News You Can Use: September 2017

Advisory on Overtime Rules We would like to share an action alert from the National Council of Nonprofits' recent newsletter . Sign up for the newsletter by visiting their home page and scrolling down to the bottom to enter your email address. Nonprofits need to speak up to help ensure that any future overtime regulations from the Labor Department reflect how work is actually performed in the wide range of nonprofit workplaces. Readers are encouraged to review the RFI and  submit comments to the Labor Department by the close of the public comment period on Monday, September 25.  Read more on our blog.

Nonprofits: The DNA of Democracy, Nonprofit Quarterly "History has demonstrated the danger of decoupling nonprofits in their role as democratic actors from the process of getting the results that investors and the public demand." Read more here .

Did you know? 4 out of 5 employers say they support employees working past age 65. Among small, medium and large employers combined, 81% "agree with the statement, 'My company is supportive of its employees working past 65,' including 41% that 'strongly agree' and 40% that 'somewhat agree'", according to a 2017 analysis of 1800 employers' responses to the Transamerica Retirement Survey.  ( Source )

On the blog

Are Your Board Meetings Time Traps? Do people arrive late? Skip meetings? Do members come unprepared? Is precious meeting time spent on unproductive items? With board meetings at the center of most members’ nonprofit experience, efficient and rewarding sessions are paramount. Try planning your meeting in three stages, keeping in mind that each stage is equally important. Read more  on the blog . 5 Steps to Make Your Board More Involved and Effective at Fundraising Great nonprofit boards don’t just focus on governance and strategy. They recognize the connection between financial resources and program delivery, and therefore play a key role in fundraising. You are not alone if you wish your board were more engaged with –  and more effective at – fundraising. According to multiple surveys, fundraising tops the list of challenges that nonprofits and their boards face Read more  on the blog .

What We're Reading

Audacious Philanthropy, Harvard Business Review The framework described in this article isn't simplistic or linear, but shows how many a philanthropic effort came to be over time. The Promise of Skills-Based Volunteering, Stanford Social Innovation Review The pros and cons of utilizing corporate skills-based volunteering at your nonprofit.

Is Your Nonprofit Built for Sustained Innovation?, Stanford Social Innovation Review 145 nonprofit leaders were surveyed and 80% of them list innovation as an urgent imperative to which they aspire. Building Fundraising Capacity Means Changing Organizational Culture, Meyer Foundation What does it really take to raise money from individuals?

35th Anniversary Celebration October 11, 2017 Join us when we celebrate 35 years of working with sister nonprofits and launch our new name! Date:  Wednesday, October 11, 2017 Time:  6 - 9 PM Location:  Larz Anderson Auto Museum 15 Newton Street Brookline, MA 02445 Special Guest:  Brian McGrory accepting the ESC Corporate Citizenship Award for  The Boston Globe . Learn more and get your ticket.

New ESC Consulting Projects United South End Settlements More Than Words The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts

New ESC Fellowships Friends of the Middlesex Fells Interim Executive Director New England Forestry Foundation Forest Stewardship Assistant

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