Using Facebook for Fundraising

If you thought that Facebook was a waste of time or perhaps useless for charities and not-for-profit organisations you might want to think again.  Take a look at how The Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal used Facebook for fundraising.

The charity set up its page in the weeks leading up to the event and had around 38.000 members within a few weeks. A report by Pro Bono News quotes the appeal director who says "....the Facebook page went from hundreds of fans joining up each day to thousands as the Appeal got closer – with each fan telling their own story of appreciation and care from the Royal Children’s Hospital.  She says as it got closer to the day the fans then began urging each other to donate as well as connecting up with families they had met at the hospital over the years."

The beauty of social media is that your fans become your campaigners as they each spread the word about your good work.

Have you set up your Facebook page yet?  If not, you could be missing out on some potential income.

Kookaburra Awards - Community Groups, Projects and Individuals

We received an email this week about the Kookaburra Awards.  Nominations close on May 12th. 

Our Community and Westpac are undertaking a search to find Australia’s Kookaburras – the loud and proud stirrers – the community groups, the people and the projects that changed our communities for the better.

The 2010 Kookaburra Awards will offer prizes to individuals, groups and projects that really made a difference – that stretch people’s vision of what’s possible in Australia’s society today.

At times, we might think of these people as ratbags, or cranks, or worse.

We call them radical, or subversive, or infuriatingly single-minded. But we can’t deny that they made a difference in the world. Nominate now for a 2010 Kookaburra Award!

There are prizes for:

COMMUNITY GROUPS: It’s not about being the biggest, or the best resourced, or the highest-profile group, it’s about being a group that does what it does brilliantly – and one that stands out as a bea con of innovative community leadership and works to change things for the better.

PROJECTS: It’s not about having a project that brought in a large grant, or came in below budget. We’re looking for projects that have changed people’s lives; that make people say “Gosh, I didn’t know you could do that. Awesome!”

INDIVIDUALS: It’s not about being a saint, or a guru, or a great philanthropist: it’s about being some one who can bring ordinary people along with a movement to change their lives, and ours.
Each winner will receive a total prize package valued at more than $10,000, plus free tickets (including flights and accommodation for those outside Victoria) to attend Australia’s best community conference – Communities in Control 2010. The winners will be announced at the conference in front of an audience of 1500 community groups, MPs and dignitaries.

If you know of people, groups and projects in your community that fit that description, make sure their names are put forward for a Kookaburra Award. Nominate Now

Does your committee understand your reports?

One of the hardest things about being a treasurer is that you feel like you are totally responsible for the finances of your agency.  Could it be the way people run for cover when they see you and your reports coming that makes you feel that way?  Perhaps it is the way the collective eyes of your committee members glaze over the moment your report is introduced?

The role of treasurer is yours but the financial decisions are made by the committee, not by you alone. That means that all committee members are equally responsible and need to understand the reports that you are presenting. 

At one regional Community Health Service it became quite obvious to the treasurer that Board members didn't understand the reports they were getting.  Some members were not even familiar with accounting terminology so discussing liquidity and profit ratios sent them off into a vacant mental space.  You can't afford to let that happen.  In this case, the treasurer decided to make a special presentation to the Board which explained in simple terms how the finances worked across the agency.  Each Board member was given a booklet which explained the terms used in a treasurer's report along with a simple explanation of the budget process.  The examples in the report were specific to the agency so they were quite real to the readers. While this didn't turn them into financial experts it did give them enough information that they could read and question the treasurer's reports. 

You might not have to go this far with the members of your committee but I think part of your role will always have to include teaching people to understand simple financial reports.  It shifts the load from your shoulders and puts it back where it should have been - spread fairly across the shoulders of every committee member.

At your next meeting watch the faces of your committee members.  Do they look as though they understand what you are saying?  If they don't you need to take some action.

Participate in the NFP Risk Survey - Great prizes to be won

I received this email recently and I hope you are able to help out this charity.  You may win yourself some great prizes while doing so.

A local charity was collecting gifts for underprivileged children for Christmas. They worked very hard and collected a number of gifts from people in the community. A member of the public donated a small electric toy of the more "economical" variety that, unfortunately, must have bypassed safety testing on the way into the country. While in storage it caught fire and burned down all the donated gifts AND the offices of the charity concerned. I wonder if this was a type of risk that any of the devastated staff at the charity have even considered?

The management of risk plays an enormous role in the success of your organisation. It is with this in mind, I'd like to invite you to participate in the 2010 Not-for-Profit Risk Survey. The survey is being undertaken to gain an understanding of the risks facing not-for-profit organisations from around the world. The results will be used to make nonprofit organisations more aware of the key risks that could impact on the success of their organisation. As a participant you will be one of the first to recieve a copy of the final report on its release.

The survey is designed to be simple to complete and should not take more than 15 minutes. If you wish, you can choose to remain anonymous but if you complete the survey by 10 April and provide your details, you will go into the draw to win one your choice of four fabulous prizes ...

64GB Apple iPod Touch valued at approx $540;

Playstation 3 Console (Slim) 120GB valued at approx $465;

Dell S561207AU Inspiron Mini 10” Netbook valued at approx $490; or

Olympus Tough 8000 Black 12 MP Digital Camera valued at approx $475.

All participants who provide their contact details will receive a copy of the survey findings. I would really appreciate it if you also could forward this along to others in the sector from around the world to help us to create the most comprehensive resource possible. Click here to complete the survey.

The survey will be authored by Lisa Bundesen, a PPB Partner and one of Australia's foremost experts in risk management and fraud control in the Not-for-Profit sector along with Andrew Morgan, a PPB Director with considerable experience in the identification and management of risk in business.

The deadline for participation is Friday 10 April 2010 to complete the survey. If you have technical difficulties or would like any clarification on questions, please contact Andrew Morgan of PPB at amorgan@ppb.com.au
I hope you'll be able to be a part of this great initiative. Please click here to complete the survey.

Changes to BAS Tax Agent Legislation

The new BAS Tax Agent Legislation has come into effect 1st March 2010 and it is likely to have an impact on you.  It sets the new standards for BAS and Tax Agents.

The new Tax Practitioners Board says that  "Bookkeepers who prepare business activity statements (BAS) other than as employees will be required to register as BAS agents. To help them transition into the new arrangements, those who have been providing BAS services immediately before 1 March will be able to register by notifying the board within six months."

There is a FAQ section on the website which explains the changes in detail including arrangements for transitional agents.

From now on when you use the services of a bookkeeper you will need to be sure that they meet certain requirements including registration and experience levels.  From 1 July 2011 BAS Agents will need to have professional indemnity insurance.

If you use the services of a bookkeeper you need to familiarise yourself with these changes for your own protection.

For more information, please visit the Tax Practitioners Board website at http://www.tpb.gov.au/.

Record Keeping for Smaller Not-For-Profits

No matter how small your organisation is you need to have an efficient record-keeping system in place.  Keeping the paperwork straight can sometimes be the messiest part of the job but it is your responsibility to do so.  It is this information which the committee will use as a basis for its financial decisions. 

The Australian Taxation Office says that  the basic records you may need to maintain are:

*cash book records of daily receipts and payments
*GST tax invoices and income tax records, such as debtors and creditors lists, stocktake records and motor vehicle expenses
*records of payments relating to employees, such as PAYG withholding, superannuation and fringe benefits payments
*records of payments withheld from suppliers who do not quote an ABN, and
*bank reconciliation statements.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants recommends that you also keep these records:

Asset Register – recording any office equipment
Insurance File – containing details of any insurances
Statutory File – containing Constitution, Minutes, etc.

Next time you are sighing over your record-keeping responsibilities remember that they also form part of your protection should something go wrong.  Decisions can be questioned months after they were made especially if they weren't minuted properly.  These records are the paper part of an audit trail that investigators will be searching through looking for their answers.   Keep them well and keep them carefully.

Why you should reconcile your accounts....seriously!

Kylie Short from Tilda Virtual specialises in providing administrative support, bookkeeping, online marketing, e-newsletter design, website design and technical support. She is passionate about good book keeping and has provided this great article about reconciling your books that applies equally to business as it does to the volunteer treasurer in a community organisation.

"It’s an issue I come a cross often, incorrect or no reconcilation of accounts and it still amazes me to see it. I can’t imagine not reconciling the accounts and don’t understand why people are so laid back about doing it. Reconciling your accounts are important for a number of reasons:

• It picks up any missing transactions that you may have misplaced a receipt for;
• It picks up any transactions that should not have gone through your bank account;
• It picks up over payments to suppliers;
• It picks up over payments by customers;
• It’s good business practice to do it.

When reconciling your accounts under no circumstances do you ‘make up’ transactions just to make it balance. If the accounts don’t reconcile after you’ve ticked the statement and ticked the transactions in your software, then you need to start again from the beginning to find the mistake. One trick I have is to reconcile the bank statement on a page by page basis. Try reconciling the first page, if it balances then mark it reconciled and move onto the next page. Going page by page is a great way to find the mistake and you’ll soon have it finished.

After you have reconciled your bank accounts mark the statement as reconciled and file it so you can find it later. If you are ever audited you’ll need your bank statements and it can get quite costly to replace them. I personally don’t print all the reconciliation reports but it’s a good idea to print them to PDF and file them on your computer so you can find them later.

If the idea of reconciling your accounts gives you the chills or makes you want to head for the hills, give me a call on 03 9013 8389. My team and I would love to help you!"

If you operate a home-based business, Kylie Short can help you become more successful through her virtual assistance business, Tilda Virtual Services.