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WSAE Calendar
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Friday, May 14
Innovation Task Force
VisitMilwaukee, Milwauiee
Thursday, June 3 CEO RoundtableMadison Club, Madison Thursday, June 16-17 WSAE/MPI Golf OutingSentry World & Holiday Inn and Convention Center, Stevens Point Wednesday, Sept. 15 WSAE Annual Educational ConferenceWilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells
November 4
Meetings Industry Update w PCMA
The Abbey Resort, Lake Geneva
December 7-8
Holiday Event & Business Meeting
Hyatt Regency, Milwaukee
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Secretary Kelli Trumble | Meetings Mean Business for Wisconsin
New tourism initiative encourages businesses to hold meetings in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and Department of Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble have announced a new tourism campaign called "Meetings Mean Business for Wisconsin," an initiative that will grow jobs and tax revenue in the state. Unveiled at the annual Governor's Conference on Tourism in Milwaukee, Governor Doyle encouraged CEOs, presidents and decision-makers of companies headquartered in Wisconsin and those with substantial operations here to choose locations in Wisconsin for their company's conventions, trade shows, training sessions and board meetings. Commerce Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel will also help lead the initiative.
"Meetings mean business for Wisconsin on many levels, from tax revenue returned to local communities to job stability for the thousands of people employed in the state's hospitality industry," Governor Doyle said. "We offer good value and excellent facilities, and I encourage Wisconsin business leaders to select venues in our great communities to hold their meetings."
Tourism Secretary Trumble referenced those numbers in citing the critical nature of this campaign. "The tourism industry has done yeoman's work in adding meetings & conventions to the mix as a way to grow and diversify the industry," said Trumble. "Our state has long been admired for its innovation, originality and pride and now is the time to build on that legacy by selecting meeting venues in Wisconsin."
Commerce Secretary Leinenkugel, whose family brewing company began in Chippewa Falls, reminded CEOs to think of Wisconsin not just for conventions and conferences, but for smaller gatherings as well. "We want businesses to think of Wisconsin first when they assemble their creative teams to plan and execute their growth strategies," Secretary Leinenkugel said. "This initiative can help bring in tourism revenues, grow the economy, and increase jobs locally."
Wisconsin tourism is a $13 billion per year industry and supports more than 300,000 jobs. Wisconsin tourism is among the top three industries in the state, with meeting and conventions accounting for 11% of the state's traveler expenditures. From 2003 to 2008, meetings & conventions was the fastest growing segment of travel in the state; that was prior to the recession.
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 Strategies for incorporating innovation principles into association practices
Task force meets today in Milwaukee
The objective of the WSAE Innovation Task Force is to define an evidence-based model of innovation for the association community. Inspired by the dedicated, defined and resourced "innovation function" that exists in many for-profit companies, we are examining a series of case studies that profile these processes. By examining the principles of innovation successfully employed by the organizations profiled we hope to identify practical strategies for applying those principles to the association environment. In its first two meetings, the task force has identified the principles of innovation and explored the concept of "open innovation" - a process used in the for-profit sector to leverage knowledge and expertise from outside the organization to drive innovation within the organization. The task force is holding its third meeting today, May 14, at 11:30 p.m. at the VISIT Milwaukee offices, 648 North Plankinton Ave, Suite 425, Milwaukee. Call in guest will be Brian Christian of Inovo LLC. Christian is a former vice president of innovation at Whirlpool who has spent some time trying to adapt his successful "for-profit" innovation strategies for associations. He will describe the barriers he has encountered, which he believes are endemic to the association environment and a real impediment for our community to embrace innovation in the way many for-profit companies have. The task force will then discuss possible strategies around those barriers.
All WSAE members are invited to attend and participate.
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 Tax-exempt status could hinge on filing deadline
More than 200,000 small charities and nonprofits could lose their tax-exempt status next week if they don't file a federal tax form by Monday. But many groups could be unaware that they're even supposed to file the form.
The requirement goes back to a 2006 law that says nonprofits with revenues of $25,000 or less have to start filing annual tax forms - something they never had to do before. The law also says that if they fail to do so for three years in a row, their tax-exempt status will be immediately revoked.
Since nonprofits have to file no later than four months and 15 days after the end of their fiscal year, the three-year deadline for many groups is May 17 (May 15 falls on a Saturday).
Tim Delaney, head of the National Council of Nonprofits, is worried that a lot of tax-exempt groups will miss the deadline. He notes that some of these organizations are run informally by volunteers.
"The concern that a lot of people have is whether many smaller nonprofits - a PTA, a local Little League - will even be aware of this change in the law," he says.
The National Council of Nonprofits, the IRS and others have been trying to get the word out to hundreds of thousands of charities and nonprofits listed in government files. The Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics has even set up a website that anyone can check to see if a specific group is in danger of losing its tax-exempt status.
It's unclear how many active nonprofits will be affected by the change. Experts say many groups might not be filing tax forms because they've gone out of existence but failed to notify the government. In fact, one reason for the new requirement is to help the IRS get a better idea of just how many nonprofits there are in the U.S., something no one really knows for sure.
Charities that fail to meet the deadline can always reapply for tax-exempt status. But Delaney says it's a lot easier to fill out the tax form now, "to basically send a flare up to the IRS - yes, we still exist, we're still functioning, this is how you can reach us - and it's pretty much as simple as that." The form, called a 990-N, has only eight questions about a nonprofit's status and contact information.
The good news for donors: The IRS says that even if a group's tax exemption is revoked, donors can still deduct any contributions they make to the group until an official revocation notice is posted early next year. |
 Free webinars from ASAE Business Services
The Energy Conversation That Can Help Your Members
Are your members big energy consumers? The "Energy Talk" can become a membership benefit that could generate nondues revenue for your association. Tuesday, May 25, 2010
2:00pm - 3:00 p.m. EDT Register now. |
 Psst. Wanna make an easy $25?
Refer a new member to WSAE and we'll send you a $25 gift card. Just ask your friends to write your name in the referral box of the WSAE membership application. We'll get it processed and get your $25 out to you ASAP. It's that simple! Feeling lucky? WSAE members
who refer new members will be entered into a year-end drawing for a grand prize of $300!
So get out your contact list and help us grow WSAE while you fatten up your wallet . . . |
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Welcome new members
- David Baumann, Executive Director, Inc
- Deborah DiMarzo, Holiday Inn Hotel & Convention Center, Stevens Point
- Mark Glasper, Ohio Society of Association Executives
- Holly Hermann, HelmsBriscoe
- Kris Mosier, Olympia Resort & Conference Center
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Legal & legislative update on employment law
May 2010
Provided compliments of Bob Gregg, Boardman Law Firm
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