Nonprofit Knowledge Matters | Protecting the Charitable Giving Incentive

Protect the Charitable Giving Incentive

Using Our Outside Voices in the House … and in the Senate

Nonprofits are not used to raising our voices. We teach others to use their “indoor voices,” and we mediate disputes so others won’t yell in anger. We heal the wounded, silently. We feed the hungry, quietly. At times we play loud music and paint loud colors on canvases. But you get the picture: we are not used to yelling.

Recently Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, was in Georgia, Montana, and New York, encouraging nonprofits to raise their voices -- literally. In rooms filled with nonprofit leaders attending major conferences, he designated half the room the loud "Yes” crowd, and the other half the “Nos.” Tim then pointed to one side – “YES” came the refrain; then to the other side and louder “NOs” reverberated. After a few volleys, the friendly competition could be measured in deafening decibels. Tim then instructed the “Yes” side to remain silent – they weren’t allowed to use their voices. After a couple more volleys of loud “NOs” that were met with silence, Tim noted what policymakers hear: silence from the majority who are too busy and too unsure, versus resounding and unmatched “NOs” from the vocal opposition. Each time the “No!” voices boomed against the silence, members of the audience grasped the danger of remaining silent.

Silence is the nonprofit sector’s worst enemy. If nonprofits don’t raise our voices, we are powerless. Right now, it’s urgent that all nonprofits speak up.

The charitable giving incentive is at risk.
Congress is considering, on a tight timeline, how to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. Slashing the deficit by that much guarantees that every option to save money will be on the table, without much thought as to the consequences – unless the downside is abundantly clear. The National Council – and so far, more than 20 other national organizations and 2,800 community-based nonprofits across America – think it is abundantly clear that if the Supercommittee recommends elimination of the charitable giving incentive, then individuals and communities served by nonprofits will suffer.

Raise your voice now!
Sign on to the Nonprofit Community Letter to protect the charitable giving incentive.
See which nonprofits in your state have already signed on.
Learn more about the charitable giving incentive.
Spread the word! Tweet: 
The #charitable giving incentive that supports #nonprofits is at risk! Take action now to protect it. bit.ly/olnPHp (via @NatlCouncilNPs)
or
#Nonprofits, tell the #supercommittee not to change the #charitable #giving incentive http://bit.ly/rZcH5q #takeaction (via @NatlCouncilNPs)
Advocacy by nonprofits is legal – and needed.
Join your State Association to keep informed about capacity building and policy issues that impact all nonprofits.

Employment Incentives Seminar for Businesses and Disabled Workers Seminar (Norwich)

Employment Incentives Seminar For Businesses and Disabled Workers

Click Here to View Flyer!

Presenters:

Jason Harriott - Community Work Incentives Coordinator for Challenge

Scott Clippinger - Clippinger Law Offices - Debunking Workers' Compensation Myths

Rich Bohman & Dot Marinaccio - ACCES-VR - National Disability Employment Awareness Month Award Presentation

This seminar speaks to:

* Businesses Seeking to Hire Talented Workers
* Businesses Lowering Workforce Costs
* Disabled Workers Seeking Employment
* Human Service Staff Connecting Workers to Jobs
* Community Leaders Supporting Inclusiveness

Need help navigating the world of employing the disabled worker? This seminar is for you! Learn from experts about Workers' Compensation issues, tax credits, plus other incentives for hiring a disabled worker. Understand the benefits of employing workers with disabilities and advantages for individuals with disabilities to re-enter the workforce.

Date: Thursday, November 10, 2011

Time: Registration 8:30 AM, Training: 9 AM to 11 AM

Place: Morrisville State College Norwich Campus, 20 Conkey Ave., Norwich NY

FREE SEMINAR WITH REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED

For Reservations call CDO Workforce Center at 607-334-2201 x 128 or e-mail: gwaffle_oet@adelphia.net

**********************************************
This seminar is a joint venture of ACCES-VR, Challenge, Chenango JSEC, Clippinger Law Offices, Commerce Chenango, CDO Workforce, Morrisville State College Norwich Campus, NYS Department of Labor

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

General Manager Position Available at the West Kortright Centre

Our wonderful General Manager, Jenny Rosenzweig,
is leaving the WKC to become the Executive Director
of another arts organization.

Congrats Jenny, we will work well together!


This is an incredible opportunity for the right person.
The position of General Manager is now open,
to be filled immediately.


Job description:
The General Manager's primary role is to oversee the day-to-day
implementation of West Kortright Centre operations. Working in
tandem with the Executive Director, he/she is the "go-to" person for
most matters related to The Centre.

Overall responsibilities include fiscal record keeping and reporting;
database management, recordkeeping, and reporting; personnel
management; office and facilities management; and box office management.

Skills required include fiscal management, computer literacy, strong
customer service and communication skills. Must be self-motivated,
organized, detail oriented, and flexible. Bachelor's degree preferred.
Salaried, full-time, begins immediately. E.O.E.
Send résumé and 3 references to the Executive Director,
Martha Van Burek, at martha@westkc.org.


49 West Kortright Church Road • East Meredith, NY 13757
607-278-5454 • info@westkc.org • www.westkc.org

New NLRB Poster Requirement - new effective date of the rule is Jan. 31, 2012.

New NLRB Poster Requirement : new effective date of the rule is Jan. 31, 2012.

Below is information about the new National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) required poster describing employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
The National Labor Relations Board has postponed the implementation date for its new notice-posting rule by more than two months. The new effective date of the rule is Jan. 31, 2012.
The Board’s jurisdiction extends to most small business owners. However, some very small employers whose annual volume of business is not large enough to have more than a slight effect on interstate commerce are exempted. In the case of retail businesses, including home construction, the Board’s jurisdiction covers any employer with a gross annual volume of business of $500,000 or more. The Board’s non-retail jurisdictional standard applies to most other employers. It is based on the amount of goods sold or services provided by the employer out of state (called “outflow”) or goods or services purchased by the employer from out of state (called “inflow”), even indirectly. Under this standard, the Board will take jurisdiction over an employer with an annual inflow or outflow of at least $50,000. See “Frequently Asked Question” Link below for more details about the Board’s jurisdiction standards.
A workplace poster that describes employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act is now available for free download from the NLRB website at www.nlrb.gov/poster
Private-sector employers within the NLRB’s jurisdiction will be required to display the poster where other workplace notices are posted. The National Labor Relations Board has postponed the implementation date for its new notice-posting rule by more than two months in order to allow for enhanced education and outreach to employers, particularly those who operate small and medium sized businesses. The new effective date of the rule is Jan. 31, 2012. The decision to extend the rollout period followed queries from businesses and trade organizations indicating uncertainty about which businesses fall under the Board’s jurisdiction, and was made in the interest of ensuring broad voluntary compliance. No other changes in the rule, or in the form or content of the notice, will be made. Employers who customarily post personnel rules or policies on an internet or intranet site must also provide a link to the rights poster from those sites. In addition, copies of the Notice will soon be available without charge from any NLRB regional office.
For further information about the posting, including a detailed discussion of which employers are covered by the NLRA, and what to do if a substantial share of the workplace speaks a language other than English, please see our Frequently Asked Questions. . For questions that do not appear on the list, or to arrange for an NLRB presentation on the rule, please contact the agency at questions@nlrb.gov or 866-667-NLRB.

Reluctant to Ready Recap: Video & Info

Here Susan Palmer presents her program, Reluctant to Ready: A 7-step plan to transform your board into fantastic fundraisers. She sets the agenda for the program. On September 28th, the Leatherstocking Agency Executive Association attended a presentation in which Susan Palmer introduces a 7-step program to transform your board into fantastic fundraisers. You can access the materials from the presentation by clicking here. This well attended and highly informative presentation acknowledges crucial aspects of fundraising, leadership, board evaluation, board cohesion and accountability, commitment security, and provides necessary resources to be successful fundraisers. The videos below address the common problem of board reluctance to solicit and financially support the non-profits they serve and how to solve this problem by optimizing board responsiveness, effectiveness, and productivity in fundraising. (You can view these videos by clicking on the links below)

Introduction to 7-step Program

Board Accountability

Roles and Responsibilities

Expectations of Your Board Members

Strategic Plan Formulation

How to Set Fundraising Goals

Recruiting an Advocate

Necessity of Board Retreats

A 7 Step Program to Fundraising

Prospective Donors

Why People Don't Give

Voluntary Compliance Program announced by IRS to address worker misclassification

Information for your members: You may have seen that in late September the IRS announced a voluntary compliance program for employers (including nonprofit employers) to enable those who have mistakenly classified workers as independent contractors to make a correction, along with a modest payment, and avoid the usual penalties of noncompliance. This program’s announcement offers an opportunity to remind nonprofits about the risk of misclassification and share information with them about the voluntary compliance program. See the National Council’s website materials on this topic.

Here is the text of the IRS announcement about the voluntary compliance program (from the IRS’s EO Update circulated on October 4):

“The IRS has launched a new program that will enable many employers, including tax-exempt employers, to resolve past worker classification issues and come back into compliance by making a minimal payment covering past payroll tax obligations rather than waiting for an IRS audit. To be eligible for the new Voluntary Classification Settlement Program an applicant must:

Consistently have treated the workers as nonemployees in the past

Filed all required Forms 1099 for the workers for the previous three years

Not currently be under audit by the IRS, Department of Labor or a state agency concerning the classification of these workers.

Full details, including FAQs, will be available on the Employment Tax Pages of IRS.gov and in Announcement 2011-64.”