Smencil Scented Pencils - Pineapple

Draw student attention with these gourmet-scented, environmentally friendly pencils. An alternative to wooden pencils, Smencils are made from 100% recycled newspapers. You can even see the layers of newspaper when you sharpen them! The scentsational fragrances are guaranteed to keep their wonderful aromas for two years! Set includes 5 Smencils of the scent that you choose.

In these times of tougher trading the biggest killer of any business involves cashflow: it's an unfortunate fact that as soon as customers start witnessing a downturn they slow down orders AND payments. The result is a double whammy; not as much income as you've budgeted for & the income that the business does earn takes even longer to come in. Meanwhile you need working capital for wages & suppliers - so what do you do?

Some simple rules (some obvious, some a little less so).

1. The Golden Rule: DON'T USE CREDIT CARDS especially personal ones to finance your business. [A chargecard with a monthly limit which then gets paid in full each month is fine to have but I would suggest only using it for bits & pieces.] There are stories of a company that used a series of credit cards to finance their start-up & the turnover now runs into the multi-millions BUT they are the extreme exception & their business plan must have been based on an absolute dead cert (even then I'd say nothing's really a dead cert in business so I reckon they just got lucky). The number of horror stories I've heard regarding companies who have turned to credit cards as a means of survival & the dire consequences further down their trading lives far outweigh the one success story I know about.

2. FACTOR YOUR INVOICES: Factoring isn't a solution for all businesses but if you're prepared to shop around & spend time comparing the different companies that offer this service (& their small-print to ensure no nasty surprises) you may find that it's the right solution for your business. The monthly costs tend to be comparable to a part-time clerical assistant &, like having an office junior, you will have to check their work on a regular basis; it's certainly the norm for them to be rather laid back about chasing your money (more-so than you would be) & if you take out bad-debt protection (essentially an insurance against your debtors going under) then you will have to keep a daily eye on whether they've transferred these risks to you (as they can tend to do). These days most factoring companies offer an online service so checking all these points is relatively simple & takes very little time.

3. SPEAK TO YOUR CREDITORS: When cash starts getting tight, swallow your pride & phone the companies you're struggling to pay on time; most people are more inclined to do a deal if you're upfront & honest & appear to be sorting out your situation rather than leaving them in the dark. Offer a sensible, realistic payment plan & make sure you stick to it - once you default, you're much less likely to get any further extensions of credit.

4. BUSINESS LOAN: Admittedly when you're at this point you may find the banks a little reluctant unless you can show your cashflow pattern over the previous 12 months & a cashflow forecast for the next 12 months backed up by proof of cuts in expenditure and/or contracts won etc. Be realistic as to what you require to put your finances right & be prepared to be able to show comprehensive workings of this to your bank manager.

5. PERSONAL LOAN: Not a decision to be taken lightly but if your personal finances can take the monthly payments AND you are actively marketing to ensure your future cashflow then injecting personal capital in the shape of a personal loan is an option. As to whether or not to pay the loan off in full if the business fortunes turn around in the near future, this is a decision best left for you & your accountant to discuss at the time based on the merits of your business and personal finances.

Above all remember, it's very easy to live in denial & pretend all is rosy but if you take the time to sit down & analyse your business all will become much clearer & you can set your goals based on certainties rather than vain hopes.

Gerard Bermingham is Managing Director of A3 Freight Logistics Ltd & sits on the Transport Committee of the Federation of Small Businesses. He has run his own businesses since the age of 23.

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Fundraising is hard work. No doubt about it. It involves the time and effort of volunteers who are committed to your organization. Every dollar your organization earns through fundraising needs to be accounted for and used wisely.

The following are from current news items from around the United States.

A former treasurer for a high school sports booster club stole $48,000 from the group's

bank account to pay her personal bills and buy a house.

A treasurer of a high school wrestling booster club stole $12,000.

A school secretary embezzled more than $480,000 from the student activity fund.

A fraternity was embezzled by an alumni who was supposed to be in charge of paying the rent of the frat house to the university.

These stories may be shocking but they are not at all uncommon. It is a fact that there are people who do steal and embezzle the funds raised by organizations such as PTO's, sports teams, churches, as well as well-known national charities. Usually people are surprised that someone they thought they knew so well could do such a thing.

When something like this happens to small nonprofits or clubs it can have a devastating effect on the organization and the community for years. The money will have to be raised again which will be difficult if donors have lost faith in your organization.

There are checks and balances that can be put in place to reduce the chance of this happening to your nonprofit organization.

These are some of the things that can be done to help avoid the possibility of funds embezzlement:

Rotate the job of treasurer on a yearly basis - If the same person is in charge of the money year after year it becomes too easy to hide bad accounting procedures.

Checks - Two signatures should be required on each check. Yes, this may slow down the process of check writing and it may be difficult to find two volunteers to do this, but it needs to be done.

Cash - Cash should always be put in a locked safe and deposited in the bank the next business day. Money should always be counted by two people who both sign a receipt confirming the amount of money received.

Disbursements - Cash disbursements should always have a paper trail of invoices and receipts.

Financial Documents - At each board meeting the original bank statements should be presented and filed by the secretary and treasurer.

Yearly Audits - Financial audits should be done by a CPA on a yearly basis.

Background Checks - Require that every board member has a background check from your local police department.

Insurance - Buy an insurance policy that protects you in case of embezzlement. Make sure you follow the proper procedures in money handling according to the policy.

It is up to the board of directors of the organization to ensure that the proper accounting procedures are followed. Do not let your nonprofit organization become a victim of embezzlement or fraud.

Article by Amy Passmore of DIY Fundraising.

Are you looking for ideas on how to raise money for your school, charity or nonprofit organization? Visit http://www.diyfundraising.com for more great tips and resources from an experienced fundraiser.

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