Building the Financial Team That Will Help Your Business Thrive

For many entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized business owners financial management is one of the most challenging aspects of running their business. For some it makes sense to hire knowledgeable staff to manage financial processes internally; for others, contract services make more sense. So what are the different financial roles and services available, and what can they do for your business? I’d like to help define three roles—Bookkeeper, Controller, and Chief Financial Officer—and talk a bit about the different ways these roles can support your company’s overall growth, health, and wellbeing.

Read More

Get ready: Paid Family & Medical Leave is on its way!

All Washington employers must provide paid family and medical leave under a bill signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on July 5. 

The new law creates an insurance fund that employers and employees both pay into, with a 0.4 percent payroll tax. Payroll deductions will begin on Jan. 1, 2019, and benefits will become available to employees on Jan. 1, 2020.  https://www.paidleave.wa.gov/ 

Read More

Six Steps to Hiring the Right Person for the Job

This article is excerpted from an HR best practices webinar that Clarity presented in partnership with Washington Nonprofits.

Human resources are the people that make up your workforce—from the largest corporation to the smallest business or nonprofit organization. They are the engine that power your ability to invent things, produce things, or deliver services. Humans bring the value to your enterprise. As a business or nonprofit organization, your employees are your greatest expense and your greatest opportunity.

Once hired, it takes 6 months for an employee to learn all aspects of their job, and an additional 6 months to become proficient at it. This means it takes a full year to begin to offset the cost and investment of the employer. To receive a return on investment of a full year of expenses associated with hiring, on-boarding, training, and supporting your new employee to proficiency, you really need to keep an employee for two years. This is why it’s important to find just the right fit for your position during the hiring process!

Here are six steps every organization should take to boost their chances of finding and hiring a great match.

Read More

Celebrate Earth Day, Green Your Business

There are so many reasons to go green! Increasingly, people are recognizing we have a shared responsibility to lighten our collective environmental impact—for our children, and future generations of all living things. More and more business and nonprofit leaders see the potential their sectors have for pushing our culture and economy toward sustainability, and are stepping up to do the good work.

Read More

Tina Flores-McCleese Joins Board of Washington Nonprofits

Washington Nonprofits, a statewide association of nonprofit organizations, has recently recruited Tina Flores-McCleese to serve on their board of directors.

Washington Nonprofits helps nonprofits learn, increase their influence, and connect with people and resources so they can successfully fulfill their missions. “Everything important in our communities relies on nonprofits, from education to eldercare, from economic development to the environment.”

Laura Pierce, Executive Director of Washington Nonprofits, said “We have been actively seeking to add several visionary leaders who are committed to building a strong nonprofit sector in Washington State and who bring relevant experience. [Our Education Director] Nancy Bacon recommended Tina as a business owner that  ‘gets’ nonprofits. Tina brings private sector experience, geographic and ethnic diversity, and financial and business acumen. It’s a different, important perspective from many of our other board members who are nonprofit executives. And [she] will be a champion for our education efforts.” 

Tina Flores-McCleese is the Principal and owner of Clarity, a Port Townsend-based financial and management services company that provides support to businesses and nonprofits.

 “I want to be able to build stronger organizations that do good in our communities,” Flores-McCleese said. “My service has always circled around education - because I believe the more informed we are, and the better our tools, the more impactful we are. I’m excited to serve at the state level where I can make a difference for many nonprofits working to make the world a better place.”

For more information about Washington Nonprofits, visit their website: washingtonnonprofits.org.