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Business Etiquette by BusinessWeek. Latest trends and info in articles, blog posts, authoritative reference materials.

Idealware Online Seminars Growing list of low-cost, on-demand seminars on technology for nonprofits. Idealware is a WNA Preferred Vendor.

For more info: WNA Career Center

Our purpose is to increase the effectiveness, visibility, and credibility of Wisconsin's nonprofits through advocacy, resource sharing, and technical support.
We find common ground for common good to offer a collective voice for nonprofits.

403(b) Retirement Plans: IRS Deadline for Written Documentation Extended to End of Year
If you have a 403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuity retirement plan, you should already be aware of new and revised IRS regulations that became effective at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, the IRS extended that deadline for one of those requirements: having a written document detailing your 403(b) plan. If you're still working on your written documentation, or you'd like to make sure your entire plan is in compliance, contact Mutual of America, the Wisconsin Nonprofits Association Preferred Vendor that's been specializing in nonprofit retirement plans since 1945.  Contact Broc Berge at 414-359-1221.

What Nonprofits Need to Know About H1N1 Preparedness and Business Continuity
The H1N1 virus is hitting communities hard. Some nonprofits are especially vulnerable. But all nonprofits need to be prepared to address the needs of their clients/consumers, plus their own employees and volunteers. Board and staff leaders must recognize that they are responsible to ensure the continuity of the nonprofit's business operations and that a serious flu outbreak could have a very serious impact on mission fulfillment. The National Council of Nonprofits compiled this tookkit to bring you the latest news from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, preparedness tips, suggested action steps, sample policies, and more.

L3C: Pot of Gold or Space Invader?
For-profit companies continue to seek ways to obtain two benefits that are usually reserved for nonprofits: foundation grants and government tax exemptions. These efforts are led by both well-meaning individuals as well as those that simply want funding without community accountability. Regardless, they present risks and challenges to the nonprofit sector as we know and celebrate it. Rick Cohen tells us of one such effort that appears -- in the absence of opposition -- to be headed for adoption.

Holiday Event "Tippling Tips"
Use this checklist to help keep the consumption of alcohol a pleasant social aspect of your events — and not a recipe for disaster.

[video] 3 Strategies to Determine How Much to Ask a Donor for
Very short video from Movie Mondays

Your Supporter is a Participant, Not an Observer
3 examples of nonprofit marketing and fundraising that give donors, volunteers, and other constituents what they want: the capability to talk, to act, and have you listen and enable.

[editorial] Are We Nonprofits, Charities, or Just Awesome?
Some days it's not clear which is worse: using the term "nonprofit" to define our sector, or debating what we should be called instead. A recurring complaint in the sector is that "we shouldn't be defined by what we are not." And of course, we can (and need to) make profits; it's that we can't distribute profits to the staff and board. Peter Drucker suggested the term "human change sector" because the mission of the sector and its organizations is to change lives, and more recently I've seen a little buzz around the term "Delta Sector," because we are the sector of change. more

Diversity: Fundraising Through a Different Lens
People often ask me, “Where are you from?” I know what they are trying to ask, but most of the time I answer, “I’m from Wisconsin.” I was the first Chinese baby born at Beaver Dam Lutheran Hospital. ... When we interact with others one-to-one, it is usually easy to find things you have in common. ... While we need to build bridges and find those connections among communities, sometimes it feels as though we ignore the richness our differences offer.

Meta House, a Milwaukee nonprofit that was the nation's first residential treatment facility dealing exclusively with women's addictions when it opened in 1963, has expanded and renovated its facility with the help of community partnerships. This new campus-like setting brings all of the organization's operations together and will enable Meta House to progress from residential to day treatment to outpatient levels of care.

Thanks to BizTimes.com for these announcements.

See Full Calendar for More

Workshop: Successful Strategies for Special Events, Superior, 11/12, 9a-12p. Learn some of the basic rules of thumb for planning your event. Location: UW-Superior, Room 111, Rothwell Student Center. Cost: $70. For more info and to register.

Workshop: Better Board Meetings, Madison, 11/12, 9-11a. Improve the structure of your Board meetings to enhance the way Board members interact with the organization. Location: Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., Madison, WI Cost: $40/person (incl. materials, refreshments) For more info and to register.

Webinar: Surviving the Meltdown without Having One, 11/18, 12-1:30p. Learn how marketing can keep your organization strong and sustainable – even during a recession. Cost: $99; no additional fee for multiple participants at the same phone/computer connection. For more info and to register.

Volunteer Tracking System
Powered by MyBackgroundCheck.com

Ensuring the safety and security of those served is the top priority for all organizations. To meet the specific requirements of volunteer and nonprofit organizations, MyBackgroundCheck.com in cooperation with the National Council of Nonprofits, has developed the Volunteer Tracking System, a fully web based, comprehensive and cost effective volunteer and employee background screening program to effectively prescreen and track prospective volunteers or employees. This program provides community protection and valuable risk management features at the local, regional, or national levels.

Wisconsin Nonprofits Association members receive a greatly reduced rate. 

Standard volunteer screening services include a social security trace, U.S. criminal search, and national sex offender registry search. our members pay $6.95 per volunteer screen. This is 72% off the regular rate and 13% off the normal nonprofit rate. 

Standard employment screenings include all features of the volunteer screening, plus previous employment verification, as well as education verification. Employment screenings are available to our members for $20.95: 53% off regular rates and 16% off nonprofit rates.

Custom package options are available for your specific organizational needs.

The Volunteer Tracking System operates under MyBackgroundCheck.com, a division of the Pre-Employ.com Family of Companies, founded in 1994 by Robert Mather. MBC is a nationwide leader in the rapidly growing Nonprofit HR service industry, focused on delivering applicant screening services that help nonprofit organizations select the best staff and volunteers faster, easier, with less expense.

We bring this benefit to you through our relationship with the National Council of Nonprofits.

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