Do We Need Insurance if We Work With Volunteers?

When Tom Wertish (from Novallus Insurance) sat down with me to talk nonprofit insurance, he said this was one of the MOST common questions he gets. How can we know that we’re set in case anything happens with our volunteers? You can watch his full response to that question here. This question is a squishy one –…

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What’s an EPLI Policy and Why Do Nonprofits with Staff Need It?

Once a nonprofit hires staff, most people start to think about workers’ comp policies. But that’s not the ONLY policy you may need. You should also chat with your insurance agent about an Employment Practices Liability Insurance. That’s a mouthful, so AKA EPLI. What is EPLI? While workers’ comp covers bodily injury or death, but…

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How to Communicate About ‘Overhead’ the SMART Way

You know what I’m talking about, the pie chart you see on annual reports from nonprofits all the time that show a lot of money going to “programs” and a small slice going to “overhead” and “fundraising.” I’m not endorsing violence, but if you give me a scissors I will cut this graphic out of…

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Internal Controls 101

I work with a lot of emerging and small nonprofit organizations. One of the first things I try to teach nonprofit leaders is the importance of internal controls. In this article, I’m going to give you an overview of internal controls for the small or growing nonprofit organization. Our goal is to help you understand…

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What Does “Nonprofit” Really Mean Anyway?

Time to bust a MAJOR nonprofit myths. Ready? Nonprofit is a tax status, NOT a business plan. Ok, but what does that really mean? Just because you started a nonprofit doesn’t mean that you’re a 501(c)(3) public charity. Incorporating as a nonprofit just means…that you incorporated a nonprofit. You’ve started a business that’s supposed to…

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