March 23, 2021

Earlier this month President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which provides nearly $1.9 trillion in economic relief to the American people during the coronavirus pandemic. Included in this bill was funding and program expansions or extensions that will help nonprofits and communities we all serve. In an earlier issue, NAO provided summarized sections of the bill we believe were of most value to our sector.

This Thursday, March 25, you're invited to join nonprofit organizations from across the country to hear from former Congressman Cedric Richmond, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and others to discuss this landmark legislation and what it means for the mission and operations of your nonprofit organization. 

Organized by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, this briefing will help us all better understand the ARPA and set a tone for future engagement. We hope to see a lot of Oregon nonprofits join us Thursday, March 25 at 12:00 p.m. PT for the conversation, including questions and answers.

Additionally, our friends at Independent Sector are providing a free webinar on up-to-the-minute news from Washington and an overview of what the American Rescue Plan Act means for charitable nonprofits. NAO encourages all our members and nonprofits across Oregon to take advantage of this free webinar and tune into Independent Sector’s Policy Update happening this Friday, March 26 at 11:00 a.m. PT. Registration is now open. 

Last week the House overwhelmingly passed a bill, H.R. 1799, the PPP Extension Act, to extend the deadline for applying for PPP loans from March 31 to May 31 and give the Small Business Administration an additional 30 days to complete processing of the applications. However, conflicting bills in the Senate appear to be injecting last-minute partisanship into a fix that PPP borrowers – nonprofits and for-profit businesses alike – desperately need! We urge you to join us in supporting the passage of extending the PPP application deadline to May 31. The House passed the bill overwhelmingly by a vote of 415-3 on March 16 and now the Senate should act swiftly to pass this clean, bipartisan extension.

Take Action: Email Oregon Senator Wyden and Merkley this simple message: “I write to ask you to take immediate action to extend the application deadline for PPP loans. The current deadline expires on March 31, which is much too soon for nonprofits and other small businesses to apply. Last week the House passed a bill, the PPP Extension Act of 2021, with overwhelmingly bipartisan support (415-3) to extend the PPP deadline through May 31. We’re counting on you to help nonprofits and your other constituents so we don’t get shut out of the PPP unfairly.”

On Monday, March 22, The Collins Foundation named Carol Cheney as their next CEO effective April 26. Carol will be the fifth person to serve in the chief executive role since The Collins Foundation’s founding in 1947. Currently, she serves as the diversity, equity, and inclusion manager at Meyer Memorial Trust, where she leads the foundation’s equity work and elevates DEI within Meyer’s organizational strategy. We are proud to say that Carol formally worked for NAO. A big congratulations to Carol on her new role and to the team at The Collins Foundation for their new leader. Read full press release.

The Community Rebuilding Fund is a partnership between Oregon Community Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and The Ford Family Foundation to support communities impacted by Oregon’s devastating 2020 wildfires. The Fund supports equitable, inclusive and resiliency-based rebuilding that engages residents – especially vulnerable populations – in shaping the future of their communities. The Fund is being developed with community input. We are asking nonprofit organizations serving fire impacted communities to please complete a short survey by Wednesday, March 31. Learn more 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.

2021 Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Virtual Conference, Monday, April 12, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. PT: Agenda highlights include sessions on reflective representation and equity, fundraising through uncertainty, and adapting in times of crisis. This conference features nationally and regionally respected keynote speakers, dynamic breakout sessions focused on more specific, locally relevant topics, and opportunities to network face-to-face (virtually) with funders from across our region. A full day of immersive learning, leadership development, and inspiration starts at just $59. Scholarships are available through March 24, and pricing increases March 29. More details and registration here.

Oregon Legislative Update - The Nonprofit Perspective, Wednesday, March 24, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Join NAO’s Executive Director, Jim White for an update on the 2021 Oregon legislative session with a focus on the bills that NAO believes would have the most impact on nonprofits. With Oregon’s lawmakers nearly halfway through the regular session for 2021 and hundreds of bills already heard, join us for this 60-minute informational session to learn what should nonprofit leaders know, be aware of, and take action on. We will also hear from special guest, Chris Cobey of Voter Service Chair for League of Women Voters of Portland on the redistricting issue. How does redistricting fit into the legislature's work? Why is it important to your nonprofit? And how can you participate, both as an entity and individually, to affect the redistricting process?. This event will be free to NAO members. More details and registration information here.

Strategies for Creating Inclusive Work Environments, Tuesday, March 30, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Inclusion is about acknowledging and valuing people’s differences so as to enrich or shift social planning, decision making, and quality of life for everyone. In an inclusive society, we all have a sense of belonging, acceptance, and recognition as valued and contributing members of society. How do we apply this to our work environments and programs? Join educator, DEI consultant and expert, Alexis James from Construct the Present for an interactive workshop to talk about putting inclusion into action! Come ready to work in virtual table groups to share your ideas and learn from others. More details and registration information here.

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: Especially in challenging economic times, nonprofit leaders often question how to maximize effectiveness and find greater efficiency in support of their missions. Deepened collaboration, creative partnerships, and even mergers feel like urgent solutions. 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 the principles of deep collaboration and partnerships that can lead two organizations to unify. In this one-hour webinar, learn about the core success factors identified by Jim and Jenn, and discuss how your organization might benefit from a strategic unification. More details and registration information here.

Renewing Your Strategy and Readying Your Nonprofit for a Capital Campaign, April 13, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Capital campaigns need to be about more than bricks and mortar. They need to be strategically positioned within a well-thought long-range plan as a top priority for achieving a community impact that is worthy of leadership-level philanthropic investment. This session will focus on how to develop and assess long-term vision goals, determine whether a capital campaign is appropriate and timely as a strategic initiative to meet vision goals and deliver a return on investment for donors. More details and registration information here.

Nonprofit Financial Strategy for 2021, 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 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 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.

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.

Building a Robust Financial Strategy: Cohort Group for Nonprofit Executive Directors, five Thursday weekly interactive sessions – April 29 through May 27, 8 – 9:15 a.m. PT: Are you an executive director wrestling with the financial implications of a year of great uncertainty? Join a group of nonprofit executive directors in this interactive learning cohort that will help you determine how to formulate a financial strategy that works for your organization. Cohort participants learn how to define and gauge financial performance, address business model challenges, right-size your staff and programs, invest in the people who drive your organization’s success and enhance your financial leadership role. This cohort is geared toward organizations with annual operating budgets between $1 - $10 million, but all nonprofit executive directors and CEOs are welcome. More details and registration information here.

If you have any questions or difficulties registering, contact NAO's Training Program Coordinator at training@nonprofitoregon.org.