The MASSB Minute

As a non-profit organization, we tend to focus our time on revenue generation: fundraising and solicitation of donations. While this is absolutely necessary for our success, it must not be our only focus. It's critically important that we also spend adequate time and effort accounting for our revenue as well as our expenditures, and maintaining records in order to properly balance the books each quarter. It's now April and time to balance the first quarter, so please make sure that your team is well versed in these requirements. Read the section below titled "Are You Ready for the Quarterly Financial Review" for more guidance. And don't forget the most important rule of all…. thank your donors!

All the best,
Chris

April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Many Maryland jurisdictions have planned outreach activities to spread awareness and offer resources, including the Maryland Department of Human Services.

We are fortunate to have leaders from all walks of life on our local boards. But being a leader in an organization with paid employees is not the same as being a leader of volunteers! So how do we adapt our leadership experience for our role on a nonprofit board? The first step is to understand why each board member decided to carve time out of their busy lives to support our mission. "10 Tips to Leading Volunteers" by Skybound Coaching and Training does a good job discussing factors important to leading volunteers. At the top of the list are:

• Build a Relationship
• Listen for What Matters to Them
• Connect Them to the Mission

Thank you for your leadership in harnessing the talents of every board member to help us accomplish our mission to support vulnerable Marylanders. For more tips on how to lead a team of volunteers, check out the full article here.

Read 10 Tips to Leading Volunteers

David Pool, Advisory Board Chair

"I am most proud of…. the WCDSS Staff who each day face those who come to us seeking assistance and finding kindness, compassion, and solutions to meet their needs.

Our biggest challenge…. is finding ways to support the department staff and encourage their efforts so that they realize the importance of their work, are recognized for their efforts, and find satisfaction in what they accomplish.

This year we hope to accomplish…. More! Our most active partnerships are with…. the Washington County Board of Education and the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

My advice to a new chair is…. to take stock of the advisory board members, their skills, and strengths; and with that knowledge you can help each find a way to participate in addressing the needs of the community.

The best thing about my county…. Is the rural nature and beauty, the pace of life, and the people!"

Please be on the lookout for Mark Poerio's e-mail prior to our April meeting. He will provide you with the Foundation's financial statements for the first quarter's verification of balances. If your balances do not match what Mark provides, please contact Mark ASAP with documentation that resolves the discrepancy.

As a reminder…

1. Keep track of your revenue (donations, fundraisers and grants) and expenditures (program, administrative and fundraising). This can easily be done using Excel.
2. Copies of deposit slips for funds you deposit to the Foundation's M&T account must be scanned and emailed to us immediately so we can properly credit your account.
3. Allowable expenses are listed in Appendix III of the Handbook.
4. Copies of invoices must be maintained by each local board for up to 3 years.

If your records are in order, quarterly verification will be easy and the year-end verification will practically take care of itself. Please pay attention to your financials – they are the lifeblood of our organization. For reference, see the MASSB Handbook template, chapter 8.

New Resource for Boards! MASSB Zoom account now available for use by local boards. Please contact trustee@massbfoundation.org for scheduling details.

View Board Resources

Did you know that many of our counties have a chapter of Rebuilding Together or Christmas in April? These nonprofits repair the homes of low-income homeowners, especially the elderly, disabled, and families with children. They are a great resource for DSS customers. Your board may even enjoy helping out on a project. That would be a fun team building event! Find out what's going on in your county here.

View County Contacts

April 22, 12pm — Community Meeting & 1st Qtr Financial Review
What topics would you like to see on the agenda? Let us know! trustee@massbfoundation.org