For those of you who were not able to join us, here are the PDFs of the seminar’s presentations:

“Meet the Accountant” presented by Erik Glaser Glaser Duncan Certified Public Accountant, Partner

“Fundraising Trips and Traps: Bingo, Raffles and Revenue Sharing Arrangements” presented by Carter Deupree, Haynesworth Sinker Boyd P.A., Associate

We greatly appreciate George Stevens and the Coastal Community Foundation for providing the wonderful venue.

Please let SCANPO know if you are interested in attending regional training sessions and if so what three topics are of the most interest.  Contact Us.

Our national partner, the National Council of Nonprofits has launched today the Nonprofit Audit Guide, a first-of-its-kind, to provide charitable nonprofits with the tools they need to make informed decisions about independent audits. Because state laws vary in the scope of their regulation of charitable nonprofits, this Guide includes a 50-state chart that shows whether there is an audit requirement in each state, and if so, under what conditions.

The Guide will help you understand what independent audits are, and help you prepare your nonprofit for an audit. The Guide will also tell you about the role of the board in the audit process, and shares tips and tools to help your charitable organization manage the audit process — from hiring an auditor and preparing for the audit, to evaluating the audit firm’s work. Additionally, the Guide includes information about special audit requirements that apply to nonprofits that receive funding from the federal government.

The Nonprofit Audit Guide is a comprehensive resource that provides your nonprofit with:

• A step-by-step guide to the audit process;
• Information on federal audit requirements and the different state requirements (that can vary state-to-state); and
• Frequently asked questions about audit requirements.

Bookmark this resource and share it with your board today for a smooth audit process this year.

Acknowledgement: This Guide was made possible by the First Nonprofit Foundation, whose mission is tofurther effective risk management practices and the overall development and advancement of nonprofits through unique, creative initiatives, such as this Nonprofit Audit Guide.

Join us in Charleston on Tuesday, May 14th from 8:00am until noon.  Yes, we will have coffee and mid-morning snacks!  Parking is free in the Coastal Community Foundation’s parking lot or on side streets.

At the end of the morning, you will be able to:

• Design an appropriate internal financial control system to maintain the trust of your donors.
• Hire an independent Certified Public Accountant to perform an audit.
• Negotiate with your bank to get electronic services you need.
• Develop and use an easy-to-read annual budget.

Please bring your copy of Guiding Principles & Best Practices for reference.  If you are a SCANPO nonprofit organization member and need to purchase a copy of GP&BP click here.  There will be copies of GP&BP at the event if you need to purchase one on-site for $10.

Make sure to Register Now.

Join the 250,000+ nonprofits and charities who’ve received donated technology from Microsoft, Adobe, and 40 other companies through TechSoup. You’re working hard to make a positive impact in the world, and technology can help extend your reach. But when most of your funding goes toward accomplishing your mission, there’s not always enough left for your own needs.

That’s where TechSoup come in.  Through TechSoup:

• Microsoft donates hundreds of professional and enterprise software products like Windows 8 and the latest 2013 version of Office.
• Intuit’s Donation Program offers copies of their popular QuickBooks 2013 financial management and accounting software.
• The Symantec Donation Program includes products that provide security for a single computer or for your entire network of computers and servers.
• Adobe’s Donation Program provides a range of software products to edit images, design websites, publish newsletters, create video and audio productions, and more.

Check out all the products, services, and resources for which nonprofits are eligible. Becoming a TechSoup member is simple: sign up, register your organization, and request donations.

About TechSoup

TechSoup is a nonprofit that helps fellow nonprofits and charities get the technology products and resources they need to operate at their full potential. With the help of their donor partners, they offer over 400 products, plus free learning resources including articles, blogs, webinars, and community forums led by expert hosts. Since 1987, they’ve saved the nonprofit sector over $3.4 billion in IT costs.Is your organization eligible for TechSoup? Find out!

Here’ an Associated Press story to share with Boards, volunteers and supporter. It was written yesterday before Governor Haley signed but it lays out the details.

Mark your calendars now – fall 2014 it will be up to us – the nonprofit sector – to explain to voters the decision before them.

S.C. voters to decide whether to legalize raffles

Aiken Standard
April 23, 2013

COLUMBIA — Voters will decide next year whether church cake walks and school raffles will finally become legal in South Carolina.

Schools, churches and other nonprofits could hold a limited number of raffles yearly under measures given final approval in the House earlier this month.

The resolution that puts the question on November 2014 ballots needs no action by Gov. Nikki Haley. A separate measure awaiting her decision lays out how state law would regulate raffles, beginning in 2015, if voters approve. A signing ceremony last week sent the bill to her desk. She has until Wednesday to veto it, sign it, or let it take effect without her signature.

Currently, the only legal raffle in South Carolina is the state lottery. The state is among just four nationwide where raffles are illegal.

They’re held regularly across the state anyway, with enforcement depending largely on whether someone complains to police.

“It makes sense to make it legal so everybody’s on the same field,” sponsoring Sen. Raymond Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet, told The Associated Press on Monday. “This is just a commonsense bill.”

Yet, its passage was more than seven years in the making.

Previous efforts to make raffles legal failed as gambling opponents feared the unintended consequences of any change to the state’s centuries-old gambling laws. That fear was magnified when other proposals tried to also legalize kitchen-table poker games and poker-night charity events.

Nonprofit officials and anti-gambling lobbyists worked in the off-session last year to create what Cleary calls “a clean bill with no unintended side effects.”

“Everybody’s pretty happy with it,” said Oran Smith of the Palmetto Family Council. “What we’re hoping is that it will simply keep legal what’s already occurring for charities doing such good work.”

Unlike previous versions, the bill allows no poker-themed fundraisers and bars the possibility of organizers profiting from raffles. Nonprofits could not hire anyone to run them.

The bill sets a maximum ticket cost at $100 and caps the total value of prizes at $250,000 per raffle. Nonprofits registered with the secretary of state could hold up to four raffles yearly. Nonprofits that raffle off a non-cash prize worth less than $500 wouldn’t have to register with the state — an exemption intended to allow garden clubs or other civic groups to legally hold an occasional raffle.

The South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations plans to campaign for passage of the constitutional referendum, said its president, Madeleine McGee.

“It’s a wonderful resource. It’s a low-cost, easier way to raise money, and a great tool for using with volunteers,” McGee said.

South Carolina’s Lions clubs have lost $500,000 a year since state law enforcement officers — responding to a complaint — threatened a Tega Cay club that was raffling off a motorcycle. State president Gregg Turner has testified he had to tell the state’s 160 clubs to cease all raffles out of fear members would get arrested. The drastic drop in revenue means the nonprofit can provide fewer hearing aids, eye surgeries, and vision and hearing screenings.

“It doesn’t affect the club itself. It affects how much good they can do in the community,” said Cleary, a Lions Club member. “We saw a lot of needs not being met, especially in this economy.”

Beginning in 2015, the nonprofit association plans to track how much money its members raise through raffles and how that money’s used, in anticipation of a future debate. Under the bill, raffles become illegal again in 2020 unless the Legislature reauthorizes them.

Read more: S.C. voters to decide whether to legalize raffles | Aiken Standard
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As a member of the SCANPO, you are part of the nation’s largest network of charitable nonprofits, connected through the National Council of Nonprofits. This network is mobilizing to (a) alert the nonprofit community about how the new federal sequestration cuts will affect almost every charitable nonprofit in America – even those without any government contracts – and (b) start documenting the effects of the sequestration cuts on the work of nonprofits and the communities we all serve.

The cuts mean that nonprofit staff members and board members must raise billions of dollars more this year alone to handle the resulting increased demands for services.  We encourage you to visit www.GiveVoice.org to see how sequestration will have multiple ripple effects and then share your data and stories about what the cuts mean to the work of your nonprofit (including changes to your own staffing levels) at www.GiveVoice.org so state, subsector, and national trends can be analyzed the story of the impact can be documented and demonstrated.

Historically, the nonprofit community has suffered because we have been fragmented and separated into different silos. This new GiveVoice.org resource allows nonprofits here in SC to learn together and lift our voices together for the public good.

Thank you for supporting SCANPO by being a member; by coming together, the nonprofit community can better serve our broader communities across SC.

Please refer to the National Council of Nonprofits’s website to read President Tim Delaney statement on Sequestrian Cuts and Damage to Nonprofits Serving Local Communities.

“In order to protect and enhance our communities, the real conversation must be about how we can work together to overcome the challenges facing our State. We appreciate working with our partners in the nonprofit community to improve contracting systems so we can ensure time and resources are dedicated to delivering services, rather than on inefficient processes,” said Robert Dakers, Executive Finance Officer of the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

“Government-nonprofit task forces, like the ones we have here in Texas, have changed attitudes and exponentially improved communications among government and charitable nonprofits,” said Barry Silverberg, President and CEO of the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO). “New relationships have been fostered and a stronger common agenda between the state and nonprofits has evolved so we can truly work together to serve our communities.”

Partnering for Impact is the third report in a series offering state and local governments solutions to improve nonprofit contracting processes. More information on government-nonprofit contracting issues, and these earlier resources, can be found at Government-Nonprofit Contracting Task Forces.

The National Council of Nonprofits is a trusted resource and advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Through our powerful network of State Associations and 25,000-plus members – the nation’s largest network of nonprofits – we serve as a central coordinator and mobilizer to help nonprofits achieve greater collective impact in local communities across the country. We identify emerging trends, share proven practices, and promote solutions that benefit charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve. Learn more at www.CouncilofNonprofits.org.  ]]> http://www.scanpo.org/2013/04/16/government-nonprofit-contracting-task-forces/feed/ 0 http://www.scanpo.org/2013/04/16/elementary-and-secondary-education-funding-opportunity/ http://www.scanpo.org/2013/04/16/elementary-and-secondary-education-funding-opportunity/#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:39:16 +0000 scanpoadmins http://scanpo.winwithwp.com/?p=6547
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program subgrants are authorized under Title IV, Part B, as amended, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Federal funds are allocated on a formula basis to the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) to manage and monitor the competitive subgrant program.

The federal authorizing statute and non-regulatory guidance define the purpose of the subgrant program: (1) provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students in high-poverty areas and those who attend low-performing schools meet state and local student performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading, math, and science; (2) offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; art, music, and recreation programs; technology education programs; and character education programs, that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and (3) offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

A 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) offers academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities to students and their families during non-school hours (before or after school) or periods when school is not in session (including holidays, weekends, or summer recess). According to section 4201(b)(1) of the program statute, a community learning center assists students in meeting state and local academic achievement standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics, by providing the students with opportunities for academic enrichment. Centers also provide students with a broad array of other activities (such as drug and violence prevention, counseling, art, music, recreation, technology, and character education programs) during periods when school is not in session. 21st CCLC must also serve the families of participating students (e.g., through family literacy programs).

Organizations that are eligible to apply and participate in a joint or consortium application include a single public school district, individual public school, private school, charter school, community-based organization, faith-based organization, and other public or private organizations. A partnership application from either a joint applicant or a consortium is mandatory to apply for this funding cycle.

If you have questions about the 21st CCLC program or upcoming competition, please contact John Myers at 803-734-8114 or Jennifer Greene at 803-734-8116.

Next steps – Governor to sign. AND voters to approve amendment to the State Constitution in November 2014.

SO…. raffles wont technically be legal until 2015.

Raffle bills S. 213 and S. 239 will come up for consideration April 9th.

Be sure your House member votes in favor of both bills without amendment.  Contact them now.

Need to get caught up?  Visit charitable raffles page under the Collective Voice tab for a summary of the bills, etc.