OneSource Center News

Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio recently published an excellent legal brief relating to the pandemic titled “The Covid 19 Vaccine — What Nonprofit Employers Need to Know.” The article highlights that as the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out, there are subjects nonprofit leaders need to be knowledgeable about including vaccine accommodations, mandates and best practices.  Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio wants to help nonprofits succeed.  Nonprofit leaders — contact PBPO to see how they can be of assistance to your organization today!  

TechSoup is waiving the fee for its “Excel for Nonprofits – Data Management and Reporting with Pivot Tables and More” until June 30, 2021. This 11-hour, eight-track training program is part of the Microsoft Digital Skills Center, a joint partnership that combines Microsoft’s product expertise with TechSoup’s knowledge of how nonprofits use technology. The information-packed sessions are designed to help nonprofit leaders increase the impact of data with Excel. Click here for more information.

Multiple tax preparation services are available to nonprofit clients in the region. Spread the  word!

• Free Tax Assistance is available from the Community Action Agency through April for individuals who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). All tax preparation is virtual this tax season. More info here.
• The Cincinnati Public Library and the United Way have partnered to offer numerous locations for free tax assistance. Call the Library’s Virtual Information Center at 513-369-6900, or fill outa brief online survey online to register for tax prep assistance. More info on all available CPL options here.
• Free Tax Prep, an initiative of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, provides free income tax  preparation and filing services to individuals in need. Funded by the IRS and powered by volunteers, the program offers services including preparing and filing taxes on an individual’s behalf or supporting people in preparing and filing their taxes. All in-person services have been modified to limit contact and ensure safe distancing. To determine the best free tax prep option, complete a short survey or call 2-1-1- for assistance. More info here.
• Brighton Center in Northern Kentucky offers the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) service in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, through April 10. The free volunteer income tax assistance is available on Saturdays in Newport, Florence and Grant County. Appointments need to be made due to pandemic restrictions. More information available here.

The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a new consumer education blog post with the National Association of Attorneys General, offering tips on how to recognize and avoid vaccine-related scams. According to the post, with COVID-19 vaccines in the pipeline, scammers will not be far behind, and people should recognize the red flags of potential scams.

The article contains a graphic, featured in this article and included in the blog post, that can be captured and printed on 8 1/2 x 11″ paper to be posted in public areas or utilized in handouts. Article tips include:

• You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency.
• You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine.
• You can’t pay to get early access to the vaccine.
• No one from a vaccine distribution site or health care payer, like a private insurance company, will call you asking for your Social Security number or your credit card or bank account information to sign you up to get the vaccine.
• Beware of providers offering other products, treatments, or medicines to prevent the virus. Check with your health care provider before paying for or receiving any COVID-19-related treatment.

Large ​vinyl banners are a creative way to artistically display important information, but often production costs can be high. When OneSource Center staff learned a high quality 5’ x 30” vinyl banner could be produced for under $12 at the Cincinnati Public Library’s MakerSpace lab, this knowledge was too good to ignore! COVID-inspired cost savings research led the OneSource Center team to plan a field trip and investigate the vinyl printer/cutter option.

MakerSpace, an artistic treasure-trove of creativity tools located conveniently at the library’s downtown Cincinnati location, has a large number of free-to-use options including 3D printers, software, laser cutters, vinyl banner printers and more.  Library card holders can truly create almost anything they can imagine.  (Small fees assessed for materials used in production of items.)

 “We wanted to create a large banner for our office that highlighted the corporate sponsors supporting our work,” said Alyson Best, OneSource Center Marketing Manager.  “Creating the banner through commercial vendors was costly, but we heard we could make the same banner at the library at minimal cost just by creating the PDF and doing the printing ourselves.  We would much rather use those extra funds to support our mission of strengthening nonprofits in our region!” (more…)