Judy Vorfeld's OFFICE SUPPORT SERVICES
Writing, editing, photography, technology, and Web development for small businesspeople
Since my roots are in Washington State, it’s not unusual to get/see a lot of pictures during winter, when snow has its way…
My cousin, Doug Cruea, sent this picture of his yard. I can sit in my warm Arizona home and think that is beautiful. Which I would do even if I were walking through the snow. But it’s so cozy this way!
‘Tis the season for giving, and thanks to the Internet, you can give all you want without leaving your house. Online giving accounts for nearly a third of all the donations given to charities like the American Lung Association, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, but it only accounts for roughly 2 percent of overall charitable giving. If you want to take a break from online shopping and join the small but hardy band of givers who click their way to charity, make sure you tread carefully.
Just as the person at the door may be pocketing your donation, or the charity you write a check to every month may spend too much on administrative costs, an online charity isn’t necessarily blemish free. Maximize your online giving this year while also protecting your financial bottom line.
If you’re tired about worrying where every dime you donate goes, start your own charity. Launching your own charity is often a long and arduous process, but it can be done with sufficient time, money, more than a few helping hands and approval by the IRS. Whether you want to generate funds for a healthier school lunch program at your local school or collect money to bring Thanksgiving dinners to people in your community, you can collect money and run the program yourself. Online crowdfunding platforms like Razoo.com take you through the entire process and teach you how to garner support and gather cash for your cause. However, without the involvement of a nonprofit, crowdfunded charity organizations must inform prospective donors their donations won’t be tax deductible.
Many companies including Amazon and Target will give to the charity of your choice based on how much you shop on their sites. Amazon’s latest charitable program called AmazonSmile allows shoppers to pick their own charities — there are hundreds from which you can choose. As you shop, Amazon donates .5 percent of every purchase you make to your charity. Target doubles that donation amount in their Take Charge of Education Program. When you use your Red Card to buy items on Target.com, the company will send 1 percent of your purchase price to the school of your choice. By getting involved with a program like this, you can effortlessly give as you shop, and your efforts last all year long, not just at the holidays.
Unfortunately, there are always scammers who will try to take advantage of your good will, and because of this, it is critical to have a disaster recovery plan in place before you start giving online: Lifelock’s Youtube channel has tips on how to set one up to make sure you’re protected. The American Institute of Philanthropy has also developed a list of tips to make online giving safe. If you don’t know much about the charity you are giving to, do some research. You can check their tax exempt status at the IRS website, and look over their track record of responsible giving on the website for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. Before typing in your credit card details and hitting donate, Charity Watch recommends making sure that you have a secure connection. A secure URL begins with https rather than just http, and if you don’t see the “s” for secure, you may want to call the charity and do your donating over the phone or in person.
Guest post by Gladys Robinson – Gladys is the ultimate party planner when it comes to charity benefits. She organizes functions for several local philanthropies.
Just a reminder to stop and smell the roses. And silently watch and enjoy butterflies as they go about their brief but brilliant lives. In both instances, we are given the gifts of sight and scent that, in part, we may feed our souls. It is in refreshing ourselves with such seemingly simple gifts from God that we can move a bit more easily through life.
When you encounter a challenge that seems impossible, stop. Think what it took to nurture these beautiful, scented flowers…and those delicate butterflies. Many steps. Varied weather. Sun. Rain. In the right amounts. Most things in life are challenging, and I challenge you: never give up if you have a dream that is unfulfilled. Hope sometimes comes with many petals and wings!
Guest post by Tom Youso
Getting ready to apply for a promotion or ask for a raise? As you prepare yourself, do you find you don’t feel confident that people know who you are and what you do? If you’re doing quality work there’s no reason you should be flying under the radar. Make sure that when it comes time to hand out bonuses your name is at the top of the list, and if layoffs are on the table, you’re considered too valuable to let go.
Of course, no two offices or corporate cultures are alike, so take that into consideration before embarking on this journey and use your best judgment. Be ready to take a good look at what your company is all about and what you’re doing to help them succeed. Once you’ve got that all figured out, you can start working on gaining traction as a valuable asset worth keeping, promoting and compensating appropriately.
Firstly, if you’re not on LinkedIn, a social and professional networking website, you need to fix that. You can even stop reading, open a new tab in your browser, sign up and come back to finish this article. It’s that important. The object of LinkedIn is to grow a network of people you’ve worked with, whether as co-workers or just doing business. As you grow that network, you want to stay visible to keep yourself on people’s minds as a valuable employee and resource. To that end, stay in the newsfeed by sharing articles and stories relevant to your network and by keeping your profile up to date.
Apply the same principles offline. Share industry updates via email, over by the water cooler and in meetings. Be sure that the content you’re sharing is relevant and useful so you’re a blessing rather than a burden. Make an effort to be sociable and get to know who works in your office and what they do.
How did Mark Weinberger, chief executive-elect of Ernst & Young, become the next CEO of such a major corporation? According to the Washington Post, in his own words he said, “I became a sponge. I had a thirst for knowledge and would talk with many members of Congress.” You see, business leader Weinberger had gotten a job in a Senator’s office that he didn’t expect to get. When he got to Washington he learned everything he could and talked to everyone he could. He learned and he networked. From there he continued to grow his career.
Technology and competition have forced businesses to be increasingly agile to respond to new trends and needs in order to stay successful in their industries. When a business changes, so do the daily duties of employees. If your company is evolving, don’t be the squeaky wheel who needs constant coddling. Be a leader and problem solver. When you offer to help with a project be sure, first, that it’s a good use of your time and will contribute to the overall success of the company. Make the most of opportunities to help educate others and improve your team, rather than just looking out for yourself.
Tom Youso is an accountant and a huge fan of cloud computing solutions that help SMBs simplify their bookkeeping and CSM operations.