Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
It’s the first day of fall and while we are still reeling from fire impacts and the on-going Coronavirus pandemic, our nonprofit sector remains resilient, strong and responding to community needs. Nonprofits from across the state are hurting from their own economic and COVID-related restrictions, yet they are still finding solutions, supporting their missions and bolstering individuals and families that need help. We are proud to be engaged with so many of you doing such amazing work! Thank you!
In response to the evolving challenges that many of you are facing, we have been working hard to get the right information and webinars and resources set up for you. You can see a full listing of programs we are producing as well as those from partners like QuickBooks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management Office. I’d like to point you to three specific programs that I think you can’t afford to miss:
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As I announced last week, in partnership with our colleagues at the Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington we are bringing you a webinar on Understanding How Money Moves in Disasters with Regine Webster, Vice President, and Kim Maphis Early, Senior Associate of Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The session is a great guide to understand how emergency management works and a look at the financial streams that undergird disaster recovery. They'll be examining the many roles that government, philanthropy and nonprofits can play, particularly as an advocate for an equitable recovery, and share resources that can provide data and best practices to inform organizations working on the wildfire recovery. Don’t miss this session.
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The Oregon Office of Emergency Management and FEMA are sponsoring a series of Disaster Response, Recovery, and Long-Term Recovery Webinars for 2020 Oregon Wildfires. The webinars will provide an overview of disaster recovery resources that can support your neighbor’s recovery from the September 2020 wildfires. State Programs, FEMA Programs, and other Federal Partners will share information to help grow your community’s Long-Term Recovery Group.
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NAO’s The Public Space podcast launches on Thursday, September 24 with Host Lilisa Hall, NAO’s Membership, Communications & Advancement Director. Episode 1 features Steve Patty, Founder and Leadership Consultant at Dialogues in Action. Steve will discuss tangible ways in which leaders can effectively lead and motivate during challenging times. Episode 2 will drop in October and features Kim Brick, Executive Director and David Navarro, Director of Development and Fundraising at Oregon Coast Community Action, who will share how they managed a racially charged crisis this past summer. We hope The Public Space conversations will resonate with you and spark an idea, make you stop and think, encourage you to make a change, or take a bold action and will help contribute to positive change in our communities! Click here to access The Public Space’s trailer and get snippets from our first two episodes.
NAO thank all of you who are have responded to so many crises and disasters in our communities. We have curated a set of resources and links with our COVID-19 resources and Wildfire Response Resource pages that we’ve created to help you and your organizations navigate these difficult times.
If your nonprofit is responding to communities impacted by the fires, please be sure to connect with your local county Office of Emergency Management, United Ways and County/Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs).
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At the State Level
On Monday, Governor Brown issued vetoes of several line-item appropriations supporting health and human services meant to combat the COVID-19 impacts and crisis in Oregon. The Governor issues the veto “in order to preserve funding for the state's ongoing emergency wildfire response efforts and maintain a balanced budget.”
Combined, the vetoes will pull back over $65 million of expenditures approved by the Oregon legislature in the last Special Session. The Governor has also requested that legislators reserve at least $150 million in the state’s emergency fund for upcoming requests relating to the wildfires.
With news of the Governor’s veto, the coalition has regrouped and will begin talking to legislators in preparation for future legislative action to restore this critical support of Coronavirus programing across the state.
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The Continuing Resolution: House Democrats released their version of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the federal government funded into the new fiscal year that starts on Thursday, Oct. 1. Section-by-section summary and legislative text. The bill number is H.R. 8319. This version is reasonably “clean,” meaning it doesn’t include numerous controversial proposals. Sadly, those “controversial programs” that aren’t included are legislative language extending census deadlines. Nor does it include additional funding for election security grants or SNAP assistance, all big wants for the Democratic caucus. The House CR also doesn’t contain the farm aid that President Trump had announced on the campaign trail recently, which has upset the Republicans and the Administration. It is unclear how this “clean” CR will pass with so many dissatisfied on the omissions.
COVID Relief Legislation: The case can be made that the issues left off the CR increase the pressure on Congress to pass a COVID relief bill that includes those provisions. The Payroll Support Program for airline employees also expires on September 30 and United Airlines and other airlines are warning that layoffs in the tens of thousands will occur without an extension by Congress. Add to this pressure everything nonprofits are doing, and will do as a result of this inspiring message, and congressional leaders should change their thinking and start negotiating in earnest post haste.
PPP Upcoming Hearings: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Powell are testifying before two hearings this week. We are working with our colleagues across the country to pressurize members of the two committees to pay attention to community and nonprofit needs. The more Secretary Mnuchin hears about the needs of charitable nonprofits, the more likely he’ll think of us while negotiating the COVID relief bill (hopefully sooner than later).
Scary Data Point: Today, the Congressional Budget Office released its long-term budget forecast for the federal deficit. CBO forecasts that federal debt will rise to 98 percent of GDP by the end of this year and reach 195 percent of GDP by 2050. The previous highest level was 106 percent of GDP recorded just after World War II.
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Upcoming Online Sessions
In case you missed our earlier announcement, NAO has made the decision, to hold off on convening our 20120-2021 in-person networks that we usually launch in the fall of each year. Instead, we will extend the strategy deployed in mid-March when COVID-19 restrictions were first put in place to hold online sessions – free of charge to participants - until such time that the State of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority lift restrictions on in-person gatherings. We thank our supporting foundations, corporate sponsors and members for making this possible. Here is what we’ve got coming up over the next few weeks:
Understanding How Money Moves in Disasters, Tuesday, September 29, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: NAO and Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington are partnering to bring you this session about funding as it relates to a natural disaster, especially the recent wildfires. Join Regine Webster, Vice President, and Kim Maphis Early, Senior Associate at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy for a conversation about disaster and the financial streams that undergird disaster recovery. They will examine the roles that government, philanthropy, and nonprofits can play, particularly as advocates for an equitable recovery, and will share resources that can provide data and best practices to inform organizations working in the sector. Register for the session here.
Collaborative Fundraising: Moving From Scarcity to Abundance, Wednesday, September 30, 9 – 10 a.m. PT: Fundraising doesn't have to be a competitive sport. There are times when multiple organizations, working together, can raise a lot more money collectively. Join Andy Robinson, Principal at Andy Robinson Consulting, who will dive into the specifics of shared fundraising, including: options for collaborative fundraising, why donors and funders appreciate this approach, sorting out the work, dividing up the money, and fundraising with unexpected partners. Register for the session here.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Oregon Charitable Nonprofits, Thursday, October 1, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: Grace L. Chikoto-Schultz, PhD, Assistant Professor at Portland State University and Jim White, Executive Director at NAO will share the findings of the COVID-19 Impacts on Oregon charitable nonprofits survey conducted in June. The survey was aimed at quantifying the challenges nonprofits are facing. The findings underscore not only the importance of the nonprofit sector at this time, but also the pain these organizations are feeling and the hope and concerns they have for the future. Join Grace and Jim for a discussion about what these findings mean for the sector as we chart a path forward through this uncertainty and COVID-19 crisis. Register for the session here.
Virtual Fundraising Events, Tuesday, October 6, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Many organizations are reimagining their in-person fundraising events in amazing ways across digital platforms. Samantha Swaim. Principal at Swaim Strategies will guide you on virtual events, how they can support your organization’s mission and fundraising efforts, and what you need to put together for a successful and impactful event. Samantha will discuss virtual fundraising event how-tos, trends and what’s working in the virtual space, understand technology needs to go virtual; and looking ahead to how virtual events will change in the future. Register for the session here.
Developing a Financial Strategy in a Complex Crisis: Two-Part Webinar, Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 20, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT: Scott Schaffer, Principal at Public Interest Management Group, will conduct two-part webinar on financial strategy developed for nonprofit finance managers. Executive directors may also find value in attending. The current public health crisis, wildfires, and economic realities have disrupted many nonprofits’ operations and funding sources, with longer-term impacts that remain unknown. Organizations face immediate budget challenges and potential threats to sustainability. In this series of two 90-minute webinars we will help nonprofit leaders visualize and chart a financial strategy to proactively address the short- and longer-term impacts of the crisis. At the conclusion of the series, participants will have a conceptual framework to pave a pathway toward financial sustainability amid uncertainty. Register for the session here.
Upswell 2020, October 14-16, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. PT: Independent Sector’s Upswell 2020 is about two most important things facing every changemaker in the U.S.: ending racism and recovering from the pandemic. How we deal with these monumental challenges – in this utterly urgent moment in our shared history – will determine nothing less than the future of our nation. It sure won’t be easy and it certainly won’t be perfect. But our efforts will be existentially necessary. So, we’re inviting you to show up! Claim your agency. Elevate your ideas. Amplify your voice. Get creative, innovative, passionate, and relentlessly determined. Because it’s going to take the very best you’ve got – and the very best the rest of us have got – to heal our nation and create a society where every person can thrive. To find out more about Upswell, click here. Register for Upswell here.
Wait, Now I’m Managing Remote Workers? Addressing Legal and Practical Realities of a Virtual Workforce, Thursday, October 15, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Many nonprofits hastily converted to virtual work with the onset of COVID-19. Now, what started as a short-term solution has shifted to a permanent or long-term strategy to keep mission-critical work moving forward. Leaders are grappling with how to support their employees in this changed work environment, how to manage organizational risk around employee matters, and how to keep their teams safe, productive, and effective. P.K. Runkles-Pearson, Partner at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP will dive into the important legal and practical considerations nonprofit employers must consider and address as they adapt to the “new normal.” Register for the session here.
How to Lead Through Turbulent Times: Six leadership Practices for Facing Adaptive Challenges, Thursday, October 22, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: The uncertainty and stress of these days put a strain on even the most effective leaders. How do you stay personally buoyant? How do you focus on the things that matter most? How do you use the turbulence productively for yourself, your team, and your beneficiaries? Utilizing the principles of Adaptive Leadership, Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action, will help you explore and apply six essential skills for leading through times of uncertainty: Identify the growing edge, Regulate the temperature, Get on the balcony, Provide a holding environment, Give the work back, and Absorb the heat. Practicing these skills will help you develop your team and maximize your impact through these challenging days. Register for the session here.
Managing a Racially Charged Crisis in Real Time: How Two Nonprofit Leaders Rose to the Challenge, Tuesday, October 27, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: Oregon nonprofit leaders are challenged every day with the work they do for their organizations, the people they serve, and the community at large. They also have to be ready to manage major organizational crises with far-reaching impacts that inevitably will come their way, like it or not. And when a crisis is racially charged, includes systemic issues, and threatens an organization and its community, that crisis is beyond challenging. How do you handle a crisis like this in real time? How do you decide what steps to take? What actions do you take and how do you anticipate the potential ramifications? In this session Kim Brick, Executive Director and David Navarro, Director of Director of Development and Fundraising at the Oregon Coast Community Action based in Coos Bay, will share firsthand their experience from this past summer in navigating this significant racial-related crisis that has critical ramifications for ORCCA the communities it serves, and beyond. They’ll set the context, discuss how the situation unfolded step by step, how they responded, reaction from their constituents, and what all this meant to them personally and professionally. Register for the session here.
QuickBooks Made Easy Webinar: Desktop, November 10, 11, and 12, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. PT: Gregg S. Bossen, CPA of QuickBooks Made Easy, is partnering with NAO to offer an updated three-part QuickBooks® training webinar for nonprofits. This webinar is for the Desktop edition of QuickBooks. Gregg will cover the basics of setting up and entering transactions specifically for nonprofits, an overview of the software updates included in the QuickBooks® 2020 Desktop Edition, as well as advanced topics covering a host of specific processes that will help you do more helpful and amazing things! Register for the three-part webinar here.
QuickBooks Made Easy Webinar: Online, November 17, 18, and 19, 11 a.m. – 1 pm. PT: Gregg S. Bossen, CPA of QuickBooks Made Easy, is partnering with NAO to offer an updated three-part QuickBooks® training webinar for nonprofits. This webinar is for the Online edition of QuickBooks. Gregg will cover the basics of setting up and entering transactions specifically for nonprofits, an overview of the software updates included in the QuickBooks® 2020 Online Edition, as well as advanced topics covering a host of specific processes that will help you do more helpful and amazing things! Register for the three-part webinar here.
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I hope that you all stay safe and healthy!
Sincerely,
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Jim White
Executive Director
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Thank you to the following SUPPORTERS and SPONSORS who are supporting NAO’s online COVID-19 events and communications during these challenging times. Their support is vital in helping NAO to bring much-needed resources and information to Oregon’s nonprofits – thank you. |
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