Raise the Money Your Nonprofit Needs With These 4 Fundraising Tactics

April 5, 2022

Raising money is essential for any nonprofit organization, regardless of its size or scope. However, fundraising can be a daunting task, especially if your nonprofit is new or doesn’t have a lot of experience. There are many different ways to raise money, but which one is right for your organization?

Here are four popular fundraising tactics that can help you get the money you need to support your cause.

Use Direct Mail Fundraising

Direct mail fundraising is a great way to reach potential donors who may not be familiar with your nonprofit. This type of fundraising involves sending letters, postcards, or brochures directly to potential donors to solicit donations. According to Giving Mail, the first direct mail fundraising-focused web-to-print platform, direct mail fundraising can be an effective way to raise money, as it allows you to personalize your appeals and target specific demographics. You just need to make sure your appeals are well-written and attention-grabbing to get potential donors to open them.

Direct mail fundraising can be a great way to build relationships with potential donors and persuade them to donate to your cause.

Hold a Fundraiser

There are many different types of fundraisers, so you’ll need to choose one that best suits your organization. For example, if you’re raising money for a new playground, you could hold a bake sale or car wash. If you’re raising money for a local animal shelter, you could hold a pet adoption event. Get creative and think outside the box to come up with a fundraiser that will be successful.

On the other hand, if you’re not sure how to get started, there are many resources available online and in your local community. Start by reaching out to other nonprofit organizations in your area and ask them how they hold their fundraisers. They’ll be more than happy to share their tips and advice with you.

Seek Major Donations From Individuals or Businesses

Another popular way to raise money for a nonprofit is to seek major donations from individuals or businesses. This can be a great option if your nonprofit has a specific goal or project it wants to fund. You can reach out to potential donors directly, by phone, email, or in person, or you can post a fundraising appeal on your website or social media pages.

Don’t be afraid to ask for donations – many people are happy to contribute to a good cause. However, you may need to provide potential donors with detailed information about your nonprofit and its goals, as well as how their donations will be used.

Look Into Government Funding Opportunities

Government funding opportunities can also be a great way to raise money for your nonprofit. Grants, scholarships, and other funding opportunities are available through local, state, and federal governments, as well as through private organizations. To find out what opportunities are available, you can search online or contact your local government offices.

Before applying for any government funding, make sure you understand the eligibility requirements and the application process. Of course, you’ll also need to provide detailed information about your nonprofit and how the funds will be used.

Nonprofits have a lot of options when it comes to fundraising. There’s no “one size fits all” solution, so you’ll need to choose the tactics that are right for your organization. However, with a little creativity and effort, you should be able to raise the money you need to support your cause.

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Kingston’s Jason Hare On the Defence of a Low DTI

April 5, 2022

Why does debt-to-income ratio matter? According to Fidelity.ca, the lower a person’s debt-to-income ratio, the healthier their financial picture is, and the more money they may be able to put in their bank account.

So, what it is?

What is debt-to-income ratio?

“Debt-to-income (DTI) ratio measures the amount of your monthly income that goes toward making debt payments,” according to the article.

It essentially expresses the amount a person owes in relation to how much they earn–as a percentage. Potential lenders reference a person’s DTI to determine whether to lend them money, according to Kingston CFP Jason Hare.

To explain it, let’s say a person earns $6,000 a month and total monthly payments come to $2,500. In order to calculate the DTI, divide $2,500 by $6,000 which equals 0.416 or close to 42%, according to the article.

Lenders look to DTIs when people apply for mortgages or personal loans as one of the factors they consider. In general, a DTI of 36^ or less makes it clear that a person can manage monthly payments, while a DTI of 42% can make lenders wonder if a person is in too deep.

It is good for people to personally assess their finances to make sure they can cover additional payments, especially if something goes wrong.

Four main benefits to keeping a DTI low

Simply put, a low DTI can make life easier. Carrying less debt means saving money on interest payments, which can equal more money saved for investment in the future and toward a quality way of life.

“People do not often realise how important a low DTI is until they really need it,” said Jason Hare.

1. Helps with loan qualification

DTI can impact everything from financing the purchase of a new oven, can impress potential lenders and mean better terms and a lower interest rate.

It will also help with a home loan: whether purchasing a new home, or refinancing a current loan, according to the article.

2. Allows for better advantage of financial deals

The opportunity to refinance an auto loan, for example: some deals exist at credit unions that can cut the interest rate of auto loans in half if refinanced. A low DTI will make deals like that more possible.

A low DTI and a high credit score help for people to qualify for the best possible financing rates available.

“These kinds of financial markers are essential when people are being assessed for financing,” said Hare.

3. It Can Indirectly Impact Credit Score

While credit reporting companies cannot look at a DTI because they do not record income, a DTI can still indirectly impact a credit score via carried rotating debt, like credit cards, which can affect credit utilisation rate, according to the article.

Credit utilisation is the second most important factor in calculating a credit score. It’s calculated by dividing the balance carried by total credit limits. It is suggested that people try to keep their utilisation rate.

Further, taking note of DTI can have a secondary positive impact: it can make people monitor how much credit they carry. “And the lower your credit card and other rotating debt, and the healthier your credit score is likely to be,” according to the article.

4. Provides Peace of Mind

It helps to know that there is not a lot of debt and that in an emergency there is credit that can be easily accessed.

Key ways to reduce DTI: “pay down debt, earn more money, say no to new debt, and encourage yourself,” according to the article.

A low DTI is worth pursuing as it provides stability.

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5 Tips for Managing Personal Finances Successfully in 2022

April 5, 2022

While money can’t buy happiness, it can give us a sense of stability and security we simply can’t find otherwise. Healthy finances allow us to afford the things we need and want, reduce the common stress associated with money troubles, and even look forward to a more reliable retirement. But in order to reach this goal, you need to learn how to manage your finances in the best, most efficient way. So, here are some simple tips that might help:

Track your current finances

Before you can make a solid financial plan, you must first understand your current position. Do you live paycheck to paycheck? Are you saving up for your future? What are your long-term financial goals? Answering these questions will allow you to realize where your weaknesses lie and give you a better idea of how to manage your money moving forward.

It would also be wise to analyze your current income and track your monthly expenses. By doing this, you will know exactly how much money you have, as well as where it’s going. This could inspire you to change your spending habits to better suit your goals, or even stop spending as much money in certain categories.

Construct a good budget

Once you’re more familiar with your income and expenses, creating an efficient budget will be a crucial next step. Budgets are essential to successful financial planning, as they enable you to manage your money in a smart and intentional way that helps you to achieve your financial goals.

Your personal budget can be as detailed or high-level as you wish; it just has to allow you to reach your goal of spending less, investing in savings and retirement, etc. A popular budget plan is the 50/30/20 method, which allocates 50% of income toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. This plan tends to work for most people, but there are many different types of budgets that might suit your personal needs more.

Consider a personal loan

From car maintenance and medical bills to home improvements and travel expenses, there are a number of situations in life when we can encounter unexpected costs. No matter how well we budget, some of these expenses can simply be too high to cover. In those instances, making a wiser, more informed decision can have a significant impact on your financial health.

That is why it’s recommended to find a reputable personal loan lender and choose a suitable personal loan solution for your specific needs. Using an accessible online application, you can apply for a personal loan and expect a decision and payout within minutes, being the best, quickest, and most convenient way to get through whatever life throws your way.

Start reducing your debt

For many adults today, debt is one of the biggest financial obstacles, which is why eliminating any debt you might have should be your number one priority. You can start by setting up a debt elimination plan that will allow you to pay it off quickly and efficiently.

For example, you can make minimum payments on all your debts while paying a larger sum towards one specific debt at a time. Once that debt is paid off, put any extra money towards the next debt and continue from there, thus creating a “snowball effect”. After you’ve managed to become entirely debt-free, attempt to avoid further debt in the future, whether that means forgoing credit cards or creating an emergency fund.

Make savings a priority

Successful financial management is more than just spending less money than you make. A good sign of financial health is saving enough money to live comfortably in the future as well as in the short term. Fortunately, this can be achieved in a number of simple ways.

Paying off your debt and building an emergency fund that has around six months’ worth of living expenses is a great place to start. Your future is incredibly important as well, meaning that investing some extra money in a separate retirement fund is truly key. If you’re striving for larger financial goals such as purchasing a home, creating an additional savings account for that purpose could be quite beneficial as well.

Reducing debt, saving money, and achieving your financial goals doesn’t have to be a challenging process. Simply invest in yourself and your future, and you’ll never have to worry about money again.

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What is a Real Estate Broker?

April 5, 2022

Rear view of agent gives the keys to the clients

If you have bought a property, considered buying a property, or even if you just know someone that has but property then you may have heard of the term real estate broker. So, what is a real estate broker? If you are not a real estate professional, then it can be a little confusing to figure out the difference between an agent in real estate and a real estate broker.

What is a real estate broker?

A real estate broker, like Compass Realty, is a real estate professional in their own right as well as being a licensed real estate agent. A broker holds information that can help people with real estate transactions whilst also assisting with selling or buying real property. The main difference between a broker and an agent is that it is the brokers’ duty to ensure that a real estate transaction is carried out lawfully, that all paperwork is correct and complete, and that all monies are recorded and reported properly – whether they are working for themselves or form a brokerage firm.

An estate agent must work for a broker so think of a broker or brokerage firm as an umbrella that covers the individual estate agents and ensures that all transactions are legally compliant while the estate agents are the ones that handle clients, listings, and sales.

When an agent presents you with a listing agreement or agency agreement, you are not signing a contract directly with them but rather you are signing a contract with their broker. Typically, this does not affect you however if your agent leaves the firm before your agreement expires then you may be legally obligated to work with another agent from the brokerage firm until it expires.

What does a real estate broker do?

A real estate broker is essentially a real estate agent who can manage their own business without the aid of an umbrella company. Brokers can work independently, or they can hire other real estate agents to work for them. They may also work with other businesses in the real estate sector to handle all their transactions and manage their agents.

If you imagine real estate as a ladder, the higher you climb the more licenses you need with home buyers and sellers at the bottom, agents in the middle, and brokers at the top. Brokers can do everything that agents can – market a home, represent the buyer or seller, write up a contract.

What can a broker do that an agent cannot?

Move money in and out of an escrow account.
Mediate conflict in a legal dispute.
Hire agents to work under them.
They do not have to work for a firm and can instead own their own brokerage.

Brokers have to be licensed in the state where they work in addition to holding a real estate agent license. Broker licensing may vary by state but typically a broker must first be a licensed agent for a predetermined amount of time, must be 21 years of age, and must also reside in the state where they are applying for their license.

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How Coworking Spaces Are Supporting the Office Return

April 4, 2022

Some 5 to 10 years ago, only a fragment of the world’s population was aware of the existence of shared office space. Well, not for long, the story changed when the global pandemic coronavirus hit in 2020; the business world and the work generally suffered its consequences.

Public places were under lock and key in order to follow the social distancing protocol. Yet people need to work, so most people settle for the option of working from home. In the long run, it becomes overwhelming with the monotonous lifestyle.

To get the once enjoyed office environment where one can work amidst people, some chose the hybrid work plan where they work remotely at home and then went out to a shared office to get an office-like feel.

Let’s get a rundown of what shared space is.

What is Shared Office Space?

Shared office space is the same as co-working space. Co-working space is a work arrangement in which diverse groups of workers of different work backgrounds share an office space, utility, etc.

Unlike traditional office spaces where people of similar work interests coexist, there are chances of bickering among staff, whereas there are no internal politics in a co-working space given that the members of a coworking Space work for different companies, which makes it impossible to have clashes of interest.

How Co-working Spaces Are Supporting Office Return

1. Job control

Coworking spaces provide an avenue for workers to decide what part of the day they are most productive to work and then go to work at the most convenient time. Since the space is primarily open all day, workers who have a deadline can stay there for as long as they wish without any distraction. This is evidence of why the coworking space business is still operational; people want to have control over their jobs and not the other way round. This way you can finally make the time to find a coach and start working out when you want to.

2. Networking And Flexibility

What makes coworking spaces the most sought-after solution during the pandemic is flexibility. A co-working space is the chance to meet new people with different skill sets, and they can choose to register in a new coworking space after a month to meet more people. There is an inexhaustible opportunity to broaden your professional circle, gain business advice, and meet potential clients that will likely build your portfolio.

It has been said that flexible work routines support job satisfaction. Most companies have realized that, and they are no longer in a long-term lease with their rented office space. They spend a few years at a particular location and move to another location to help their employees make smarter moves. Most coworking spaces also hold different international events with interpreting booths which will allow you to learn more and expand your network.

3. Digital Acceleration

The digital solution is the real deal with the hybrid work model, it plays a major role in helping employees secure their data, and it also helps the company to secure their confidential documents. Digital solutions also made communication and business transactions possible during the pandemic, and returning to the office; digital solutions will be needed.

As we have seen with coworking spaces, if offices with physical space can implement the digital moves, they will be able to manage and effectively monitor their employees on a single platform.

4. Educating Employers

Coworking space has it all, from modern technology that aids productivity to equipment that facilitates solutions. Coworking spaces within a few years of the pandemic have played an enormous role in educating business owners on how to make their office space more fluid to speed up productivity.

Basically, coworking spaces are supporting the return to the office by providing some necessary things that need to be done at every business office. Hence, offices are learning how to improve their technical prowess, rules, and regulations to make the office more habitable for employees.

Conclusion

A shared workspace is a go-to solution for many employees trying to escape the claws of depression and hallucination from working at home all year. It recreates that memory of working in an office with colleagues.

Also, a shared workspace is beneficial for startups and booming businesses since it made waves within a few years and became a force to reckon with amongst employees and employers. Hence, employers have gained the knowledge of how to operate better.

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Ways You Can Help Your Family After Death

April 4, 2022

Death is a natural occurrence. However, it always strikes when we least expect it on many occasions. Therefore, bereaved members are always left with sorrow and a sense of emptiness that will never be filled. It is always a sad moment. It is during this time that many bereaved individuals fall into depression.

There are many ways in which you can help a family member cope with death, and they will be discussed in this post.

Furthermore, after death comes the question of wealth distribution among close family members. This can be a tricky section to deal with. This is where a lawyer can help. You can hire a probate lawyer to handle the cataloguing of assets and property distribution.

Here are ways of helping family members cope with death.

1. Understand what to say to a bereaved person.

Many people always worry about what to say to a grieving person. However, it is essential to remember that listening is more important. Well-meaning individuals often avoid talking about the subject or change the subject when the deceased person comes up. This is usually not recommended because the bereaved person needs to feel like their loss is acknowledged.

2. Understand the grieving process

It is important to remember that there is no right way to grieve. Grief never unfolds in an orderly manner but is an emotional rollercoaster and setbacks. Furthermore, it is important to understand that, on many occasions, grief involves extreme behaviors and emotions. Bereaved individuals often feel despair, guilt, and anger.

Therefore, understand them when they lash out at loved ones. Remember not to set a timetable for grief. Grieving has no deadline, and the bereaved should not feel pressured to move on.

3. Give practical assistance

Many grieving individuals find it hard to ask for help. They often feel guilty for receiving all the attention and may fear that they are being a burden to others.

On many occasions, a grieving person does not have the energy to call you when they need something. Thus, let them know that you will always be available if they need anything.

You may also go further and offer suggestions that will make it easier for them to identify the things they need. For instance, you could try saying, “I’m heading to the grocery store this afternoon. What should I bring you?”

4. Be consistent with the support

Even after the funeral is over, the family members will still be grieving. The length of the grieving process has no timeline. So, stay in touch with the bereaved in the long haul and do not withdraw your support. You may also offer extra support on special days that may bring up grief, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

5. Look out for any signs of depression

It is normal if the bereaved person feels depressed and confused. This often fades away as they get over the death. However, when you notice the symptoms are not fading away as they should, you may offer to seek professional help from a grief counsellor.

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Brand Africa: A Post-COVID-19 Tourism Conundrum

April 4, 2022

Post-COVID-19 tourism recovery for Africa

By Dr Tafadzwa Matiza

This article explores the potential post-COVID-19 challenges for African tourism recovery. While considering the inherent retrospective and contemporary challenges facing the continent, a multi-stakeholder nation-branding approach may be a panacea to the post-pandemic tourism recovery problem faced by the continent.

Introduction

In 2019, the global travel and tourism sector represented 27.4 per cent of global services exports, generating upwards of US$9.2 trillion (10.4 per cent of global GDP), while creating one out of every four new employment opportunities globally and accounting for 334 million existing jobs (10.6 per cent of global employment). Worldwide revenue and job losses of up to US$4.5 trillion (-49.1 per cent) and 62 million (-18.5 per cent) in 2020, respectively, can be attributed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Africa shedding 7.2 million travel and tourism jobs, costing the continent’s economy an estimated US$83 billion[1]. However, it is essential to acknowledge that Africa’s post-COVID-19 tourism recovery is a multifaceted conundrum, as the continent must grapple with both retrospective and contemporary challenges.

Retrospectively, pre-COVID African tourism had its inherent challenges. For instance, notwithstanding that African tourism is extensively reliant on international tourism arrivals, one sobering fact is that in 2019, at the peak of global travel and tourism, the African continent only accounted for up to 5 per cent of global international tourism arrivals[2]. Perhaps most concerning is Africa’s 5% market share, translating to just over 50 per cent of the continent’s total tourism receipts. That, combined with the world’s lowest domestic tourism receipts (49 per cent of total tourism receipts in Africa, compared to 64.9 per cent in Europe and Eurasia, 75.9 per cent in the Asia-Pacific and 80.4 per cent in the Americas regions)[3] meant that the crisis-induced moratoriums on air travel and non-essential activities such as tourism effectively halved the continent’s tourism income. Consequently, due to decimated international tourism demand, the African continent experienced a disproportionately adverse negative economic impact (-49.2 per cent) on the continent’s tourism GDP contribution and employment contraction (-29.3 per cent)¹.

The COVID-19 pandemic broadly represents the contemporary challenge that has exacerbated Africa’s competitiveness deficiencies and barriers to the sustainable development of African tourism. With conservative projections suggesting that international tourism will only recover to 2019 levels in 2023/4, the global tourism industry is transitioning into a domestic-tourism-driven pandemic response and recovery phase. Furthermore, buoyed by the development and rollout of vaccines and the proliferation of non-pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate the risk of infection, the notion of domestic-tourism-driven recovery is becoming increasingly feasible for many tourism destination countries as a precursor to international-tourism recovery. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and requires innovative approaches to evaluating and managing travel behaviour in a risky global environment. A global crisis of the proportions of the COVID-19 pandemic underlines the importance and viability of a macro model that supersedes traditional microenvironment-oriented destination recovery

Whereby, the traditional model restricts its focus to the attractiveness of a tourism destination, while being deficient in considering external competitive forces that take into account the “halo effect” that a holistic branding effort could have on African tourism.

Why branding and why now?

Nation branding (NB) is a niche, multi-stakeholder perspective on the evaluation and management of the image, perception and positioning (awareness and reputation) of a place in the minds of multiple stakeholders, including tourists. Based on six dimensions (namely, governance, culture and heritage, immigration, people, tourism and exports), the dual purpose of NB is as an explanatory framework to evaluate the image of a place and the inherent perception associated with it, as well as a decision-support model that aids in the formulation of a value proposition that positively influences how a place is perceived by its various publics. As the worst health crisis since the Second World War, and the first pandemic of the post-digital era, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in an unprecedented information-oriented environment rife with fact and subjective alternative fact-based nuances that have shaped and, in some cases, misshaped global opinions about countries and continents.

One of the African continent’s inherent challenges has been the notion of the “dark continent”. The Afro-pessimism that stems from this notion is grounded in the negative and often outdated misconceptions associated with the pervasiveness of war, disease and poverty on the continent. Thus, Afro-pessimism refers to the predominantly negative and subjective influence of Africa’s image deficit on its economic activity, including tourism. Africa’s response to the pandemic has, to an extent, exacerbated this notion of Africa. The wholesale corruption, initial vaccine shortages, followed by the subsequent poor implementation of vaccination programmes and vaccine apathy in countries such as South Africa, Nigeria and Sierra Leone have done little to assuage existing perceptions of the continent. Hence, a concerted NB-oriented approach to Africa tourism’s post-COVID-19 recovery may be the continent’s only panacea for tourism recovery.

The Brand Africa taxonomy

Three key NB dimensions are critical in the era of COVID-19.

Governance and Immigration

Due to the pandemic, national governments and their reflexive policies have unfortunately emerged as the most significant threat to African tourism and its recovery, second only to the coronavirus. Beyond the intrinsic sociopolitical instability that is endemic to the African continent, existential threats to African tourism are the arbitrary travel bans and “red listings” that have become synonymous with travel and tourism to the continent. For instance, in 2021, just before South Africa’s international tourism peak season (November–January), travel to and from South Africa and its neighbouring states was banned within 48 hours of South Africa announcing the discovery of the Omicron variant – albeit prematurely[4]. Within two weeks, travel to and from Africa was banned by over 70 countries. These measures proved to be neither effective nor consequential to stemming the spread of new COVID-19 variants across the globe, since, as it later emerged, the variant was discovered in Europe weeks before South Africa’s discovery. Colourful epithets such as “Africa last in line for vaccines, first in line for travel bans” are pretty telling when it comes to the importance of governance and public policy in the era of COVID-19.

People

African people’s experiences with disease outbreaks such as the HIV/AIDS outbreaks of the early 1990s and the ever-present and ominous threat of the Ebola virus have tempered how Africans are perceived globally for the better part of the last two decades. The COVID-19 pandemic is, unfortunately, no exception. The xenophobia attached to the virus first gave rise to the anti-Asian sentiment that swept across the Western world. However, it appears as though this has shifted to anti-African sentiment. The “discovery” of the Omicron variant by South African scientists ignited a wave of travel bans against African countries and moratoriums on Africans and people who had visited certain African countries.

Tourism

Based on experience from previous disease outbreaks, depending on the severity and pervasiveness of the health crisis, tourism recovery periods range between 10 and 34.9 months[5]. As global tourism seeks to stabilise international travel and tourism, supra-national organisations such as the UNWTO have propagated the pivot towards domestic tourism as a stopgap measure for international tourism demand constraints. Most traditional tourist source markets, such as China, have done so with varying levels of success. However, while most major tourism destination countries engage in domestic-tourism-driven recovery, the African countries may not be as viable or sustainable as domestic tourism markets. Domestic tourism on the African continent is inhibited by a myriad of factors, including poor internal tourism marketing, African tourists’ penchant for outbound international travel and tourism, and the underlying endemic poverty on the continent. For instance, Sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) population of 1.1 billion people is spread across 46 countries, with some of the major tourism destination countries in SSA (Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe) being in the top 10 African nations that account for 75 per cent of the continent’s poorest people[6].

Post-COVID-19 tourism recovery for Africa?

Different stakeholders must collaborate to accelerate tourism recovery in Africa, so as to catalyse both global and domestic tourism in order to mitigate the challenges ahead. NB offers an integrative approach to Africa’s tourism recovery. The inextricable link between global events and the tourism sector suggests that Africa’s tourism recovery, post-pandemic, is predicated on several non-tourism-related multi-stakeholder issues both within and outside the purview of the continent itself. As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, beyond the imminent risk posed by such a crisis event, the response, or the lack of planning for it, may pose an even more significant threat to African tourism and its recovery. In the future, the following considerations may be made.

Institutional and environmental weaknesses in African states dependent on tourism must be addressed as a matter of priority. Careful and considered proactive and reactive government policies and international community engagement will go a long way towards aiding the recovery of African tourism post-pandemic. This will require various stakeholders to engage in public diplomacy to protect both the citizens of a country and the integrity of other nations, while promoting safe and responsible tourism. This extends to vaccine diplomacy as a critical component of governance, which considers the plight of the African continent.
There needs to be a paradigm shift in how the rest of the world perceives Africans to allay potential crisis-induced xenophobia. It is, therefore, imperative that Africans get vaccinated as a matter of civic duty to support initiatives to return to some semblance of ‘normalcy’. However, the media’s influence on vaccine uptake and hesitancy in Africa will play a critical role in promoting vaccination and communicating advances in this respect to the rest of the world with as much enthusiasm as adverse reports of the continent dictate.
African tourism must reopen to international travellers once it is reasonable, safe and responsible to reopen. The African continent cannot afford a false start when reopening for international tourism. The proper health and safety measures need to be in place (contemporary “untact” tourism products and processes in line with global standards, implemented health and safety protocols such as socially distanced tourism activities, clearly articulated mask and sanitising mandates), based on a multi-sectoral approach across the spectrum of the African tourism value chain. This responsible reopening is also predicated on a concerted NB-oriented crisis communications strategy to effectively communicate the readiness of African destination countries to welcome tourists, including the measures in place to reassure them about their safety and security.

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About the Author

Dr Tafadzwa Matiza is the Senior Lecturer in Tourism at the Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) research unit of the North-West University, South Africa. Prior to being a full-time researcher, he was a lecturer in marketing management at various South African universities. To date, he has published several academic articles in various international journals.

References

[1] World Travel and Tourism Council. (2021). Global Economic Impact & Trends 2021. London: The World Travel & Tourism Council.
[2] World Tourism Organization (2021). International Tourism Highlights, 2020 Edition, UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284422456.
[3] World Economic Forum. (2019). The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
[4] Daniel, L. (2022). “Travel bans did little to stop Omicron – but they’ve cost SA more than R2 billion so far”. [Online] https://www.businessinsider.co.za/travel-bans-did-not-stop-omicron-but-hurt-south-africa-2022-2 (last accessed 10 February 2022).
[5] Global Rescue and World Travel & Tourism Council (2019). Crisis Readiness – October 2019. [Online]: https://www.globalrescue.com/grmkt_resources/pdfs/Crisis-Readiness-Final.pdf (last accessed 10 February 2022).
[6] Beegle, K., & Luc, C., eds. (2019). Accelerating poverty reduction in Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank. [Online]: https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1232-3.

Overview About Sales Commission Calculator

April 3, 2022

Financial accounting with tax documents, pen and calculator. The concept of business and finance.

One of the most common and essential questions facing business owners is how to calculate sales commissions. This Sales Commission Calculator is a simple solution that goes beyond software requirements set by many employers.

Meaning of Sales Commission

A sales commission is the percentage of cash-on-hand made from a sale. According to the company’s policy, it’s shareable with a manager or between a specific number of employees. If you work in a company with no commissions, you are not entitled to one either.

A sales commission is a fee paid to an employee for generating income for their employer. Many different methods and formulas get used to calculate the commission, but it depends on what type of company you’re working for. Some employers may only pay their employees a commission if they achieve 10% or more in sales. Others may only give employees a commission if they sell 100 products in one day. Still, experts highly recommend you should choose to work with the best enterprises. If you think it’s challenging to spot the best, understand that the best is relative to your needs. Therefore, we suggest conducting deep research for: “moving companies near me”.

How to calculate the sales commission

Sales commission is the amount of money a salesperson or manager keeps for selling a certain number of units. The amount is different for every company, and it is measurable by multiplying the salesperson’s salary by the number of units sold.

A sales commission is how much a salesperson gets paid to sell a product. Sales commissions are calculated by taking the gross profit of the item and multiplying it by 15%. This percentage depends on the variety of sold products.

For example, for a $108 profit on an item and a commission of 10%, the salesperson would get $1.50 for every sale. Furthermore, another helpful approach to your users would be implementing the translation of a text to describe better all the steps of the process.

Tips for using an automatic sales commission calculator

A sales commission calculator is a tool that can help you determine how much a commission check should be. These calculators are typically in Excel or Google Docs and will calculate percentages based on the number of hours worked, how many days you work each week, and the daily rate for your job. Nonetheless, you should be knowledgeable about using these tools to avoid any undesirable shocks at the end of the year.

Using an automatic sales commission calculator is a great way to get accurate figures. There are many online commission calculators that you can find, and they will all work the same. This is because the company sets the formula for calculating sales commission, so there’s not as much variation in its application. Depending on your company, you may want to use a different calculator or adjust the formulas accordingly.

Conclusion

The blog post ends with a conclusion of the story that shows how important and helpful it is for employees to understand the sales commission system. This blog will help employees get the most out of their sales commission.

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How To Avoid Overpaying For Your Business Utilities

April 2, 2022

Most businesses spend a lot of money each year on gas and electricity bills. By understanding your business’s energy bills, you will be able to cut down on unnecessary costs.

We investigated how you can prevent your business from overpaying on utility bills, and also investigated how a business can cut down on carbon emissions and be more sustainable.

How to prevent overpaying on your utility bills

1) Understand your Utility Bill

If you conduct a business energy assessment, your energy advisor will point out areas where your business could be more energy efficient. The advisor will explain your energy usage and what you are being charged for.

Utility bills consist of two sections:

1) Delivery

Your delivery charges include the costs to your energy supplier to supply you with electricity, and the costs of maintaining the distribution network, such as pipelines and electricity lines. A business cannot do much about the delivery fees.

2) Supply

Supply charges are what you actually use, and include direct charges to you as the customer, a distribution charge, a charge based on the demand of the resource, and an efficiency program charge.

A business can lower supply charges by cutting down on office equipment that relies on resources, or switching suppliers.

2) Find the best energy companies

Due to the competing nature of utility providers, many suppliers offer low prices initially and lure in customers that way, only to increase prices or have plenty of hidden costs.

The best energy suppliers for small businesses or medium-sized businesses will meet the following criteria:

Communicate with you if you are presented with any issues with your utility bills.
Offers solutions to any problems you may have when it comes to your business energy needs.
Are completely transparent when it comes to costs included on your bills.
Willing to negotiate a better deal and offer consistent prices.
Helps your business to take advantage of energy market conditions.
Willing to offer you energy-saving options.

Working with a reliable energy supplier is the best way to avoid overpaying on your utility bills as they will be completely transparent about what you are paying and why, and will be willing to work with you to decrease your costs.

For education on your utility bill, you can seek advice from Utility Bidder.

Ways to cut down on consumption and save money on utilities

1) Fix leaks

Fix any leaky taps or toilets at your business premises to help you cut down on your water usage. In the long run, this will save your business a lot of money.

2) Get low-flush toilets

If you own the building your business is in, then upgrade the toilets to low-flush cisterns to save money. You can save about 7% on your water bill this way.

3) Use low-energy lightbulbs

Switching to low-energy or LED lightbulbs will use about 75% less electricity than incandescent lightbulbs.

4) Improve insulation

If your business has to run heating throughout winter, then add an insulating layer to your windows to retain heat better. This will cut down your heating bill significantly.

5) Stick to cooler temperatures

Turning down your thermostat in winter is an easy way to use less electricity or gas for heating. It is suggested that you will save 3% per degree you turn it down.

6) Unplug what you are not using

If you are not using items at the office, like the microwave, your laptop, and even the printer, unplug them completely.

7) Check your bill

Even if you have a trusting utility provider, make sure to check your bill for any mistakes. There might be some extra chargers that do not match your own meter. Always be willing to ask questions.

Final Thoughts

If you understand your utility bill and you work with a reputable and trustworthy supplier, you most likely won’t overpay on your utilities. You can also implement the above suggestions to cut down on unnecessary expenditures.

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How to Ensure Employee Satisfaction at a Workplace

April 1, 2022

Employees are the most important asset any business can have. Without them, your company simply cannot grow or develop further. Taking care of your employees is, therefore, of vital importance for the success of your business. However, most employers don’t know how to properly ensure employee satisfaction at the workplace.

Sure, you may take your employees down to the local bar so you can all check out the Kentucky derby odds and have a few drinks. But that’s not a long-term strategy is it? What you should consider is not just how to make your employees happy for one day but throughout their career in your company. With that in mind, here’s how to ensure employee satisfaction at a workplace.

Introduce more flexibility

Flexibility is one of the most important factors that employees look for. In fact, workplace flexibility is more important than salary increase. By providing more flexibility to your employees, you can guarantee their long-term satisfaction. But how does that work actually?

For example, allowing remote work is one way to make the workplace more flexible. Let’s be honest, you don’t need employees to sit at an office all the time.

You can let them work from home when they need to so they can save money on commuting and focus on their work-life balance. Moreover, flexible work hours are also quite beneficial as they allow employees to schedule their days as they see fit.

Appreciate the work they do

Employees who work on helping the company achieve its goals will lose motivation and productivity over time if their work goes unnoticed. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure they don’t feel that way.

You may think that employees are tools that can easily be replaced but when faced with major turnovers, you might reconsider your views.

Therefore, make sure that you give your employees the praise they deserve so they know that you appreciate the work they do. Rewarding them for a job well done is also a good way to ensure their long-term satisfaction, especially when they manage to reach a milestone or overcome a major business challenge.

Invest in your employees

If you want to ensure employee satisfaction, the best thing to do would be to invest in them. That includes helping your employees learn new skills or hone existing ones. This will also help you to involve employees more in the business decision-making process and provide them with an opportunity to advance in their careers.

Such opportunities create loyalty and trust within the company and ensure that employees are happy and satisfied. That said, employees are more related to consumers than executives. Their feedback can prove invaluable for your business strategy.

Closing Words

Satisfied employees help any business grow. They are the core of your company after all. Ensuring their satisfaction can bring numerous advantages to your business so make sure you keep your employees happy.

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