With the drop in the market last week and the rising cost of expenses putting a strain on most budgets in the last year, it looked like 2008 was off to a rocky start in the nonprofit world. But a few recent, giant steps in the right direction certainly shine through and keep our spirits lifted; these just might be some of the best advances yet!
First off, and what we’ve clamored for in an earlier post, nonprofit sector staff salaries are up – in fact they’ve seen an increase of almost 4 percent since 2006, in a study released by Total Compensation Solutions (TCS), a human resources consulting firm. Hallelujah, we’ve finally learned how important it is to reward and retain the talented staff that works so hard to better society.
Secondly, as reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, members of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee suggested that all charities should be required by law to tell donors how much of their contribution would be spent on programs related to the group’s mission. Just what we want to hear. Holding organizations accountable is the right idea, and if we want donors to investigate before they give, we might as well make it easy for them to do so. The more an organization puts out there, the more success they are likely to see in the long run. We are all for it.
And lastly, the IRS released new tax forms for nonprofits to determine whether they are exhibiting sound management practices. Guiding these new forms were the values of enhancing transparency, promoting compliance and minimizing the burden to nonprofit filers. The forms will be phased in as early as next year. Way to go government, promoting better run organizations! Surely this is a step in the right direction. Although some might deem it a little “big brother-esq”, this might be what it takes to steer nonprofits in the right direction and eliminate the those who just can’t get their act together.
All in all, January is looking like a good month for the accountability report card.
nonprofit, accountability, Chronicle of Philanthropy, charities, Total Compensation Solutions, IRS,