As we watch the unfolding events in Ukraine, our hearts yearn for peace, our minds try to understand the geopolitical and historic forces at play, and – because we are nonprofits – we roll up our sleeves and get to work. Many nonprofits have been working in that region of the world for years; others have adapted to help send financial, medical, food, and other assistance into the country. Refugee support organizations have sprung into action to deal with the nearly 3 million refugees fleeing the war.
Also related to the war in Ukraine, but probably the last thing most of us want to be thinking about: everyone must heighten their focus on cybersecurity. This month’s newsletter rounds up some reliable resources to help you ensure your nonprofit is aware of the vulnerabilities, is well-defended, and is prepared in case an attack gets past your defenses.
In this month’s issue, guest contributor Atokatha Ashmond Brew from Nonprofit HR shares her wisdom about how building an employer brand can help your nonprofit attract and retain employees in this competitive hiring environment. For an article on ensuring your nonprofit’s events are accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing, we interviewed experts from the nonprofit American School for the Deaf and elsewhere. Tax expert Steven Woolf explains the state and local tax implications of remote work as temporary state tax provisions related to the pandemic expire. Finally, don’t miss the new resources we share at the end.
Building an Employer Brand
As hiring has gotten more competitive, many nonprofits are searching for innovative ways to recruit, develop, and retain talent. In our January issue, we shared an article with myriad resources and ideas for how to do that. This month, we’re taking a deeper dive into one of those ideas: how to build your employer brand to increase the number of qualified applicants for your positions and reduce turnover, among other benefits. To help us all understand what’s involved, we are delighted to share a guest article written by Atokatha Ashmond Brew, Managing Director, Client Marketing & Strategic Communication for Nonprofit HR.
Are Your Events Accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing?
Many nonprofits have been working for years to define, refine, and implement their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As we know better, we do better, and sometimes new technologies can help as we seek to increase equity and create a sense of belonging for all community members. An important aspect of inclusiveness is disability inclusion. Whether your nonprofit is getting back to in-person gatherings or still holding virtual events, you’ll want to ensure that events of all kinds are accessible to people of all abilities. This month, which happens to be National Deaf History Month, we’ve curated resources and outlined strategies that can help nonprofits welcome deaf and hard of hearing participants. Options such as closed captioning, live transcripts, and American Sign Language interpreting are more available than ever, even to organizations on a tight budget.
Remote Workers: State and Local Tax Implications for Nonprofits
As we get closer to the next normal, the number of employees who are telecommuting remains higher than pre-pandemic – and many employees want those arrangements to become permanent. Allowing employees to telecommute from states beyond the traditional office location can create different issues for employers. If your nonprofit has employees who will continue to work from different states, there could be state income tax withholding or reporting requirements as pandemic-related “safe harbors” expire. Our article will help you determine what questions to ask your professional advisors.
Cybersecurity Risk
None of us needs one more thing to worry about right now, but the war in Ukraine means we should all be in a state of heightened cybersecurity alert. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends “shields up” for potential threats.
- Most important thing to know: the most common way to compromise a system is still through an individual user’s account, rather than a sophisticated attack. Be vigilant about not opening suspicious emails, being extra careful about any links you’re tempted to click (even in emails from senders you think you recognize – it’s easier than you think to impersonate an email address from someone you know). Also, be careful about any text messages you receive from numbers you don’t recognize.
- If your website or email passwords are the same as any password you have ever used anywhere else, change them both now to something unique and strong.
- Ensuring you use only secure, random passwords and never re-use them – everywhere – is the best way to protect from potential breaches.
- You or your IT company should ensure all security updates have been deployed across all your systems.
Other cybersecurity resources:
- CISA provides several free cybersecurity resources and tools and cyber essentials to help your organization institute practices and plans.
- Check out this excellent advice from Yuriy Flit, Tech Specialist at Michigan Nonprofit Association, on how nonprofits can prepare against the increased risk of cyberattacks.
- TechImpact and TechSoup offer affordable courses on cybersecurity and basic cloud security.
- Our resource page on Cybersecurity for Nonprofits offers additional guidance at no cost.
More New Resources:
- The nonprofit Idealist is currently beta-testing “Idealist Salaries,” a new tool that uses data submitted by thousands of nonprofit professionals to show how much individuals across our sector are (or should be) earning. Fill out this anonymous survey to gain access to the salary data and see how your current compensation compares to those of others in similar positions, while helping Idealist grow their database.
- Get your Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) questions answered, April 5 at 1:00 pm Eastern. The federal government recently announced an overhaul of the PSLF program designed to help millions of public service and nonprofit workers. Borrowers who were previously ineligible because they had the wrong loan, were making payments on the wrong payment plan, or were knocked off track due to processing errors can now receive credit toward forgiveness for those years worked in public service. On Tuesday, April 5th at 1:00 PM Eastern, join the Student Borrower Protection Center and the National Council of Nonprofits for a webinar highlighting updates to the PSLF program, guidance on how to navigate the new process, and an opportunity to ask questions about accessing debt relief. Register for the PSLF webinar here.
- Neon One’s new report, Donors: Understanding the Future of Individual Giving, draws from over $2 billion in transactional data from Neon One organizations and partners like The Fundraising Effectiveness Project and Visa, plus other research. The report links to Neon One’s new Donor Impact Data Hub, an interactive look at recent giving that users can filter by NTEE category, donation type, and other factors.
Parting Note:
The Sunshine Protection Act making daylight savings time permanent just passed the U.S. Senate. Or perhaps there’s another option?
