May 30, 2012
Childcare FAQ
Why do you Need Insurance for your Daycare?
Daycares provide a greatly needed service to many working parents across the United States. It is an important and difficult decision when a parent chooses the day care or childcare service provider for their little one. Even in the best of daycares, accidents can and do happen. It is important as a daycare provider that you make sure you and your business are properly protected in the event of a claim or incident. Review your current daycare insurance policy to make sure the following insurance coverages are provided:
- Improper Sexual Conduct Liability-
- General Liability provides coverage in the event a parent, guardian, adult, and/or child is injured on your property with regards to your daycare business. Defense costs are outside the limit of liability.
- Non-Owned & Hired Auto Liability if a daycare employee or volunteer uses their vehicle on your behalf, and they have an accident and you and your daycare is named in used in the lawsuit, you will have coverage to protect you.
- Medical Payments-. This helps to reduce claims because the policy will pay the out-of-pocket expenses for someone injured on your property pertaining to the daycare business without a lawsuit being presented.
- Commercial Property- Often times in-home daycares are at a greater risk of not having this much needed protection because homeowners policies often state that coverage is void if a business is being run out of the home.
Contact your insurance agent today to make sure that you are properly protecting your daycare.
May 29, 2012
5 Steps to Lawsuit Survival
The economy has posed hardships for most people, and as a result there has been a rise in lawsuits. We mind our business, and then BOOM! papers stating that we have been served are thrown in our face. Why? Lawsuits are all about money. But can take a great toll on your patience, time, and Nonprofit Organization.
There are five steps to take to survive through a lawsuit including: get a lawyer, determine payments, responding, collecting and acting, and settlement. Unsteady emotions can lead to things we may regret, so get a lawyer that you can relate with on a personal level is the most critical step. The next step is to figure out how you will pay for the lawyer. Your Nonprofit Insurance coverage may take care of some of this, but there needs to be an agreement between you and the lawyer. Next, you must choose to respond or not respond to the complaints. The lawyer then collects documents about the opponent and creates a defense for you. Finally, the settlement is reached. Most often cases do not go to trial, but can reach a point of common ground through the lawyers alone.
May 25, 2012
5 Ways to cut Energy Costs
A new trend in America is going green, and even if you’re not going green it’s always nice to save money, right? A way you can save some money is by cutting your energy costs at home or at your Non-Profit Organization. Here are a few tips to help you out:
- Consider adding solar panels. This may be a pricier choice at first but it will cost less in the long run.
- Check to see if the air from outside is seeping inside your house, by sealing those crevices you can save.
- Unplug all electronics when not in use, even though it is not being used, your energy bill is going up.
- Buy appliances with the “Energy Star” sticker.
- When leaving your house for work or leaving your office, turn down the thermostat a few notches.
By following these five tips, you will have a less expensive energy bill so that you can spend money on more important things, like a nice big screen television, a day at the spa, or even a vacation!
May 23, 2012
Security Breach
Security breaches can happen all of the time with big and small businesses if you do not take the correct precautions. You must be sure that your organization is compliant with legal requirements regarding data destruction policies. Some ways to increase awareness around legal data security policies include getting informed, staying informed, making sure you have formal information security policies in place with trained employees, limiting the number of people who handle the confidential documents, and demonstrating a top-management commitment to the total security of your business and customer information.
Keeping your business information secure is very important, so you need to make sure you trust and really know the employees that handle this information. To keep away from the risks of a data security breach consider adopting a “shred-all policy” which means that all unwanted documents are shredded and destroyed, a periodic information security audit, avoid overlooking hard drives on computers or photocopiers, and hire a reliable vendor.
A recent survey in Canada found that 36% of small businesses staff have never been trained. Safeguarding data is important and does not have to be burdensome. Just make sure that you are shredding confidential data, have a locked confidential paper receptacle in your office, and limit physical access to storage closets and online access to sensitive files. By taking all of these steps and reviewing and making the security policies better can help protect your Adult Care Home in the long run.
May 22, 2012
Abuse Procedures for Nonprofits
All nonprofits that work with children and teens need to adopt policies to limit the risk for abuse. One on one contact with children should be limited. Abuse is less likely to occur if the adult and child are visible to others. The parent or guardian should accompany the child to the restroom since this is the most likely place for abuse. If there are overnight activates, the adults should have separate sleeping quarters from the children. At least two adults should accompany children overnight, but remember to have the same sex adults working with the children. Encourage staff, volunteers, and employees to report all suspicious behavior.
May 15, 2012
Screening & Training Drivers for Your Nonprofit
Screening & Training Drivers
Do you know what screening should be done for an employee or volunteer who uses his or her own car for you Nonprofit Organization ? How about an employee or volunteer who uses one of your cars for work? Before you let an employee use their vehicle make sure you perform an application process, personal interview, reference checks, review of valid driver’s license, and check that they carry proof of personal insurance in the car. It is also important to check with your insurance carrier to determine if there is coverage on your business auto policy for your Nonprofit Organization.
For those using your vehicle, it is your responsibility to check with your insurance agent regarding auto liability insurance coverage, have the applicant obtain a motor vehicle records (MVR) check, and ask for a statement of medical conditions. Along with the above, remember to screen the applicant using an application, hold an interview, perform reference checks, and ensure a valid driver’s license is used. If the employee must operate a large vehicle special licenses and certificates may be required. Remember, anyone that needs a Commercial Drivers License must undergo drug and alcohol testing.
May 14, 2012
Fundraising & Your Community
Okay, so you’ve tried the other fundraising ideas and have gotten some money from it, but you really want your community to be involved with what you do. That’s where fundraising events come in handy. Fundraising events are endless, just think of your community and what might draw them to your fundraiser. Here are some event ideas:
- Host an auction. You could include dinner and charge for tickets to the event and then the items that are auctioned off will also add more money to your organization.
- Zumba party. Zumba is a popular fitness exercise now and organizations all over the world are using it as a fundraising event. Zumba instructors will usually donate their time and all you need to get is a dance floor.
- Casual dress day. If you are an organization that has employees that have a strict dress code, you can give them a choice to dress casual every Friday for $5. You can even spread this through your local community asking them to participate in the Casual Friday fundraiser.
- Holiday themes. People love taking their families to holiday themed events and if it raises money for an organization, even better!
- Percentage of restaurant proceeds. Talk to your local restaurants and see if on one day or a couple days if they could give 15% of their earnings to your organization. For a list of restaurants that offer this type of fundraiser, visit our Nonprofit Fundraiser Center.
There are so many ways to get your organization donations without spending much money if any at all. Just think of your community and what they would like to spend their time at.
May 11, 2012
Wake up Easier in the Morning
It is hard for many individuals to get started and motivated in the mornings. You wake up in the morning, and you don’t want to have caffeine because it is not the best thing for your body but you have to wake up. What do you do? Here are a few tips to get you started in the morning:
- Turn on all the lights in your room right when you wake up and let as much natural light in as possible.
- Eat a healthy Breakfast. This will jump start your metabolism which will give you more energy.
- Exercise. This will get your heart pumping and leave your sleepiness at home.
- Work out your mind. This can be done by writing, drawing, Sudoku, reading, etc.
- Try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night.
With these steps you’ll be able to kick caffeine out the door in no time and move on to a healthier, more energized you.
May 8, 2012
Basics of Auto Safety
All knowledge builds from a smaller idea, so we must first understand the basics of driving safely before we can be safe drivers. A lot of money, time, and stress can result if a Nonprofit Organization has a poor driver safety program. There are two key parts to a successful driver safety program.
First, there must be a driving coach. This person must be educated in choosing safe vehicles, enforcing policies and procedures, and resolving problems.
The second part is the safety committee. This is a group of people acting as the board for the driving coach to create driving programs. The members may include insurance brokers, attorneys, police officers, and mechanics.
Both the driving coaches and safety committee work together to establish a safe driving program for a facility.
May 4, 2012
5 Steps to a Debt-Free Life
In the economy that we are living in right now money is weighing on our minds a lot along with debt from unpaid bills. Although this may seem unending, there are some ways to help eliminate debt and get your finances back in order:
- Compare the 6 solutions and choose one that will work best for you. Debt consolidation, debt settlement, debt management, self repayment plan, bankruptcy, or ostrich plan.
- Avoid new debts. To start eliminating the old debt, remember to pay your bills fully, in time to stop having even more debt.
- Control your spending habits. Instead of buying your lunch at work every day, pack to save some money which can be used to pay off your debt.
- Consider professional help.
- Make a list of all the bills you need to pay and make sure that with your income you can pay them all on time, if you can’t you may be able to call the company and get an extension.
Just remember, there can be an end to debt, it is up to you. Make the right choices with spending, create a budget, consider all solutions, and pay your bills on time for here on out and you’ll be on your way to a debt free life.
