October 25, 2013
It has been tough times for for-profit and nonprofit businesses alike since the recession. However, while a sluggish economy has slowed down new business growth, entrepreneurs continue to chase dreams and start new companies. This also holds true for nonprofit ventures and the two groups face many of the same obstacles.
While nonprofits and for-profits have one obvious difference in their business models, they also have many similarities. Because of this, they are met with the same successes and failures and usually flourish under similar minds.
Lizzie Bildner, founder and president of Sharitive, described the early goals of her nonprofit startup with with Forbes:
"In order to ensure Sharitive's successful transition from beta to business, I need to bring on a team that has experience in sales, growth strategy and implementation, nonprofit management, mobile payments, and design and product development. Most of all, I need people who are creative, flexible, and passionate about Sharitive's mission. A real passion for what Sharitive is doing trumps the rest because at this stage passion and commitment to the idea is what gets you out of bed in the morning."
While passion is at the core of nonprofits, it is also the case for for-profit startups. While revenue may be the driving force as opposed to a mission, it still takes dedicated people to get any startup off the ground. The early stages often require staff that can wear many hats and help to quickly grow the business.
It is no different for startup nonprofits. Founding members should surround themselves early on with employees and volunteers who believe in the mission, but also understand the business. Even with the help of volunteers and the benefit of tax exemptions, nonprofits are not impervious to failure early on. While the mission of a nonprofit may sound great, founders should prepare for as many scenarios as possible before taking their idea from beta to the real world.
Nonprofits shouldn't underestimate early financial security
Startup organizations should also familiarize themselves with the nonprofit landscape as quickly as they can. Tax exempt is a general statement and nonprofit leaders should be aware that they will incur costs they may not expect.
While nonprofits are exempt from federal unemployment taxes, that is not the case for state unemployment taxes. This is because while FUTA taxes are used to pay administrative costs, SUI are used directly to pay the cost of benefits paid to unemployed workers.
Nonprofits are required to contribute to unemployment insurance but they also have the option of becoming a reimbursing employer. There are a few options for nonprofits that choose to opt out of state UI tax pools to save money and startups should familiarize themselves with those options early on. Groups such as First Nonprofit Companies can provide nonprofits with advice and membership in an LLC to help lower UI costs.
First Nonprofit also offers financial services that can help organizations develop fundraising plans, review financial statements and develop financial data. Financial data can help nonprofits react more quickly to budgetary and funding variances.
Like any business, nonprofits that can begin utilizing cost-saving measures early on stand a greater chance of success down the road.
Ready to chat? Get in touch today to request a no-obligation savings evaluation.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.
Luckily for us, our interactions regarding any issues with staffing has been very minimal! I can say that all other interactions with regards to billing, 941 reporting, etc. have been extremely pleasant, accommodating and easy to work with. Kim Ghanayem is always prompt, professional and friendly. Thank you so much!
First Nonprofit has been easy to work with and makes the administrative process easier and smoother. We enjoy working with you.