duties in detail. Explain what they are and are not responsible for.  
-Inform New Leaders of Key External Relationships

• *For leadership roles that require working relationships with other leaders outside of the organization, a Contact Sheet should be provided with contact information (name, title, email address, phone number) for each individual. 

With these useful tools and tips, your leadership team should be on the road to success as they continue to carry out the great work that your organization does from day to day. Be sure to keep your tax-exempt status by annually filing with ExpressTaxExempt. Unsure of your filing deadline? We have a Fiscal Tax Year Filing Calendar available for you to take advantage of. Enjoy your summer and feel free to comment with any other leadership transition tips and we’ll add them in!

Read More »

A Nonprofit New Year

It’s the start of a brand new year, and you probably have a laundry list of goals that you want to get completed, some policies you might want to change, and things that will make your nonprofit more efficient. With all the resolutions and changes you want to implement this year, the most important one is so far beyond your radar it’ll sound appalling when you first hear, but perfect once you understand it.

*trumpet fanfare* 2016 New Year’s Resolution: Do Less

You read that correct - absolutely!

Now we’re not talking about becoming lethargic (as if anyone in the nonprofit community knows of being lethargic) - to “do less” means to focus only on the most important tasks. Scratch off anything that comes across small in the grand scheme of things - a trivial meeting, a less-than-stellar grant, or a minimal event.

You may have a great idea for an event or something, or your whole staff has no problem coming up with ideas to raise money. But when the execution of these ideas falls flat, we claim lack of money, resources, or time when actually it’s the fact that everyone was spread out too thin.

If each person on your staff focused their time, energy, and resources towards the most essential things your nonprofit needs, you’ll find that the efficient means are there - just maybe not enough for an extra fundraiser, grant proposal, or a team pow-wow.

Sacrifice is the name of the game, but it can yield some amazing results. Anything that is last-minute shouldn’t even remain on your scope because if it was something essential to the life of the nonprofit, it wouldn’t be a last-minute thing to get done.

With so much to do, how can I do less?
Let’s take fundraising, for example. Every month, or however often, your organization attempts to bring in donations by having an event. As soon as one is done, resources are channeled towards the next one. Instead, let’s invest a significant amount of effort towards properly thanking those who have donated before. Why? To have them donate regularly, thus having to fundraise less.

Do you find yourself trying to score every grant that shows up? You can either put in the sufficient effort towards one large grant, or aim for many small grants that don’t require much effort, but can add up closely to a large grant.

Be progressive. You don’t have to drop many things at once. Start with just one thing to completely stop doing, and as time goes on, drop another thing if possible. “Less is more,” as the saying goes, and by focusing on the “major” goals instead of “every” goal, you’ll notice your nonprofit accomplish more of the work that matters most.

And speaking of work that matters most, don’t let yourself get too tied up filing your tax-exempt returns. Let ExpressTaxExempt help you with our exempt forms made easy. We support Form 990-N (e-Postcard), Form 990-EZ, and Form 990 (Long), which you can e-file quicker, easier, and with far less mistakes than paper filing.

Our live support professionals in Rock Hill, South Carolina are on stand-by to lend assistance at any point of your e-filing experience. For questions, concerns, or further help, give us a call at (704) 839-2321, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We also accept emails at any time of the day with our 24/7 email support at support@expresstaxexempt.com.

Read More »

End of the Year Tips

The end of the year is just a mere three weeks away. And just like Santa checks his list twice, you should also double-check and make sure your exempt organization is well within regulation before the year is at an end. A new year means new beginnings and there’s nothing worse than attempting a fresh start with old baggage.

So what we have prepared are a few blogs that detail a number of tax responsibilities that should be accomplished around this time of year. Feel free to give each a read, make note to what’s already been done or what needs to be done, and have your exempt organization end the year on the nice list rather than naughty.

By Year’s End

The pressure is on to get everything in order before the new year, and time is quickly ticking away. You probably have even less time than most people, if you’re operating a nonprofit or charity organization. With this season geared towards gift-giving and donations, your load might be heavier than ever.

However, you can’t allow yourself to get lost in this seasonal wave of generosity. This blog offers seven tasks that experts agree should be completed by tax-exempt organizations before the year is over. From annual Board of Directors meetings to updating current solicitation registrations, and even thanking your donors with proper gift receipts, the information here will have your exempt organization ending the year as strong as possible.

End of Year Tax Tips For Nonprofit Organizations

If the title wasn’t self-explanatory enough, the information in this blog explains the annual renewal of an exempt organization’s Articles of Incorporation with the state. With organizations that solicit charitable contributions locally, you are required to register your nonprofit in that one state; however, if your contributions are solicited nationally, you need to register within each state’s jurisdiction.

It also goes into a little interest piece of information about how your nonprofit can make money from its intellectual properties without it being considered as unrelated business income.

Things To Know: Gift Acceptance Policy

Quite possibly one of the most important issues within nonprofits this time of year, this blog demonstrates the importance of having a gift acceptance policy in place. ‘Tis the season of abundant giving, but if the liquidation of a gift requires an inordinate amount time, or consumes way too much of your organization’s resources, then it may do more harm than good.

Above everything else, you definitely want to make sure that your exempt organization is compliant with the IRS tax filings. If your nonprofit operates on a fiscal tax year, and your tax deadline is in December, ExpressTaxExempt can help you e-file your tax return quickly and easily. We offer support for Form 990-N (e-Postcard), Form 990-EZ, and Form 990 (Long). And coming soon, you can use our amazing features to complete Form 1023 for tax-exempt recognition.

If you have any questions, or need any assistance with e-filing one of our available tax forms, don’t hesitate to contact our live support team in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, and we can be reached at (704) 839-2321. We also offer 24/7 email support (support@expresstaxexempt.com), and you can live chat with us from the ExpressTaxExempt website.

Read More »