For the month of June all job postings at Idealist.org are FREE for any nonprofit organization. Posting a job on Idealist usually costs $60.
If you know anyone who works at a nonprofit organization, please share this message with them.
And for anyone interested in NPTech, they even produced a youtube video this month, that describes why Idealist is the best place to post a nonprofit job:
Goodbye and Good Night @ the Nonprofit Eye?
During my job search I put all that on hold and reigned in my ramblings. The Nonprofit Eye was turning into a plain vanilla accounting and compliance reference site. What this means is it is time for a transformation but first a transition. I’ll be shutting down the “Eye” at the end of March. It’s been a good run, but it’s time to be moving on. I’ll leave the site up for a while and then move the good stuff over to my website (www.nonprofiteye.com).
And then the transformation. I will reappear sometime, but not under my favorite (real) name. I’ll have to join the world of (depending on your perspective) cowards or smart people. Either way, I won’t have to edit my sharper thoughts for fear of repercussions at work; and more importantly, I will be able to say what it is I want to say, in my own voice, even if not under my own name. Hopefully some of your will recognize the reincarnated voice and continue along with me on my written journey.
==Out
Nonprofit Audit Toolkit: How sweet it is
When's the last time I wrote about the AICPA's Nonprofit Audit Toolkit? I came across it again this week, and it's awesome! The whole pack can be downloaded as a zip file here. It's really too good for words. You have to check it out. Among some of it's jewels are:
Civil Society, Government, Church - What role do we play?
Ever wonder what the role of nonprofits should be in the mix of government agencies, the business community, churches and other "faith-based" orgs? I have, since April, 2005, ever since I heard Bruce Sievers speak on the topic. It is great grist for the mill.
And so the quest for knowledge continues. Recently, a friend sent me a job opening for an innocuous position for the County of Orange called "Performance Auditor". The job paid well (approx. $90 to $150K) and the job description read like so many others:
This position will report to the Performance Audit Director and be assigned activities such as: management audits, process improvement studies, reorganization studies, cost effectiveness assessments, cost-benefit analysis, best practice analysis, program performance evaluations...
The candidate must also understand the role of government in society and how it interrelates with the business community.
Y.T. has a strong understanding of the role of government in society but needs improvement in the interrelation of government with the business community. We recommend several books on Political Science and perhaps a copy of "Good to Great" on her night stand.
Job Hunting II
A good list of job search sites needs regular maintenance, here are three additions since our earlier post. From here on we'll post the whole updated list (with new items first) bi-monthly.
Bridgestar's mission is to support and strengthen nonprofit organizations by enhancing the flow and Effectiveness of passionate and highly skilled leaders into and within the nonprofit sector.
Commongood Careers - a nonprofit search firm that connects highly skilled, passionate individuals to organizations that are dedicated to creating positive social change. Founded by nonprofit professionals. Offers personalized, engaged support to job seekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers.
California Only:
Nonprofit Directions is a job listing service for the nonprofit sector, available both in print and on the web.
Nonprofit Directions is a service of the Center for Nonprofit Management, the founding partner of the Nonprofit Jobs Cooperative, a collaboration of nonprofit Management Service Organizations across the country who have combined efforts to form a new national jobs listing website.
Technorati Tags: Nonprofit Jobs, Job Search, Nonprofit, Job Resources
NONPROFIT JOBS CORNER
THE SAD
File this one under "Sad State of Affairs":
A recent job search turned up this position advertisement:
Litigation Attorney
Disability Rights Legal Center
http://www.idealist.org/match/851494920-305
Los Angeles, CA
Salary: $48,510 per year depending on experience plus excellent benefits
Imagine graduating from Law School to find this salary! How will the Disability Rights Center recruit good talent with this offer???
THE FUNNY
Add it to my "new favorite job title":
1) I just had to read the job announcement for this one: Chief People Officer
Seems this is what they're calling a Human Resources Manager today. I remember when I thought calling People "Human" resources (as opposed to natural resources like petroleum I suppose) was egregious. What exactly was wrong with "Personnel Manager" again?
2) This is almost as good as (yes it is real!): Dream Coordinator - I've always wanted to coordinate dreams but I keep getting sleepy...
Dream Coordinator |
| Dream Foundation is searching for a highly motivated and committed individual to coordinate dream granting in our Los Angeles office. |
REQUIRED SKILLS:
FASB 116 & 117-Nonprofit Financial Standards*
by Pam Ashlund
Disclaimer: this is a "from the trenches" opinion piece written by a nonprofit finance director who lived through the transition from pre to post FASB Statements 116 & 117. Please click the "summary" and "status" links to read the full text of the statements and consult your independent auditor for final interpretation.
Both Statements were effective December 15, 1994 for nonprofits with over $1 million in annual expenses and over $5 million in total assets.
Statement No. 116
Accounting for Contributions Received and Contributions Made (Issue Date 6/93) [Summary] [Status]
This Statement radically changed (and standardized) the way nonprofits reflect income. Generally, Statement 116 requires that contributions are recognized in the period received. Why radical? Pre-116, nonprofits received multi-year funding and reflected only the portion for the current fiscal year. The remainder was held in a balance sheet account known as "deferred revenue". This prevented the appearance of a large bubble of "profit" in the first year. Statement 116 had one unfortunate effect, it made financial statements very hard for boards and the public to understand, creating artificial profits and losses which, without notation, could be misleading. You have to decide for yourself whether the advantage (standardization) outweighs the disadvantages (hard to interpret financials); however, there is no choice, Statement 116 is required to be in conformance with GAAP.
Statement No. 117
Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organizations (Issue Date 6/93)
[Summary] [Status]
Nowhere near as controversial as 116, Statement 117 requires nonprofits to provide a statement of financial position, a statement of activities, and a statement of cash flows. The statement also requires that the amounts for each of three classes of net assets-permanently restricted, temporarily restricted, and unrestricted-be displayed in a statement of financial position and that the amounts of change in each of those classes of net assets be displayed in a statement of activities.
When this Statement was published all nonprofit accounting software had to be re-written to allow for a three column presentation. It also forced out some critical information. An organization that had previously showed high net assets, now might now call attention to a true loss in current unrestricted activity offset by permanently restricted funds. This statement made financials significantly more transparent and easy to understand by boards and the public.
The Best of 2007 and one new-comer
by pam ashlund
Forgive me if I sing the praises (one more time) of my three favorite bloggers, but I simply must. These three blogs have enough material to keep me reading all winter (and real I will!).
But before I begin, let me introduce a new nonprofit blog on the block. I don't know how I missed it, but it looks like it launched with a bang last September. UnCivilized Society is quite the entertaining blog. Admittedly I'm partial to the "Un's", ever since the Un-Cola, I've been into un.
More Nonprofit Hall of Shame
by pam ashlund
This in from the AP: A Bangor, Maine woman is in jail on a felony theft charge for embezzling $60,000 (maybe more) from a nonprofit that assists families with foster and adopted children.
Work for a Nonprofit? Would you work for no money?
by pam ashlund
Well would you? No, I'm not talking about volunteering. I mean do what you do every day at your nonprofit, but for free. Yes you have said "I love my job so much that I'd do it even if they didn't pay me". But what if they didn't?
A friend of mine recently said that she didn't know people who worked for nonprofits got paid! It bothered her that any of her donation went to someone doing accounting, she had given it to the kids!
So here we are worrying about excessive compensation, and she's worrying about compensation period.
The fix is in folks. Now that the new 990 is a reality, anyone paid more than $150,000/yr will be highlighted. Yes, this means you. While the average household income in the US still hovers around $36,000, try living in Manhattan or San Francisco (or LA for that matter) on under $100,000.
A recent cost-of-living comparison showed a $116,000 salary in LA to be the equivalent of $212,000 in Manhattan. Given numbers like that, the Executive Directors in Manhattan sure get a raw deal on the 990. They appear to be paid excessively while the LA equiv skates on by under the radar. Is nobody thinking over there at the IRS???
OK, last question (alas I don't have many answers today): Anyone know a for-profit executive responsible for running a multi-million dollar corporation that gets paid LESS than $150,000???
fin.
