Needs Assessments: How to do Them, How They Help
You may have a good understanding of your clients, but doing a needs assessment on a regular basis can hone your programs and make the case for funding. The results may confirm your beliefs or surprise you by revealing some unexpected information. The needs assessment tool can also be used to gather feedback about your…
Are Baby Boomers Avoiding Succession Planning?
We all know that the Baby Boomers have begun turning 65, the traditional retirement age. Over the next 18 years, all the Baby Boomers will hit that milestone. While not everyone wants to retire at that magic age, it is a reminder that time is ticking by and that perhaps plans should be in the…
How to Recession-proof Your Career
Are you so essential to your company that, if there were a downsizing, your name would not come into the crosshairs? If your answer is anything besides a categorical yes, you might want to consider what makes certain employees and managers “recession proof,” and do some personal recession proofing. Here are some ideas: Put the…
Getting the Best Results from an Aging Work Force
The nature of work and the work force have been changing rapidly in recent years. One of the most significant changes in the United States and much of the developed world is an aging work force. This is being brought about by several factors: The Baby Boomers – the largest generation in history – are…
Nonprofit Expenses: Correct Coding Prevents Problems
Failing to categorize or allocate expenses properly is a common accounting mistake some nonprofits make. A nonprofit organization’s expenses can be broadly categorized as expenses for program services and for supporting services. Expenses can also be classified by a natural or a functional classification. Natural and functional classification of expenses Expenses classified by their natural…
Cathedral Sale Won by ‘Thinking of the Other Guy’
Technical valuation issues will always be important, but what about those special situations involving intangible values that transcend the property’s tangible market value? Sometimes the value of a property isn’t just about measuring comparable sales or the net present value of rental cash flows. Sometimes the buyer also must consider intangible interests of the seller…
Paid With Employer Stock? Consider Tax Impact
Many companies use equity-based compensation to reward employees. But are the employees aware of the income tax consequences? The two most common types of equity-based compensation are corporate stock and options to acquire corporate stock. Employees who receive equity-based compensation are especially affected if they will have to dip into their own cash resources to…
How to Handle Political Debates at Work
Little good can come of political debates in the workplace. And during a highly charged presidential election campaign, this is an understatement. Political debates at work can result in a polarized work force, tinged with rancor and recrimination that can sour the atmosphere and stymie productivity. Employees can lose respect for each other and their…
Can a Volunteer Chair be Held Financially Responsible?
A recent case once again demonstrates the perils faced by anyone who becomes involved in running a financially distressed organization. The federal district court concluded that the volunteer chairman of the board of a tax-exempt organization was personally liable for the penalty imposed on a responsible person who fails to cause an employer to pay…
Low Budget Alternatives to Expensive Expert Witnesses
Gregory T. Douds is a CPA, attorney and county judge in Georgia. In this article, he pulls from all areas of his background to provide ideas for alternatives to expensive expert witnesses. I have represented clients in hundreds of hearings and trials in the Georgia and Maryland courts, as well as in the U.S. Bankruptcy…