There is one phrase in the English language that generates more fear and trepidation than any other out there: IRS AUDIT. Just hearing the words is enough to cause many a fearless person to break out in a cold sweat…
In case you missed our blog about this story earlier in the year, the nanny-state strikes again. Back in January, we told you about a new consumer “protection” law, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, that was going into effect…
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, aka ACORN, was, until the past year, a relatively unknown organization to most Americans. Founded in 1970 and based in New Orleans, Louisiana, ACORN’s most visible face is that of a 501(c)(3)…
Fraud is a word that conjures up many images in your mind. Maybe your definition of fraud is someone lying to you, stealing from you or conspiring against you while pretending to help you. All of these are true…and it…
The idea for this article came from my good friend, Belinda from Madison, Alabama. A few weeks ago, she wrote us an email asking the following: “Due to the economic downturn and, with the increasing requests for benevolence assistance, are…
Charitable Solicitations Registration. “Never heard of it,” you say. Well, you are not alone. As astounding as it may seem, estimates of noncompliance range from 85-95% of charities and nonprofits nationwide. This level of noncompliance has persisted primarily because of…
You’ve seen the news. You know it’s tough out there. Just this morning I saw the following headlines on my Chronicle of Philanthropy RSS feed: “Charitable Donations Fell by Nearly 6% in 2008”, “Ford Foundation Offers Buyouts to One-Third of…
Occasionally, you have to protect people from themselves. Even those with the best of intentions can mess things up so badly that it can jeopardize what they are trying to accomplish. In the nonprofit world, there are best practices, good…
If there is one constant in life, it’s change. And most people don’t do “change” very well…even the IRS! The new 2008 Form 990 is a complete, top-to-bottom overhaul of the form (as we’ve discussed in previous posts). As we…
In this tough economy, nonprofit organizations are needed more now than ever. More and more people are finding themselves in difficult circumstances and, according to all available evidence, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Despite all the…