Recertification: Let’s keep this simple
Recertification for 2% Certified Businesses does not need to be a chore!
Whether you or your accountant are submitting your recertification info, we have a few simple tips to make the process as quick and painless as possible.
1. Keep your 2% Recertification info in one place… and make it visible.
Obviously, you need to be tracking all your donations and volunteer time in your bookkeeping software. Your tax preparer will thank you! Yet, while you may prefer to exclusively track giving in your accounting software, keeping that data only in there is really a missed opportunity.
We recommend that you keep a running tally of where you are giving (AND where you intend to give) in a place visible to your entire team.
For most of our members, keeping tally on a large whiteboard in the room where decisions are made has become a best practice. Not only is it great internal marketing for your team, but it helps your team remember a shared value. Every time you meet, that info will be there, visible in the room with you.
If your team works remotely, that could be a dashboard page or a monthly email that goes to the entire team.
How much data you put up on that board is up to you and greatly varies by the size of our business members:
Businesses with >50 employees typically keep the information very high-level
Names of groups and cash donation amounts
Value of products/services donated and discount programs for groups
Volunteer projects and who is in charge of them
Small businesses often keep all their giving info on the board. And we mean all. A smaller team means that most of these giving relationships are personal and require monitoring to ensure they happen. Keeping this info top-of-mind helps you remember your “why” when the days get long.
Lastly, put the date for your annual recertification next to the data.
That way, when we reach out to remind you, you are ready.
2. Check in on your giving, monthly.
Goals are only achieved when they are constantly pursued. Your goal of being a business that truly makes the world a better place needs your attention, or it will eventually slide away.
If you keep your giving data in a visible place, keeping tabs on your giving is easy.
But, what we are talking about is actually checking in on your giving. Contact the groups you are supporting and check in on:
What help they need for projects and funding.
Unique opportunities pop up all throughout the year. Our happiest members always keep some cash in reserve for urgent conservation needs that show up at random times of the year. You develop a unique and beneficial symbiotic relationship with a conservation cause and their members when you always coming in clutch when they need it most.
How your giving is being used.
You deserve to know how your donations have been used! Nothing takes the wind out of your charitable sails quite like finding out your donations are not being used how you were told they would be… but giving without accountability is worse.
If you are not being proactive with planning and tracking your giving, expect to have less influence in how your giving is used.
If all you are doing is writing a check and not developing a working relationship with a conservation cause, do not expect more than a receipt for your taxes and a “thank you” on social media.
The best conservation work we see done is when our members partner closely with causes they care about. A close partnership means knowing what they need and holding them accountable to use what you have given them to accomplish it.
3. Ask us for help!
There are so many things that we count towards your annual certification — we do not expect you to remember them all. Our happiest business members are not afraid to reach out when they need help!
The list of things we count towards your certification that we list on our recertification form is extensive… but never exhaustive. Everything from your dues dollars to us, to products donated, to discounts, to donation matches, to collaborative marketing with causes, to media efforts for causes to professional service hours, to conservation event booth space and banquet tables and raffle tickets and booth assets that promote conservation causes and merch collaborations and membership fliers in your invoicing packets… the list is nearly endless.
Instead of waiting until the end of the year, hoping you will remember everything and kept track of everything we would count — contact us.
Any time you are making plans to financially interact with a conservation cause, confirm with us what will count.
A five-minute email or phone call will save you significant headaches when it comes time for recertification AND will give you more fuel for your branding/marketing fires.
Finally, get your recertification filed on-time.
When we reach out to notify you that it is time to recertify, do not procrastinate. While we are generous with our filing date requirements, to give you time to collect your data, the longer you take… the more challenging it gets. Let us know if you need a hand and we can help you get your recertification form filled quickly — we are more than happy to do it!