december2021 - 29

By Gail Perry, CPA, Editor-in-Chief
APPS WE LOVE
Giving Back
THE SOCIETAL AND economic effects of the pandemic have impacted Americans and people
around the world in vastly different ways. While most professional services firms, such as
accountants, were able to rapidly adapt and have even seen financial growth during the last
year and a half, many individuals and businesses simply were not able to adapt in as efficient
a manner. Likewise, the pandemic and recent changes to tax deductions for donations have
also adversely affected many charitable organizations, with as many as a third now at risk of
shuttering due to dwindling funds, according to a recent study (https://tinyurl.com/yskfuc25).
Fortunately, apps are making it
more convenient to find and donate
to charitable causes. With the new
year just ahead, now's a good time
to reflect on your successes, and to
consider sharing some with groups
that share your concerns and that are
working to make at least one part of
the world a little better. We previously
connected with members of the CPA
Practice Advisor community to see
which giving apps they find useful.
" My favorite donation app is
Charity Miles, " said Cindy Schroeder,
owner of Bright Bookkeeping. " They
make donations based on how many
miles you walk/run. You can make a
difference by working out. It is super
encouraging to get up and exercise
when you know that it also helps your
favorite charity. "
Anne-Lise Dorry, senior director,
corporate finance products at Thomson
Reuters, agrees. " I like the Charity
Miles app. It allows me to give back
just by recording the runs (or walks)
I do anyway. You download the app,
choose which charity you want to run
for, and get moving. You earn money
for your charity of choice for each mile
you log. It is both motivating and good
for the community. It is literally allowing
me to go the extra mile for both
my health and a cause I care about. "
" A friend recently introduced me
to the Be My Eyes app, " said Karen
Abramson, CEO, Wolters Kluwer Tax
and Accounting. " This app connects
seeing people with people who cannot
see and need immediate help with day
to day things, like reading recipes,
advising if a tie and shirt match,
advising if a manicure was painted
the right color. It's a wonderful way
to help someone with a quick answer
they really need and it takes only a
couple of minutes of your time. It's
a great example of technology connecting
people and making life a little
easier! "
GIVE was voted the best app in
the past at the APP Showdown at
the QuickBooks Connect conference
in San Jose. Geni Whitehouse, CPA.
CITP, countess of communication at
Brotemarkle, Davis & Co., said, " It
enables small business employers to
support employee giving in an easy
and very impactful way. "
Clayton Oates, founder and chief
solutions officer at QB Business,
agrees. " It's an innovative solution
that calculates and automates donations
to nominated charities. The
things I love is that you can establish
rules (such as a % of monthly sales)
and G1VE will calculate the pledge
and flag it for approval based on your
calculating criteria.
" I like eating and I like charity, so I
was happy to learn that Grubhub has
a feature where you can automatically
round up your purchase and donate
the change to support No Kid Hungry,
a national campaign to end childhood
hunger in America, " said Blake Oliver,
CPA, accounting community advocate
at Relay Financial.
Elizabeth Pittelkow Kittner, CPA.
CITP, CGMA, DTM, VP of finance and
HR at International Legal Technology
Association, recommends ShareTheMeal.
" You can pick a place of
need and donate money for food. It is
easy and rewarding to use! The app
is funded by a grant from the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
and donations from businesses and
individual philanthropists. Keep giving!
It is important! "
Even small donations can make
a big difference. GiveTide is an app
that you link to your bank account.
You can make small donations to the
charity of your choice by rounding up
your transactions to the next dollar.
The Givers App offered by Continue
to Give allows participants to
set up recurring gifts and choose from
various causes. Charitable organizations
can set up fundraising options
through Continue to Give. " I love the
ability with Continue to Give to create
recurring donations to multiple
charitable organizations and it allows
me to manage my donations via their
website or mobile app if I want to
change my recurring donation dollar
amount or give a one-time donation, "
said Caleb Jenkins, EA, CQP, of RLJ
Financial. " I can also search on their
website for a charitable organization if
I want to give to a new organization. "
Another option for organizations
trying to set up fundraising for their
causes is CommitChange. Kevin Bong,
co-founder and COO of AuditFile, said
" They handle the entire donation process
for not-for-profits, it's pretty neat! "
According to the company website,
" CommitChange makes life as easy
as possible for fundraising teams
because your mission is important,
and you need software that gets you
to your goals faster. " ■
DECEMBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
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december2021

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