Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
Happy Women’s History Month! I hope that you are taking time to celebrate the women in your life and workplaces.
Many of the women's suffrage centennial celebrations originally planned for 2020 were restricted due to COVID-19, so the National Women's Alliance extended the annual theme for 2021 to "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced." The Oregon Historical Society has been running an exhibit called: Nevertheless, They Persisted: Women’s Voting Rights and the 19th Amendment. That exhibit looks at the role of women leaders from Oregon who were instrumental in campaigning for the women’s right to vote.
As a sector that is very largely comprised of women workers and volunteers (although way too few in leadership positions), nonprofits in particular should be celebrating the accomplishments of their female identifying employees and volunteers. We have so much to be grateful for in the work that women do every day in our nonprofits. And just a reminder that women are still paid, on average, 81 cents to every dollar that their male counterpart receives. The nonprofit sector needs to lead on changing this!
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the sad 1st anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon and across the world. Around us, we watched as family, friends and colleagues became terribly sick and in too many cases lost their lives to the disease. As terrible as that grim toll has been, it is the efforts of nonprofits, in partnership with government, that did so, so much to stem the spread and reduce the suffering of so many. When we heard everyone throughout the last year lauding “front line workers” and their truly heroic efforts, we should remember the vast majority of those folks in Oregon work for a nonprofit hospital, clinic or other direct health or human service provider. And again, the vast majority of them are women. Thank you to all of them that did so much to keep us safe and reduce the suffering.
As someone that does not work on the direct service delivery side of our sector, I shared with so many of you the agonizing decisions we all had to make last year… Do we cut programs? Which ones? Do we furlough staff? Who, how many, and when? We navigated together the byzantine system of CARES Act funding PPP and EIDL programs and tried to make sense of our world as it felt (too often) like it was crashing down around us. Together, we made it through. We are here, a year later, a bit bruised, but still working and trying to do better each day.
I want to say a special thank you to all of you that work every day in nonprofits to make Oregon a better place to live.
Stay healthy and be safe,
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Jim White
NAO Executive Director
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NAO News
Guiding More Good Virtual Conference – Happening next week!
We hope that you are getting energized and inspired to be a part of the Guiding More Good conference! We've hand-picked speakers that will bring the most value to you. With six 1-hour sessions on topics such as governance, finance, and fundraising we are confident that your board, staff, and volunteers will find a session and learn practical skills and tools they’ll be able to use immediately. There will be plenty of opportunity for virtual peer interaction, an exhibitor’s gallery, and much more! So, what are you waiting for? Register today for Guiding More Good happening next week Saturday, March 13. See full conference agenda here.
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At the State Level
The Oregon Legislative session is in full swing in Salem with daily hearings by the sub-committees in both chambers. There are many bills that are supported by nonprofits across the state and we are loving the engagement in the process that you are having! Keep it up!
Many nonprofits in Oregon are responding to the wildfires and helping the communities that were devastated last year to begin the long process of recovery. We want to be sure that your organizations are aware of opportunities to testify and send your concerns/issues or even just information about your work to the House Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery and the House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Management. Both committees have important measures they are taking into consideration for wildfire recovery specifically as well as disaster preparedness and resiliency broadly.
For Long-Term Recovery Groups associated with Wildfire Recovery Efforts: An Overview of Nonprofit Membership Models. Tuesday, April 9, 2021 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. PT. Presented by nonprofit attorney Rosalie Westenskow. This is a session exclusive offering for individuals participating in Long-Term Recovery Groups associated with wildfire recovery work in Oregon. If you are involved in an LTRG and wondering about the difference between membership and non-membership nonprofits, RSVP for this free session by emailing Jenn Clemo at jclemo@nonprofitoregon.org.
And finally, we should all be interested in the hearings that will begin next Tuesday on redistricting. Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing United State House of Representatives (Congressional) and Oregon State Senate and State House of Representatives (Legislative) district boundaries to account for changes in population as captured in the decennial Census. This is a critically important issue for all of us nonprofits as we work to ensure that our political processes hears from those that have been historically marginalized in the political process.
You can find out more about the State’s redistricting efforts here, including this flyer of scheduled times for the public hearings.
You can also find here some interesting information on the work of the League of Women Voters on advocating for an independent commission to set district boundaries.
NAO is planning a special webinar session in the next weeks to present and discuss various policy issues that we are tracking and hear of others that may be of concern to your nonprofit. Look for an announcement on that coming soon!
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At the Federal Level
American Rescue Plan Status Update
The Senate began debate today on a version of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. That Senate version has some significant changes to the bill that passed the House over the weekend. A Senate “manager’s amendment,” that will be made public later today, reduces the number of individuals who will be eligible for $1,400 check, shifts $10 billion in funds from state and local government aid to pay for broadband expansion, and includes “guard rails” on how state, local, tribal, and territorial governments will be able to spend the remaining $340 billion in aid. As you already know, the Senate version has also removed language raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour by 2025. That latter proposal and other provisions have been struck from the House bill due to arcane Senate budget reconciliation rules.
The Senate version retains several provisions of importance to all of us in charitable nonprofits. It includes language that would:
A. Expand eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans to charitable nonprofits with more than 500 employees operating at multiple locations so long as no one location employs more than 500 employees;
B. Allow theaters and other performance venues to seek funds under both the PPP and the Shuttered Venue Operator Grants program;
C. As part of the bill’s expansion of unemployment benefits for 14 million people, the bill increases the federal coverage of the unemployment costs for reimbursing (or self-insured) nonprofits from 50% to 75% for the period from April 1 through August 29;
D. It further extends the employee Retention Tax Credit from July 1 through the end of the year.
Additionally, the measure would provide more funding for vaccinations and testing, schools, the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant program, childcare providers, the Corporation for National and Community Service, arts and humanities organizations, food assistance, housing and homelessness prevention, and nonprofits providing services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Several nonprofit priorities, however, did not make it into the Senate bill. These include language repealing the nonprofit affiliation rule under the PPP, repeal or deduction for nonprofits of the requirement of a 25% reduction in gross receipts, and an extension of the PPP application deadline beyond March 31. These and other policy objectives, such as expansion of the universal charitable deduction and additional grants programs for nonprofits, could be included in future recovery legislation.
This indicates that we all, in the nonprofit sector have so much more work ahead of us on educating our policymakers on the crucial role we play that must be taken into account when laws are written and negotiated.
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Upcoming Online Sessions
NAO offers practical, affordable learning and convening programs in a variety of formats, including convenings, webinars, and cohort series, and webinars.
Convening Opportunities
NAO’s 2021 Guiding More Good Virtual Conference, Saturday morning, March 13, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. PT: Carrying on the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship’s tradition, this conference will bring you exciting expert speakers, practical resources, and virtual networking opportunities. Session topics include fundraising, finance, and governance. This event will be especially applicable for smaller nonprofits, primarily those that are all-volunteer or with 1-2 staff members. More details and registration here.
Curry County Virtual Nonprofit Resource Roundup – April 7, Noon – 1:45 p.m. PT: Join us for a unique opportunity for nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers of Curry County to connect with funders and learn about resources available to you through NAO. Each participant will have the opportunity to connect with each of our funders in small breakout groups, network with peers, and much more! This event is free and will include representatives from The Ford Family Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, and the Coquille Tribal Community Fund. Space is limited. More details and registration information here.
Webinar Sessions
Bigger Impact Together - What Your Organization Can Do to Forge Stronger Collaboration through Creative Partnerships and Mergers, Tuesday, April 6, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Nonprofit leaders often question how to maximize effectiveness and find greater efficiency in support of their missions. Based on their recent experience merging the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship into NAO, Jim White, NAO’s Executive Director, and Jenn Clemo, now NAO’s Director of Nonprofit Leadership and Resources, will discuss principles of deep collaboration and partnerships that can lead two organizations to unify. More details and registration information here.
Building Your Nonprofit Financial Strategy, Thursday, April 15, 10 – Noon PT: The current public health crisis and resulting economic realities have disrupted many nonprofits’ operations and funding sources, with longer-term impacts that remain unknown. In this two-hour webinar, Scott Schaffer, Principal of Public Interest Management Group 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 workshop, participants will develop a conceptual framework to pave a pathway toward financial sustainability amid uncertainty. More details and registration information here.
QuickBooks Desktop Edition Made Easy for Nonprofits, May 25, 26, and 27, 11 – 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® 2021 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 Online Edition Made Easy for Nonprofits, June 1, 2 and 3, 11 – 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® 2021 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.
Learning Cohorts
Effective Board Management for Small Nonprofits, five Thursday weekly interactive sessions – March 18 through April 15, 11 – 12:15 p.m. PT: This five-part series builds on the lessons from the Becoming a Great Board Member webinar to include tools for effective board management. Join a cohort of nonprofit leaders to learn about board management best practices while gaining insight from each other’s challenges and solutions, and problem solving together. This cohort is for new and potential board members who want to understand the fundamentals of board service, seasoned board members looking to increase their board’s effectiveness, and staff and volunteers who support the board. More details and registration information here.
How to Build and Support Strong Teams, five Monday weekly interactive sessions – April 9 through May 7, 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. PT: This five-session interactive series will provide you with coaching tools and frameworks, while allowing you practice these with your peers, using real-life challenges that you are facing, working with an experienced executive and leadership coach. Presented by Anna Young, Principal, Anna Young Leadership Coaching, this cohort is designed to be applicable within the remote working environment as well as translate to a return to the workplace context. More details and registration information here.
Creating a Strong Volunteer Program for Small, Rural Nonprofits, five Monday weekly interactive sessions – April 12 through May 10, Noon – 1:15 p.m. PT: Are you a small, rural nonprofit that utilizes volunteers but doesn’t have a robust system for recruitment and retention? Are you struggling to adapt your volunteer program to meet the challenges of the virtual world we’re living in? Join a group of your peers for this five-session interactive series that will help you create a strong volunteer program that provides a framework for organizational success and benchmarks for volunteer engagement and satisfaction. More details and registration information here.
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Thank you to the following SUPPORTERS and SPONSORS who are supporting NAO’s online 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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