Are you self-employed; earning 1099 income?
Is your personal business generating 30k+ per year?
Ever wondered about the tax benefits of incorporating?
 
Our team at Blue Fox specializes in tax preparation for independent contractors and sole proprietors. Consultants, designers, photographers, freelancers – that’s you! We especially love to serve those who work in the social impact sector.
 
If you’re thinking about incorporating, let us help you analyze the numbers. Let’s see if it’s worth it.  
Schedule a free consultation: https://calendly.com/chat-with-chantal.

Last week I had the privilege to speak to nonprofiteers all over the country at Nonprofit Hub's Cause Camp 2020. After I acknowledged that 2020 is basically a dumpster fire, I took an informal poll of the audience to see how everyone was feeling. Interestingly, Cause Campers generally reported a mix of optimism and anxiety. I was shocked because in my head those two sentiments don't usually go together. But I shouldn't have been because, you know. Dumpster fire.

In the spirit of optimism, here are a few thoughts now that 2021 is around the corner:

1. If you are here, still working, still getting out of bed every day, still caring for your family and/or pets, still showing up for your friends, still contributing, you are winning at this crazy game of life. Even if it doesn't feel like it, you are winning. You win each time you refuse to succumb to stress, depression, or anxiety.
2. Everything's changed. Everything will keep changing. Don't resist. Embrace that reality. Be the water, not the rock, as one Zen quote says. The only way to manage or lead in uncertain times is to adapt, iterate, and innovate your way through. We must let let go of any notion that we understand what the next year or two are going to look like. Once you do that, you'll see opportunity pop up in the space you've created by letting go of the past.
3. Lead with heart. Even when it hurts. It may be tempting to shut down, to distance ourselves from our teams in an attempt to self-protect. But resist that urge - it will not serve you. Instead, lean in and lead with heart. Yes, it can be taxing mentally and emotionally. But that's the job - your team is your single greatest asset. They embody your mission. Success is all about how well your team functions and how well they feel supported. So show up for them. Do the work. Lead with heart.

We are all doing the best we can in this moment. And that's all we can do, isn't it? Good for us. Good for you. Keep going. Be grateful for today. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

And we're with you.
Chantal

Are you self-employed; earning 1099 income?
Is your personal business generating more than $30k per year?
Thinking about incorporating? [Our CEO has a video message for you!]
 
It sounds like it’s time to analyze your tax position. Let’s compare the costs of incorporating against the tax savings you’d realize as an S-corp. Let’s figure out if you’re missing any key write offs that can lower your taxable income.
 
Many of our individual tax clients have a side hustle. Some are just starting out and claim their earnings as 1099 income on a Schedule C. Nothing fancy, but these sole proprietors or single-member LLCs have saved thousands of dollars and kept their audit risk low by asking us for help at tax time. Another group of our clients have taken their side hustle to a whole new tax advantaged level by becoming S-corporations. We love using legal strategery (yes, we know that’s not a word) to proactively help people maximize their tax refunds. Here are some examples.
 
EXAMPLE 1: Let’s Save $2,000
One of our clients is an adorable family with young children. This family has been our client for 5 years, from their first year of marriage through the birth of their beautiful kiddos, we sit together every fall and spring to talk about tax-saving strategies.
 
The woman of the household is a part-time freelance marketing consultant, while her husband has both W-2 and 1099 income as a salesperson. She is earning between $28-32k annually and claiming that 1099 income on a Schedule C. Every fall, we have a free tax planning meeting and crunch some numbers for their family. Taking their entire financial and tax picture into consideration we determined a few weeks ago that they could decrease their tax liability by $2,000 if she incorporated as an S-corp. Who doesn’t want to keep $2,000 more of their hard-earned cash??
 
EXAMPLE 2: Let’s Save $8,000
A few years back, another young couple (with equally adorable kiddos, btw!) came to us for a fall tax planning meeting with surprising news: his side hustle had made nearly $60k that year and he’d also changed jobs. Both of these factors meant a significant and unexpected jump in income. We crunched the numbers and their tax bill looked to be around $6,000. We talked about their options in depth, because no one wants to owe on April 15th, right??
 
We suggested that, since his spouse did plenty of unpaid work for his side business, we actually put her on payroll. “Is that even possible?” he asked. Yes. 100%. This is a great tax-saving strategy for sole proprietors. Pay your spouse W-2 wages, and the wages and payroll taxes then become an EXPENSE to the business, lowering your Schedule C net income. There are costs associated with this strategy, like payroll processing fees and W-2 filings, but the tax savings eclipsed those expenses for this family.
 
When we saw the couple was intrigued, we doubled down. We suggested that along with payroll, since they didn’t need the cash, the ultimate tax avoidance strategy is to open a business retirement account and defer as much (or all) of the spouse’s wages into the plan up to the annual limit. This allows for federal tax deferral on the W-2 income for the spouse. They were on the fence, until we shared that this second step would take their tax bill from $6,000 to a refund of $2,000 – that’s $8,000 saved in just one conversation!
 
EXAMPLE 3: Save Nothing
“Pay the bill and make peace with what you owe – after all, you did have a good year!” No, this isn’t a joke. Yes, we do say this sometimes. Why?
 
Because A) it’s true, and B) adulting is hard. We’ll give you all your options, but at the end of the day if it’s too much to worry about with your day job, and COVID-19, and your kids running around, and your side business, we GET it. We’re here to give you good advice, that’s all. It’s up to you to take it. We won’t pressure you no matter what you decide.  
 
Do these situations ring true for you?
Are you doing pretty well at a side hustle but feel like Uncle Sam is taking too much of your cheese? Want to talk to an experienced human about your unique situation? There is no one-size-fits-all solution in the tax code. Our team at Blue Fox understands that. We work with you based on your particular challenges and opportunities. Our goal is to do everything we can to reduce your tax liability and help you keep more of the money you work so hard to earn.
 
Consultants, designers, photographers, freelancers – call us up! We especially love to serve those who work in the social impact sector. It warms our heart!
 
If you’re thinking about incorporating, let us help you analyze the numbers. Let’s see if it’s worth it.  
Schedule a free consultation: https://calendly.com/chat-with-chantal.
 
If you’re looking for a human person to talk to about tax planning, that’s us.
 
Let’s connect at (321) 233-3311 and hello@yourbluefox.com.

Fundraisers certainly have their work cut out for them this year. Coronavirus. Racism. Unemployment. Riots. Business closures. Natural disasters. A contentious election year. All of these make for a super challenging fundraising environment. So, what’s a fundraising organization to do with giving season right around the corner?
 
Here’s our CEO’s most recent article addressing this issue: Raise More Money - 4 Financial Secrets for Fundraisers. And, here are a some of our favorite resources from social impact leaders we trust:

• (VIDEO) Power Prospecting in a Pandemic and Beyond
• (STATS) 22 Statistics About #GivingTuesday Donors Worldwide
• (HOW TO) How to Encourage Recurring Gifts Online: 4 Actionable Tips
• (RESOURCE PAGE) Classy’s Refreshed Giving Tuesday Resource Center
• ​(CHECKLIST) Ultimate Financial Checklist for Giving Season

 
Keep in mind that fundraising is just the first step to grow (and these days sustain) your nonprofit. It’s what you do with those funds (how you manage and leverage them) that’s key to organizational sustainability. That’s where our team at Blue Fox comes in handy. We’re like a swiss army knife – each service we offer designed to streamline your back office and manage your financials in the most effective way possible.
 
Please enjoy these resources and if you’re interested in hearing more from us, subscribe to our newsletter today! 

So, you received PPP funds. 
What do you do now? 
How do you make sure your loan is forgiven? 
If you're asking these questions, you're not alone! 
 
What we know: 

• If passed, Senate Bill 4321 will allow all PPP borrowers that received $150,000 or less to automatically have their loan forgiven if the debtee “signs and submits to the lender an attestation that the eligible recipient made a good faith effort to comply with all requirements. 

What we advise:

• If you received PPP funds for under $150,000 and want to apply for forgiveness - JUST WAIT! The current application is complicated and looks like a mini tax form. You may not need to complete this form if Senate Bill 4321 is passed. We'll keep you updated.

As always, our team is happy to answer questions and help your organization navigate current financial challenges. Give us a call at (321) 233-3311 or email hello@yourbluefox.com. ​

​Raise your hand if you love being audited.
Anyone? Anyone?
We didn’t think so.
 
At most companies, audit time causes anxiety and panic. And, the pressure doesn’t stop there. As a financial services and advisory firm, we’re under the microscope too.
 
For many nonprofit organizations an audit is an annual occurrence (often mandated in the bylaws or by state law). From a fundraising perspective, a clean audit can demonstrate sound financial stewardship and pave the way for increased donor trust and giving. That’s why our team at Blue Fox views a client audit as a management and marketing opportunity, as well as an important financial management exercise.
 
Using the right tools and technology, we’ve reduced the tedious audit process from an average 10 hours down to just 2. That’s an entire workday saved – you’re welcome! How did we do it? One app: Bill.com.  
 
We’re such big fans of Bill.com’s audit effectiveness that Bill.com asked our CEO, Chantal Sheehan to write about it on their blog.
 
In the full article, How to Help Your Clients Get a Clean Audit, she highlights 3 key features at Bill.com that help our clients get clean, fairly painless audits each year:
 
(1)  Digitized, paperless records
(2)  Enforcement of internal controls
(3)  Audit trail feature
 
The full article gives specific details and examples. It’s a must read!
 
Is your organization looking for nonprofit audit preparation services? Give us a call at (321) 233-3311 or email. We’ll get you sorted! Then you can focus on what really matters: your mission and serving your community.
 
Related Articles
5 Tips to Get You A Clean Audit Every Year
Nonprofits - It's Time to Automate Your Back Office
10 Reasons to Outsource Your Nonprofit Accounting

Fundraisers certainly have their work cut out for them this year. Coronavirus. Racism. Unemployment. Riots. Business closures. Natural disasters. A contentious election year. All of these make for a super challenging fundraising environment. So, what’s a fundraising organization to do?
 
Chances are, you’re already making lemons out of lemonade. We applaud all of you nonprofiteers for a quick pivot to digital fundraising, virtual events, and redirecting your focus on personal donor communication strategies. Strong relationships are more important than ever. And, our team at Blue Fox would like to offer: “What if those relationships are paired with strategic financial knowledge? How much more effective could your fundraising team be?”
 
Our CEO, Chantal Sheehan recently wrote a guest feature article for Bloomerang addressing this exact question: 4 Finance Secrets to Help You Raise More Money.
 
(1)  Know Your Burn Rate
(2)  Be Transparent and Fluent in Financial Data
(3)  Demonstrate Financial Resilience
(4)  Understand How to Frame Overhead as Programmatic Support
 
The full article gives specific details and examples. It’s a must read!
 
If your team could use guidance implementing these suggestions, our friendly team at Blue Fox is here to help! Give us a call at (321) 233-3311 or email. We’ll get you sorted! Then you can focus on what really matters: your mission and serving your community.
 
Related Articles
6 Step Guide to Build Donor Trust
Our Favorite Resources for Nonprofit Fundraisers
Kindness Leads to More Profit and Productivity
​

​In the nonprofit world, nirvana is achieved through financial sustainability. We’re talking about a level of sustainability that most organizations only dream about: fully funded operating reserves, available lines of credit, multiple revenue streams, and a full understanding of when the money flows in, how to leverage it, make it grow, and how it is best spent.
 
Financial sustainability creates its own beautiful cycle. It breeds proactive leadership, strategic direction, and organization growth. Why? Because social impact leaders with a comprehensive understanding of their financial operations can confidently communicate, empower and build trust with their stakeholders. And, trust leads to increased financial support. [6 Step Guide to Build Donor Trust]
 
This high-performing type of organization is 100% possible! We know because we’ve seen countless organizations transform, including many of our clients.
 
So, where does a nonprofit start?
 
Here’s a model of the 4-part system that our CEO, Chantal Sheehan uses to help nonprofits achieve financial sustainability. It’s a cycle. It’s a system. The flow creates continuous improvement and continuous analysis.
 
Let’s break it down… 

​Simply put, stewardship is nurturing, supporting, and taking care of something. Its time spent thinking, planning, talking, and taking action to ensure long-term viability.
 
Ask yourself. Does your team steward your financial operations as much as other organizational activities? Think about how much time your team spends each week on fundraising? How much time do you spend cultivating donors? How much of your time is spent chasing donations and grant money? 50% of your week? 70%? Maybe even 90%?
 
Now, how much time do you spend analyzing how those hard-fought dollars are used? Do you have regular meetings with your team about finance? Do department or program heads talk about budget in real-time and regularly? In most cases, the time spent on financial management (stewardship) is not even close to the time spent raising the funds. It’s time to change that dynamic and take one huge leap closer to financial sustainability.
 
“Sustainability starts with a commitment to apply the same principles and stewardship to finance as we apply to fundraising and donor relationships.” – Chantal Sheehan, Blue Fox CEO

The use of modern financial technology is a critical support mechanism for financial stewardship. Tech platforms have come a long way in the last decade. They are more cost-effective and affordable than ever, and it’s time for nonprofits to get on board. Using financial technology appropriately is no longer just a plus for nonprofits… it’s a must. FinTech or bust! [Our Favorite Back Office Technology Solutions]
 
Some reasons why social impact organizations should adopt or seek out best of breed financial technology:

• Built for ease of use
• Automation of monotonous and error-prone accounting data entry
• Transition to a new platform is much less painful than it used to be
• Cross-platform integration is widely available
• Cloud-based* platforms provide access to data anywhere, anytime (and no down-time when disasters strike)
• Cloud-based* platforms offer continuous updates and improvement at no additional cost
• Digitized audit trails
• Enhanced internal controls

 
* Side note on “cloud-based”: Let’s get coffee if you think we’re talking about actual clouds here :)

​Data. It’s not just a word for nerdy back-office folks crunching numbers. Data is a word used by proactive smart leaders. Data is what gives nonprofit executive directors, CEOs and board members the ability to make reasoned, educated decisions. Data is the pencil that draws the blueprints for strategic planning. If your last organizational decision was made by intuition, why not generate some data to check yourself and provide evidence? Data breeds buy-in too.
 
When it comes to collecting data, our CEO always says, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If your FinTech is working for you the way it should be, avoiding bad data should be straightforward. But here are some operational decisions for your team to consider to ensure your data is squeaky clean:

• What data needs to be measured?
  • Accounting data
  • Donor data
  • Member retention
  • Sponsor satisfaction
  • Program participation
  • Program impact
• What’s the right frequency to measure and discuss data?
• Accountability: who is in charge of producing the data?
• Accuracy: How can you check it? 

​Now that your data gleams, it’s time to use it to generate insights. Data tells you what happened. Insights tell you why something happen, why something failed to happen or what might happen next. Insights result from analysis and discussion. One of the best ways to analyze and discuss data is to make it visual whenever possible.
 
Here are some tools that make financial data visual and encourage your team to generate insights to aid in organizational decision making:  

• Comparative financial statements
  • This year vs last year
  • This month vs last month
  • This month vs last month vs this month last year
• Ratios (Click to Download Blue Fox’s Magical Nonprofit Financial Ratio Matrix)
  • Current Ratio
  • Months of Cash
  • Reliance
  • Fundraising Efficiency
  • Self-Sufficiency
  • Program Efficiency
• Dashboard style reports
• Infographics
• Simple charts

 
Once you’ve taken your data from snooze-fest to wow-fest, you’ll notice a fairly immediate shift in how your team discusses it. Insights will begin to reveal themselves, giving you the capacity to make informed decisions and strategic moves as needed. 

It’s time to close this loop of continuous improvement and analysis. Let’s talk about, plan for and become proactive (a.k.a. steward) about your financial situation to put your organization in a more sustainable position.
 
Data and the insights they reveal show you what financial risks and opportunities exist. Now, relate those to your external and internal environments. Determine what changes you can make now so that your organization is stronger and better able to mitigate risks. Think about how these new insights should inform changes to your current fundraising initiatives, revenue goals, operational plans, and program strategies. Then plan for a rainy day. Shore up any potential cash flow weak spots by acquiring a line of credit and creating an operating reserve (5 Key Elements Your Operating Reserves Policy Needs). Do this year after year, and you will watch your organization shift from reactive to proactive, and sustainability will follow.
 
As always, if your team could use support implementing this system at your nonprofit, Blue Fox is her to help! Give us a call at (321) 233-3311 or email hello@yourbluefox. Feel free to learn more about our philosophy, clients, services and our team before you make that call. Now, let’s get to work!

By: Blue Fox CEO, Chantal Sheehan and Marketing Guru, Chelsea Clementi

Dust off those financial statements and put them to work! Our team at Blue Fox created this Magical Ratio Matrix to help your organization measure its financial health against industry standards.
 
So, how do you measure up? What are the red flags for each ratio? Is your organization in a healthy, sustainable position?
 
BUT FIRST! Before you start your calculations, make sure your financial data is current. Complete Step 1 on our Ultimate Financial Checklist. Check each box to ensure your data is squeaky clean.  Remember: Accurate data = accurate insights = informed decision-making. 

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ABOUT US
Blue Fox offers monthly back office financial services (bookkeeping, HR, payroll, tax) and financial consulting specific to social impact organizations. Our team members have broad expertise in the social impact space, with backgrounds as nonprofit leaders, board members and volunteers. The entrepreneurial spirit runs deep on our team. This means we manage your back-office from the same perspective as you would. Meet some of our clients!

When I started Blue Fox, I was delighted at the prospect of working from home and running a virtual, tech-based company. My list of pros was something like this: 
     -    Yoga pants
     -    No high heels on the daily
     -    Unfettered access to the fridge
     -    A schedule that works for me
     -    Yoga pants

But I never imagined that one of the benefits of running a firm like Blue Fox would be that our services would remain operational during a pandemic. Zombie apocalypse might've been higher up on my list than pandemic. Sheesh. Talk about unexpected wins.

Am I glad we're operational during COVID-19? Of course. Thankful every day we can continue to provide for our clients and our team. But even with all our tech tools and infrastructure, we've still had to adapt to new and different needs, internally and externally, during the last 6 months.

Technology needs in today's business world are only intermittently static. They evolve, right alongside your business model and your team, over time. You ignore your ever-changing needs in this area of your business at your own peril. Cumbersome, inefficient technologies can become a huge internal burden if left in place for too long. And then it becomes extremely costly (time and $$!) when you finally transition.

Our tagline at Blue Fox is Agile Accounting for Impact. Agile is a tech industry term, in case you're unfamiliar. It has to do with developing and deploying software incrementally and iteratively, rather than just dropping a completed product in the marketplace.

So if we at Blue Fox don't practice an agile approach for ourselves, and support our clients in doing so as well, we aren't living up to our mission. So that's why we've put together a special tech-oriented newsletter curated just for you.

Enjoy & stay safe and healthy,

Chantal