As we trend towards a sense of normalcy in 2022, the convenience and cost savings of remote audits are here to stay. Whether you began remote audits out of necessity during the pandemic or have been doing them for a while, join us and Paul Preziotti, CPA, nonprofit audit expert, and Partner with Johnson Lambert, for tips on preparing for and running a successful remote audit. You’ll leave knowing how to:

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

-Is a remote audit what your organization needs?
-Plan for what an auditor will need to see
-Create a strong audit trail with documentation, naming conventions, and accessible details
-Gather what you’ll need and provide secure access to your auditor

 

Resources:

Paul Preziotti, CPA

Webinar: Be Audit You Can Be, Remotely: Preparing and Running a Successful Remote Audit

Blog: The Final Step of the Nonprofit Audit: Presenting Financial Statements to your Board

 

Quotes:

"As the auditee, you have the ability to mold this relationship however you want it."

"I think [hybrid audits] are terrific and I think that could be a good solution for a lot of you that want the best of both worlds."

"If we have an audit that's beginning the first week of May, we want to be able to hit the ground running."

 

There are a lot of ways to think about how technology impacts things, as well as how different constituent types interact with it and the relationships that it helps them build. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing recent research on how technology improves the relationship between schools and parents.

Joining the podcast today is Chuck English, of English Marketing Works, and Linda Lawrence, of Ransom Everglades. Listen to the episode to hear what they have to say about the key findings of the recent Blackbaud study show, the expectations that people have about the technology they interact with, and how the technology profile at Linda’s school came about.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Important and key findings of the study of how technology impacts the relationship between parents and schools
• Linda’s perspective of the daily experiences between parents and technology at schools
• Whether the current state of the world has made parents more willing to use this technology
• Chuck’s experience of people's expectations of the technology they use and whether that’s changing.
• How the technology portfolio at Linda’s school was developed
• The perspective that Linda is examining technology from
• The advice that Linda would give schools that have fewer technology resources, but are trying to move in that direction
• How Linda’s school leadership helped make needed technological changes during the pandemic
• A change that stands out in Linda’s mind that sticks out as something that’s here to stay
• Changes Chuck is seeing with the organizations he works with that are here to stay
• The extent to which parents drive technology offerings

 

Resources:

Chuck English

Linda Lawrence

Using Technology to Bridge the Value Gap in Private Schools

Moving Forward: Enriching the Parent Experience with a Focus on Technology

Infographic: K–12 Independent Schools Parent Survey

 

Quotes: 

“Technology has a huge impact on their experience as parents.” – Chuck English

“Parents have learned to become very nimble with what to expect, and we just find ways to ease into those situations at a moment’s notice.” –Linda Lawrence

“I think you develop alliances; you identify those super-users that can provide assistance.” –Linda Lawrence

What do you know about setting goals for yourself and your team and managing those goals? In today’s episode, you’ll hear an excerpt from the Skills UP webinar series. In it, you’ll hear Damaris Herron-Watkins discuss best practices for creating and managing your team’s goals. Listen in to hear what she has to say about the purpose of goal management, the different types of goals, and making goals SMART.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• What A Better Chance does
• The purpose of goal management
• Why goals are important
• Creating goals for yourself and your direct reports
• Types of goals
  • Cascading goals
  • Agile goals
• What to do when you set goals for your team
• Making sure goals are motivating for your direct reports
• What SMART means
• How to make sure your goals are SMART
• Why you should create between three and five goals
• How to know if your goals are SMART
• Manager’s goals

 

Resources:

Damaris Herron-Watkins

Skills UP Webinar Series

5 Keys for Achieving your Organization’s Goals 

 

Quotes: 

“A couple of reasons why goals are important is one, they help to prioritize your work and the work of your team.”

“When we’re creating goals for our team, like I said, you have to make sure you know what your goals are for the year.”

“SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.”

International Women’s Day is on March 8^th, 2022, and it’s a good time to think about the state of women and girls worldwide, how current events may make violence and abuse even worse than they were, and how to move forward by empowering each other.

 

Today’s guest is Vesna Jaric, the Interim Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. Listen to the episode to learn about Vesna’s role at the Trust Fund and how current events affect the state of women and girls around the world.

 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Vesna’s role at the UN Trust Fund to end Violence Against Women
• The state of women and girls around the world
• How the pandemic has exacerbated violence against women
• The universality of violence against women
• How the organizations the UN Trust Fund is supporting has stepped in for women and girls
• The lagging of representation and resources for organizations that address violence against women
• How to increase resources for organizations that help women and girls
• How listeners can follow the research that Vesna is involved in

 

Resources:

Vesna Jaric

Learning from Practice: The Impact of COVID-19 on Violence Against Women and Girls

UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women

SHINE

UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women on Twitter

UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women on Instagram

 

Quotes: 

“So far, the fund has supported more than 600 organizations in 140 countries and territories across the world.”

“I would argue that violence against women and girls is probably the oldest and most persistent problem the world is dealing with.”

“Women’s rights organizations have been the first responders.”