The Softer Benefits Of Corporate Giving

Written by Veronica Fielding


Have a favorite charity or non-profit community cause to which you contribute time and resources? Chances are your company will be interested in supporting it, too.

According torepparttar Giving USA 2004 study released byrepparttar 136285 Giving USA Foundation inrepparttar 136286 summer of 2004, American individuals, estates, foundations, and corporations gave an estimated $240.72 billion to charitable causes in 2003. Inrepparttar 136287 US, duringrepparttar 136288 five years spanning 1998-2002, corporations contributed $55 billion, (5%) ofrepparttar 136289 total $1135 billion. Corporations also gave through foundations, which contributed an addition $121 billion (11%) ofrepparttar 136290 five year total.

People tend to be aware that there are financial benefits to corporations for donating to charities and that corporations want to be good, forward-acting citizens. What people—and many organizations—don’t realize yet is that there are still other motivators and benefits for corporate giving. The fact is, increasing numbers corporations are extendingrepparttar 136291 benefits of their corporate giving activities by leveraging them as team building programs and employee support initiatives that increase even furtherrepparttar 136292 benefits these activities bring torepparttar 136293 company itself.

For example, according to Marjorie Polycarpe in a December 2003 article Re-Examining Workplace Giving Programs (http://www.onphilanthropy.com/bestpract/bp2003-12-31.html), she quotesrepparttar 136294 manager ofrepparttar 136295 employee giving campaign at American Express, Angela Woods, who discussed how her company involved employees early on in their planning process for corporate giving activities to help guide their choices for charities. Getting employee input helped American Express identifyrepparttar 136296 causes and charities that were most important to their employees.

This approach helps organizations communicate to their employees that they respect and support their employees’ donations of personal time and resources. It also helps companies demonstrate that support, by forming foundations, by contributing cash, in-kind gifts, and/or matching programs, and by encouraging other employees to get involved in particular causes and facilitating their involvement.

When companies form foundations, they establish organizations focused on giving to a particular cause or which is authorized to contribute to approved organizations.

Companies can also contribute cash gifts directly to charitable organizations.

When companies donate non-cash resources, these are called in-kind gifts. In-kind gifts can be products thatrepparttar 136297 company produces, moved out of its inventory, or they can be can be other items thatrepparttar 136298 charity can use, such as furniture, computers, food, etc. When companies contributerepparttar 136299 services for which they normally charge clients, for example, marketing or legal services, these in-kind gifts are called pro bono donations.

To help support charities that their employees contribute to or to encourage employees to contribute to charities already supported byrepparttar 136300 organization, companies can enable donations to come directly fromrepparttar 136301 employee’s payroll check. Frequently when such systems are in place, they are part of a company matching program which hasrepparttar 136302 company match, or exceed by some percentage, cash donations made byrepparttar 136303 employee. So, for example, if an employee contributes $50 per pay period to an authorized charity,repparttar 136304 company would contribute $100 per pay period in a 2:1 program. The company would be contributing in a similar manner for all ofrepparttar 136305 other employees inrepparttar 136306 program.

10 Easy but Essential Steps for Home Selling Success

Written by Rhiannon Williamson


They say thatrepparttar whole process of selling up, buying new and moving on is one ofrepparttar 136183 most stressful series of events any of us goes through in a lifetime: and yet with careful planning, attention to detail and a clear focus,repparttar 136184 whole process can be relatively stress free.

While there will always be factors outsiderepparttar 136185 control of any home seller, those factors that fall within their control sphere can proceed fluidly and smoothly when they takerepparttar 136186 time to plan and think one step ahead.

By following these 10 easy but essential steps I can guarantee you home selling success!

1. Get free valuations and priceless advice.

Real estate agents will give you a home valuation for free because ultimately they hope you’ll engage their services when it comes to selling your home. Therefore userepparttar 136187 experience of a handful of local and trusted agents who are renowned for their selling success and invite them to come and value your home. Then, ask them their opinion on what if anything can be done to raiserepparttar 136188 value of your property torepparttar 136189 maximum.

Real estate agents spend their entire professional lives examining properties, they know what attracts a buyer, what turns a buyer away and what can and should be done to a property to enablerepparttar 136190 seller to get maximum returns from his property – request advice based onrepparttar 136191 benefit of their experience. Most real estate agents will be happy to give you any tips they feel are applicable to your home because if you can increaserepparttar 136192 value of it, they can raiserepparttar 136193 price of it and if they are asked to represent you they will ultimately make more fromrepparttar 136194 sale! It is a symbiotic process!

This whole first step will arm you with two priceless facts – firstly you will know how much money you can work with when budgeting and planning for your next home. Secondly you will have a fair idea of what action you should and can take to ensure you getrepparttar 136195 maximum price for your home thus allowing you to begin planningrepparttar 136196 work that needs to be done.

2. Speak to your current mortgage lender.

You need to contact your current mortgage lender and ask them what penalties and fees you will incur for early repayment. Inform them that you are intending to sell your home and they will give you an up to date statement ofrepparttar 136197 amount remaining and exactly how much selling up is going to cost you in real terms.

3. Work out total selling, buying and moving costs.

To assist you with this step ask one of your valuation real estate agents to give you a break down of allrepparttar 136198 local fees, taxes and costs you will likely incur when selling and buying. These will most likely includerepparttar 136199 real estate agent’s fees, a lawyer’s fees, surveyor’s costs, potential gain taxation and also consider factoring inrepparttar 136200 percentage of any annual taxes or charges on your home that you will have to pay.

Add to these expensesrepparttar 136201 costs you will incur when buying a new home and remember to include any deposit, mortgage arrangement fees, survey costs and insurances.

And last but not least, get a rough quotation for removal costs which are easy to gauge based onrepparttar 136202 size of your home andrepparttar 136203 distance you are likely to move.

4. Work out your budget.

By takingrepparttar 136204 original valuation sum given to you byrepparttar 136205 real estate agent and then deducting all ofrepparttar 136206 totals from step 3 you will (hopefully) be left with a positive number! This is your clear profit, this is what you can then use towards your new home.

At this stage, if you have additional sums saved and you wish to add them torepparttar 136207 above to increase your purchasing power you should do so. You will be left with an amount you can use as a down payment on your new home.

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