U-Better, U-Better, UBIT
Watching arts nonprofits seek funding in unusual ways leads to same old/new discussions on Unrelated Business Income Tax.
Taking a group of donors for a London theatre tour (even if all the finances are handled by an independent agent)…UBIT, you betcha.
The percentage of time spent in London at a lecture about your company’s particular brand of theatre…OK.
Selling t-shirts with just the logo of your natural history museum…UBIT, you betcha.
Selling t-shirts with dinosaurs on them at your natural history museum…OK.
Leasing part of your building to a separate business…UBIT, you betcha.
Items sold at a gift shop with a separate public entrance…UBIT off more than you can chew.
Items sold at a gift shop only accessible to ticket-buyers…UBIT only items not related to the tax-exempt purpose of the organization.
UBIT. Not just another 4-letter acronym.
How to Hire Great People (or, Don’t Buy a Dog and then Bark, Too)
A school of thought says you should hire people who are not as talented as you, want to be in the same job five years hence, and are cheap and green.
Nonsense. Don’t be an idiot.
Know your limitations. Hire to your weaknesses.
Hire smart, talented, overqualified people. Yes, overqualified. Pick those who can do your job. Or your boss’s job. They likely want the job because the essential tasks make them happy. If paid fairly and treated well, they will stay forever (lowering your HR costs) and constantly exceed your expectations.
After the hire, assist them in their work, not the other way around.
Empower them to make big honking mistakes. Mistakes aren’t fatal; covering them up is.
Embrace their joys. Embrace yours.
Convince them to go home. The planet spins, no matter what. Always has.
When HR was H
If you’ve applied for a job in the last eight years or so, you’ve sent your resume to a bot. The bot sends you a disingenuous message thanking you for your interest, scans your resume for certain keywords, and decides in a blink of an eye whether to advance your candidacy.
Then, silence.
Often, you’ll never hear from that potential employer. Or you’ll hear something months later, after the job has been awarded (even if you were never in the running). As a final insult, you may even receive a happy letter exclaiming the virtues of the person that the company hired.
HR used to be “Personnel” and was only part of large corporations. Then it became an industry. Now, people are overwhelmed with responses. Hence the bot.
It’s not that hard to be human.
Is it?
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