Three Ways Audit Services Benefit Your Nonprofit

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In many of the most fundamental ways, a nonprofit is run in an entirely different fashion than a for-profit organization, from its hierarchical structure to asset management. However, a lot of the same rules still apply. In many states, the law requires audits, while in others, it’s not necessary to conduct an one, but it’s not a bad idea to consider it anyway if you plan to apply for government funding or if you wish to maintain a good reputation with the public. Here are a few reasons your not-for-profit might consider obtaining audit services.
1. To Abide By State Law

Laws vary by state not only in regards to whether or not nonprofit organizations are required to be checked out, but also under which conditions. In most states, not-for-profits are required to submit reports in order to raise funds. Some other reasons why certain states require them include meeting or exceeding a threshold for charitable donations, the total amount of fiscal year revenue, charity registration renewal, and other indicators. The type of service required varies also. In some states, depending on the circumstances, a full audit is required. Other states or different circumstances require only a review or a compilation.

2. To Maintain Your Good Reputation

When nonprofit organizations are in the news, it’s often not because of charitable deeds or honorable accomplishments. It’s because they are being accused of or being investigated for fraud. Seeking audit services is a good way to help prevent a situation like this from occurring. The public, especially those who contribute or have contributed to charitable organizations, appreciate financial transparency. People want access to information, and when they’re denied that access, they might feel that you have something to hide. Keeping financial records available to the public can help you avoid this issue.

3. To Apply for Funding

If you’re hoping to apply for a grant or other funding, there’s a good chance you’ll need to conduct an audit. Many agencies, especially the state or federal government, want proof that your nonprofit runs a tight ship before providing funding of any kind. Some private organizations do, too. If you’re up for a substantial grant or plan to apply for funding now or in the future, it’s a smart idea to begin conducting them yearly. Showing that you take care and pride in conducting your financial business by the book is always advantageous.

Because not-for-profits have a completely different financial culture than for-profit businesses, it seems strange that it would be necessary for a nonprofit to conduct a yearly audit. However, despite the fact that it is mandatory by law under certain circumstances in many states, it’s often simply a matter of good business practice to choose some kind of regular audit services, be it for a full audit, a review, or a compilation. Proving your organization to be fiscally responsible and reliable is an easy way to open the door to funding opportunities and to maintain a positive image with the public and, especially, with your contributors.

Things You Didn’t Know Your Health Insurance Would Pay For

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Most of us expect our health insurance to pay for procedures like annual physicals and children’s checkups. If you’re not very familiar with your policy, you could be missing out and paying out of pocket for prescriptions and procedures that are often covered. Of course, what is covered will vary from policy to policy and state to state, but it is always worth it to call the customer service number on the back of your card to research a bit further. Read on for information on some procedures and services that are often completely free.
Medical Equipment

If you break your leg or your hip, you expect your health insurance to cover your hospital visit and any necessary surgeries. However, it can also help take care of you once you leave the hospital. If you look under the durable medical equipment section of your coverage, you’ll likely notice that crutches and wheelchairs are covered, as well as the majority of prosthetic limbs. Under this section, nursing moms can even purchase a breast pump for more than 90 percent off, saving hundreds of dollars.

Pregnancy Prevention Surgery

If you’re ready for a birth control option that is more permanent than oral, injectable, or physical birth control, you may consider a surgical alternative – tubal ligation for women and a vasectomy for men. Most people assume that they will have to pay for the procedure themselves, but in many cases, your health insurance will foot the bill. This is because pregnancy prevention surgery will ultimately save your insurer money in the long run.

Non-Western Medicine

If your normal physician is just not offering you the cure you need, you might consider alternative treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, herbal supplements, or chiropractic services. Many of these services and procedures can be covered by your insurance. You can also use your health savings account to pay for acupuncture as long as your doctor prescribes it.

Gym Memberships

Slowly but surely, many major insurance companies are working to make exercise more attractive to their customers by offering discounted gym memberships. This is because clients that exercise regularly are less likely to suffer from medical ailments like diabetes and heart disease. Investing in gym memberships will ultimately pay off for your insurance company over time.

Sleep Studies

Are you struggling to fall asleep? Most doctors will provide sleep aids, but your insurance may provide the resources you need to get to the root of the problem. You may be able to participate in a sleep study that can reveal whether something like sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome is keeping you up at night, and both of these issues can be treated with medication.

24/7 Nurse Lines

Many health insurance companies provide their members with a toll-free number where they can speak with registered nurses 24 hours a day. This is great if you are facing a minor medical problem late at night or simply have a question about medication that you need answered before morning.

Always make sure to check your policy before you pay for a procedure or prescription. Nothing feels better than saving money on your health!

Praetorian Insurance Company Commercial Auto

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In June 2007, QBE the Americas completed the acquisition of PFG (Praetorian Insurance Group), previously a subsidiary of Hanover Re. QBE is the largest insurance group in Australia, but it operates in 38 countries worldwide and hires more than 16,000 employees. Praetorian Insurance Company has been selling and underwriting a variety of policies, but the primary focus is for businesses including commercial auto. The acquisition complements QBE’s product diversity strategy in the U.S. Now working under the roof of QBE the Americas; Praetorian still maintains its traditions of commercial insurance.

Understanding Commercial Auto Insurance

In many respects, personal auto and commercial auto policies are very similar. Personal auto policies can even provide enough coverage for some business uses, and this is useful when you are driving your vehicle for both personal and commercial purposes. You need commercial auto insurance when your vehicles are only for business-specific use. One of the biggest advantages is that commercial auto insurance has higher liability limits. It is also necessary if your business involves hauling specialized equipment, transporting goods and people, and the use of unusual vehicles for example pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

Similar to personal auto, the rules of commercial vehicle insurance are different from state to state. QBE has the license to sell and underwrite auto insurance policies in 50 states as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Because Praetorian Insurance Company works under the roof of QBE, the license also applies.

A brief overview of commercial auto insurance products available from Praetorian Insurance Company:

Capacity:

-Primary of up to $1 million

-Umbrella of up to $5 million

Current Portfolio:
-Business Auto

-Local Trucking

-Specific Commercial

-Auto including auto rentals or second-hand auto dealers

Business Options

-Business Auto

-Artisan contractors’ business auto

-Specific niche transportation

-Local distance, 50 miles

The coverage for commercial auto is more or less the same with those for a personal vehicle. The difference is in the limit. Praetorian Insurance Company offers up to $1 million in primary option and up to $5 million in the umbrella option. The amount should be enough to cover damages or any liability issues in the event your business gets in the middle of a lawsuit as a result of an auto accident.

Parts of personal auto do provide coverage even when the vehicle is for business use. However, it will not produce the same amount of financial protection as you can get from the commercial auto policy. Imagine a situation when you are driving a pickup truck to deliver goods to a customer. In the middle of the road, you rear-end an own van that transports multiple passengers. In such circumstances, the driver and passengers of the van will sue not only you but also your company. Your personal insurance policy gives financial protection and pays the claim, but it will not defend or pay damages on behalf of your business. It is normal to expect that the drivers and passengers will want to collect compensations for vehicle damage and injuries from you and your business. Praetorian Insurance Company offers the right kind of protection for such circumstances. Types of Coverage

The scope of coverage by Praetorian Insurance Company Commercial Auto Policy can be either narrow or broad depending on your choice. The insurer provides a variety of policy for example trucking, specialized transportation, or the more extensive business auto options. In a simple way, the options are as follows:

1-Vehicles as business properties 2-Vehicles that your company owns, leases, or hires 3-Vehicles for business purposes

Most companies will choose the third options because the protection includes all vehicles, including those that your business owns and does not own, as long as they are for business affairs. The coverage even provides liability protection when an employee or employer drives a personal vehicle on business. While the scope is different, the basic types of coverage are the same. Commercial Auto Policy from Praetorian Insurance Company still includes three significant protections including Liability, Physical Damage, and Optional Coverage.

-Liability Insurance: it includes financial protections for property damage, bodily injury, and even death as a result of an accident in which you or your employee is at fault. The coverage provides legal defense as well. The amount of protection is up to the policy limit.

-Physical Damage: this is a combination of Comprehensive and Collision coverage. It protects against any damage to the vehicle whether or not the damage is a result of an accident. The perils may include flood, vandalism, theft, or falling objects. The amount of protection is up to the policy limit.

Because the risk of potential damages and loss is higher than a personal vehicle, Praetorian Insurance Company provides two different types of limits. For better protection, the Umbrella option has a limit of up to $5 million.

-Optional Coverage: some of the alternative coverage options are similar to those of personal auto insurance policy such as Roadside Assistance, Rental Reimbursement, Loan or Lease Coverage, and Vehicle Replacement due to the total loss.

General Liability

For broader perils coverage, the company also provides General Liability Insurance. It protects your business from another person’s and another business’s claims for bodily injury, medical cost, and property damage. The protection does not focus on vehicles, but the broader version of the business. The limits are the same at either $1 million or $5 million, and General Liability is available in 50 states including Puerto Rico and District of Columbia.

14 Tips to Increase Ranking and Website Traffic

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Tips to Increase Ranking and Website Traffic
It is worth cataloguing the basic principles to be enforced to increase website traffic and search engine rankings.
• Create a site with valuable content, products or services.
• Place primary and secondary keywords within the first 25 words in your page content and spread them evenly throughout the document.
• Research and use the right keywords/phrases to attract your target customers.
• Use your keywords in the right fields and references within your web page. Like Title, META tags, Headers, etc.
• Keep your site design simple so that your customers can navigate easily between web pages, find what they want and buy products and services.
• Submit your web pages i.e. every web page and not just the home page, to the most popular search engines and directory services. Hire someone to do so, if required. Be sure this is a manual submission. Do not engage an automated submission service.
• Keep track of changes in search engine algorithms and processes and accordingly modify your web pages so your search engine ranking remains high. Use online tools and utilities to keep track of how your website is doing.
• Monitor your competitors and the top ranked websites to see what they are doing right in the way of design, navigation, content, keywords, etc.
• Use reports and logs from your web hosting company to see where your traffic is coming from. Analyze your visitor location and their incoming sources whether search engines or links from other sites and the keywords they used to find you.
• Make your customer visit easy and give them plenty of ways to remember you in the form of newsletters, free reports, reduction coupons etc.
• Demonstrate your industry and product or service expertise by writing and submitting articles for your website or for article banks so you are perceived as an expert in your field.
• When selling products online, use simple payment and shipment methods to make your customer’s experience fast and easy.
• When not sure, hire professionals. Though it may seem costly, but it is a lot less expensive than spending your money on a website which no one visits.
• Don’t look at your website as a static brochure. Treat it as a dynamic, ever-changing sales tool and location, just like your real store to which your customers with the same seriousness.

Things You Should Avoid in Your Explainer Videos

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Video marketing is one of the best ways of marketing in today’s time. We all are aware of the situations outside; people are going out with precautions but not everyone is going out and many are still working from home and in this time video marketing has came out as a bonus for the business owners to reach out to their customers in the best possible where they can make a connection with the customers.

One of the most common type of video is explainer video, explainer videos are commonly used because it gives you a way where you can explain about the product or the business you are doing. This is the only way to reach out to your customers as if you try to explain using screenshots that is not good enough option and customers may also not understand in the way they will understand in the video.

While creating the explainer video there are few things that a creator needs to consider while making the video to get the best results out of it, as if you miss few important points and make the video that may give the bad impact on the customers and you’ll not get the results you are expecting.

Today we will see some of the points that you should avoid in your explainer video to make it perfect and get more and more visitor with better conversion:

• Select the right concept

Selecting the right concept is very important, many a business owner what they do is they do not select the right concept and make the video and later they did not get the desired results.

The concept of your video should be unique enough that the viewers does not feel it copied from the others and also there should be something catchy in the video which attracts the viewers to watch the complete video and that may result in the converted customer.

There are many competitors in the market selling the same thing as you are but there should be something different in your concept so that user gets forced to buy your product.

• Professional Voiceover

Voiceover, this is one of the most important factors in the explainer video and the result and success of your video also depends on voiceover. If you do not have a good voiceover in the video than the results will not be good.

A professional voiceover is a must for your business if you are making an explainer video. While doing voiceover you must consider that the voice tone should be high on the important words of the video. The voice and speech must match the tone of your video and the speech should complement the video so that it should be understandable to the audience.

• No Target Audience

Selecting the right audience is most important thing in the marketing field that is not only in video or digital marketing but in every type of marketing targeting the right audience is the key to get more ROI.

If you are running an Ad campaign and you do not target the right audience then it is of no use and you will never get the results you are expecting form the campaign.

When you are making an explainer video then you should keep in mind of the target audience like what is your audience that will watch the video, their pain points, their likes and requirements, if you analyze these points prior to create an engaging video then your video will be much better.

• Wrong Time Duration

Many people will suggest you that 60-90 seconds video is good enough for you and Yes, they are correct but not all the time, as if you are making your first video or it is the video intruding the main or important thing about your product or business then it is Okay to make that long video but if you are introducing a new feature or sharing an update then this time duration will be too long because your customers will not like or may feel bored if the same thing is being reiterated to them as they already know the same thing.

There are many organizations that make very long video even more than 90 seconds but that is not the right way and will not get you more viewers as people do not have much time these days and they bounce from the video. In my suggestion, a video around 60 is good enough to reach out to your customers.

How a Family of Deer Created a Client for Life

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Tales from the Online Marketing Crypt #19
7 Ways to Build Strong Customer Loyalty

Several years ago I was looking for a new place to live. One day I asked my mom and girlfriend to accompany me and my real estate agent here in Abbotsford, Rod Poole, as we went to look at options.

Back then, the agent would typically line up several places to see in one afternoon tour, (which apparently has completely changed!).

The first place we looked at was a definite option to consider. But, of course, not one to make any rash decisions, we moved on to see 3 or 4 more other places.

When we finished seeing all of the available options on his list, I asked Rod if we could go back to the first place. He got on the phone to make suitable arrangements and off we went.

As we drove into the driveway, all of our jaws dropped in awe. ? There was a family of deer grazing on the front lawn!!!

How incredible! We couldn’t believe it.

Of course, that was all I needed to make up my mind and decide I had found my perfect new home.

And then I got suspicious.

How on earth did this happen?

Who did Rod call anyway?

We all had fun accusing him of arranging the “deal solidifier” family of deer to be carefully staged, ensuring I would fall in love with the place. And this was before home staging was a thing!

It made the whole experience beyond memorable.

So much so, that over the years whenever a family member or a friend needed a real estate agent, Rod was the one and only option I would refer them to.

And each time when he and I have connected over the years, we always bring up that family of deer that graced us with their presence at the perfect moment.

We also have a snicker at my expense, remembering when I glanced outside the patio doors and mistook a cat sitting on a perch in the backyard for another deer…

“Uhm…, “ Rod said. ”That’s a cat, Susan.”

D’OH!

It’s those kinds of memorable experiences that stick with us for a long time. We don’t forget how it made us feel and who was responsible. Even if Rod didn’t miraculously (or did he?) conjure up those deer, he created those feelings.

In fact, while fondly remembering and writing about that time, I remember I met Rod through his wife, Angela Glazema. She is also a real estate agent, and I got to know her through an answering service I used to work for.

Over time, she and I connected and she even became a Mary Kay client of mine!

One day I remember mentioning to her that it was my daughter’s birthday coming up. And you know what she did? I’m still floored by this incredibly generous gesture – on Melissa’s birthday, she arranged to have a bouquet of balloons delivered to our door!

The look on Melissa’s face was priceless.

My admiration and respect for Angela escalated.

It’s an experience I will never forget because of how that gesture made me and Melissa feel.

And the only reason why Angela wasn’t in the car with me when looking for a new home was that she was becoming a new mom herself, so she put me in her husband’s capable hands.

I share this story because I often get asked and see similar questions on social media: “How can I create strong customer loyalty?”

The answer is simple. Make them feel special.

Here are seven suggestions for you to consider:

1. Do something that goes above and beyond client expectations 2. Anticipate their needs by getting to know them at a deeper level, so they can feel you truly “get” them 3. Send a gift to your VIP customers letting them know how much you appreciate them 4. Send a card for special occasions like their birthday or anniversary 5. Offer an incentive for referrals via a loyalty program 6. Provide exceptional customer service and make it easy to work with you 7. Earn their trust by being reliable

That extra effort will reap so many rewards.

Not only will it help solidify a long-term relationship with a client who will then be happy to send referrals your way. You will also feel incredible for making someone’s day with an act of kindness.

Now whether Rod purposely manifested that family of deer or not (who’s with me on this?), that was just the beginning of a fantastic relationship, as he helped me through the process of buying a home as a newly single mom.

It’s a relationship I will never forget, and I will be forever grateful he and Angela were, and still are, in my life.

Can you think of ways you can provide your clients with similar experiences that will strengthen your relationship?

10 Benefits of SEO Everyone should know

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Advertising has transformed to at least one of the foremost demanding and crucial aspects of getting to run a business. This ultimately means the general success of your business goes to depend mainly on the effectiveness of your ad campaign . Below are the available SEO Services SEO Services
Nowadays, online is where everyone’s at, which is additionally the rationale why most businesses look to market their products or services online. to try to to that, one must have a business website which can run their internet marketing campaign. With an abundance of spam links and countless other websites floating around in cyberspace, it is easy for a business website to urge lost or rank so low within the SERPs, that the probabilities of searchers to seek out the web site are seriously diminished.

Since, paying an enquiry engine to put your business website at the highest of its list doesn’t come cheap, subsequent neatest thing one can do is to use program optimization or SEO techniques to extend the clicks to the web site and help it work its high the search engine’s results page.

Why you ought to Hire a SEO Agency?

Optimizing an internet site for an enquiry engine are often not only a troublesome , but also costly process, mainly because there’s just too many business websites competing for the coveted favorite spot on the page rank, by using the precise same keywords.

While businesses can prefer to do their own SEO, hiring a SEO agency that has experienced program optimizers will little question , help businesses reap ROI within the end of the day . one among the simplest ways during which businesses can do this is by outsourcing their SEO must qualified SEO agencies.

The growing demand for SEO services has cause a mushrooming of the many an excellent number of SEO agencies fulfilling their business objective, which has lead many businesses seeking SEO services asking the question, “how can we find the simplest SEO service provider?”

Obviously, all those checking out SEO agencies will need to make their selection by passing SEO companies through careful and meticulous scrutiny, so as for them to urge the simplest in program optimization for his or her business website.

Benefits of Using SEO

One of the foremost obvious advantages of using the services of SEO agencies is their ability to reinforce the visibility of a business website, but that being said, business owners also raise concerns on affordability, which may only be analyzed when businesses know the advantages of using the services of SEO agencies. in additional ways than one, the subsequent are a number of the advantages of using program optimization services, especially the proper ones, which may allow businesses to enjoy the subsequent advantages.

Target Traffic

While businesses start an SEO marketing campaign, they ought to realize that a whole marketing campaign can fall through on its face if a business is unable to succeed in the masses, that is, their audience . It doesn’t really matter whether your business website is attracting many clicks per day, if those visits aren’t from your intended target demographic, you’ll only be seeing them spending time on your website without actually buying anything, which is basically the other of your marketing intentions.

Get a Well-Made Business Website

Even though, program optimization is important for businesses to compete with each other online, the importance of the web site design can’t be undermined. While hiring the services of an honest SEO agency can get you good marketing copy for your website and an efficient use of the related keywords, having a brilliantly designed website will help tons when it involves attracting people and even the search engines to your website. this is often true because search engines always take under consideration different aspects of usability and therefore the overall layout of the business website.

Cost Effectiveness

The fact of the matter remains that while using radio and television advertisements are often an efficient means of selling a business’s product or service, it still is extremely expensive, especially for start-up businesses. By taking their marketing needs online and hiring the services of an experienced SEO agency, a business is in a position to succeed in thousands, or maybe many people which they might haven’t been ready to otherwise.

Using SEO Best Practices

Hiring an experienced SEO agency will allow you to urge information on the varied techniques they need adopted in their SEO tactics. Hiring a SEO agency that has been within the game for a short time also will provide you with the added advantage of not having to stress about them using any SEO techniques while performing on your business website.

Hiring experienced SEO experts will make sure that your website climbs the program ranks without using any illegal practices or short cuts that would produce short term spikes within the website’s ranking, but eventually cause your website having to pay penalties.

Access to Latest SEO Techniques

Needless to mention the sector of SEO is consistently evolving, which suggests that it’s important for businesses to remain abreast on all the newest SEO techniques which will help them stay within the game. That being said, businesses usually have little or no time to stay up with the newest developments in SEO techniques. However, workplace providing SEO services is all about being proactive keep up-to-date with the newest program news and changes in SEO techniques.

Cutting-Edge Tools

Keeping in mind the last point, SEO agencies are fluent in navigating through a good range of online marketing tools that helps increase the worth of your marketing strategy. Whether it’s using web analytics for completing research or conversion tools that monitor and report the usage of important keywords, SEO agencies skills and where to urge the knowledge they have to save lots of time and reduce your in-house cost.

Comprehensive SEO Knowledge

As mentioned earlier, SEO agencies are usually the foremost qualified in handling various verticals of online marketing, mainly thanks to the character of their work. Therefore, an SEO agency is in a position to unravel a mess of problems which a business simply cannot handle by itself. An SEO agency can work along side a business to supply another perspective, when it involves understanding and developing marketing strategies for various sectors and various sorts of business websites.

Bottom Line

Lastly, search engines like Google realize only too well that websites that do not add value to a searcher’s experience on the web aren’t worth a mention in their index. Furthermore, in some cases Google may additionally plan to drop your website from the SERPs altogether if you’ve used spam to urge a better page ranking.

Effects of high interest rate on advertising

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We are in rather troubled financial times, with inflation and interest rates going through the roof. That has made things rather tight for consumers and businesses alike, with everyone keeping a rein on their finances until things begin to level out. Businesses still have to deal with rising expenses, which include getting the word out via ad serving, but the current rates have certainly changed how they do things right now. We are going to get into some of the things that advertisers are focusing their attention to at the moment and what they are doing to keep business running smoothly in some trying times.
Borrowing is getting more expensive In order for a business to grow, it needs more capital to hire more people, buy more machines, and expand to more locations. Obtaining a bank loan is the most common way to raise that capital. However, interest rates increased significantly within the last 9 months and are on track to go even higher because the Federal Reserve is fixated on bringing down high inflation and intentionally slowing growth and demand. The same loan now might cost twice as much in monthly payment. This raises the cost of doing business and many companies are forced to slow their growth for the moment. Businesses are getting pushed back from both ends. Revenue and growth is slowing while expenses are rising. Companies are now looking at smaller profit margins, which do have a negative impact on advertising, as we will see in the next discussion point.

Keeping all eyes on costs In terms of advertising, the goal is always to see positive results from every ad campaign, which is easy to do with a third-party ad server. This is even more true now, as advertising budgets are on the chopping block to help with rising costs from pretty much everything. Stopping advertising altogether is simply not a viable option because you still want to maintain mindshare and sales. However, advertisers are now paying much closer attention to ad campaigns, and to their ROI in particular. With a more limited ad budget, it’s more important that every campaign delivers good results for the advertisers.

Consumers are spending less As we mentioned at the top of this piece, consumers are also feeling the pinch of high interest rates and high inflation. They are now paying more than ever for pretty much everything. High interest rates directly affect credit card payments, car loans, mortgages, and all manner of other payments that come out of your bank account monthly. 30-year fixed mortgage rates rose rapidly from 2-3% to 6-7% in just only 9 months. Geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine and tension with China make inflation higher. That means people feel poorer and have less disposable income, which is something that advertisers must be aware of. The same dollar buys fewer items than it was just only months ago. Consumers are forced to cut back on their spending and focus on the essentials. Offering discounts and specials is one way to help and incentivize consumers to choose where to spend their money.