February 11, 2021

SB723: Requires nonprofit corporations that meet certain requirements, including receipt of public funds, to comply with open meetings law and public records law, to post copy of corporation's proposed annual budget to corporation's public website and to submit to and cooperate with audit. Subjects members of corporation's board of directors and officers and employees of corporation to government ethics standards.

This is an attempt to dissuade nonprofits from participating in their legal right to engage in lobbying in our legislature. The rules for charitable nonprofits regarding lobbying policymakers on issues important to their mission, program participants and stakeholders are already confusing enough. In too many cases, nonprofits are easily dissuaded from engaging in lobbying because they’re afraid they may run afoul of the law. This has already been deemed a foolish measure in previous legislative sessions. It is an attempt to throw more roadblocks in the way of nonprofits standing up for people experiencing homelessness, working for social justice reforms, pushing for measures that support investment in wildfire relief for devastated communities, and advocating for other critical investments. The Senate Committee on Human Services, Mental Health and Recovery will hear the bill once it is scheduled. Once we get any sense that this bill is going to get legs, we will be asking you all to please jump in and help our legislators understand why this is so bad.

As the Oregon legislative session continues through the spring, NAO will continue to track these bills and any others that we become aware of that have a broad impact on the nonprofit sector. Please let us know if there is a bill that you are aware of that impacts us all. Email me at: executivedirector@nonprofitoregon.org.

Carrying on the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship’s tradition, NAO is excited to present the 2021 Guiding More Good Virtual Conference on Saturday, March 13th! This conference will bring together exciting expert speakers, practical resources, and the opportunity for virtual networking. This event is especially applicable for smaller nonprofits, primarily those that are all-volunteer or with 1-2 staff members.

 

For more information about this conference, including session descriptions, conference agenda, and scholarship opportunities, click here.

In honor of Black History Month, we are highlighting one of our Black-led and Black-serving NAO nonprofit members on today's "We Are Oregon's Nonprofits." The Black United Fund of Oregon (BUF) has been carrying out their mission to assist in the social and economic development of Oregon's underserved communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups for over 37 years. Learn about BUF, what they’ve got in store this year, and ways you can support their mission in this spotlight. Click here.

Based on the number of requests we received from so many nonprofit organizations, we are pleased to announce that NAO will be conducting a Compensation & Benefits Survey this year. We know that 2020 was a year like no other and acknowledge that 2021 may bring significant impacts as well on the work that nonprofits deliver. The use of this survey is key to evaluating your organization’s compensation and benefits strategy to help attract and retain the best talent. We invite all 501(c)(3) organizations to participate in this survey, which will be open next week until the rest of the month. We ask that one person per organization complete the survey. Sign up now to receive the survey next week.

The House Small Business Committee approved a $50 billion package of relief on Wednesday night by a party-line vote. The legislation would allow nonprofits with more than 500 total employees and that operates at more than one location to secure PPP forgivable loans so long as no one location employs more than 500 employees. It would also repeal the discriminatory nonprofit affiliation rule included in the CARES Act to block loans to Planned Parenthood, but that has tripped up nonprofit chapters of many other national nonprofits. The bill will be part of the larger $1.9 trillion COVID relief legislation that the House is scheduled to vote on during the week of February 22.

The Small Business Administration is in the process of setting up a new grant program for shuttered venue operators. It is not yet accepting applications, however, has stated that those who have suffered the greatest economic loss will be the first applications processed.

Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.

For additional details, see SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grants Frequently Asked Questions (revised 02-05-21).

Nonprofit Learning Cohort – Organizational Resilience, five Tuesday weekly interactive sessions – February 16 through March 16, 3 – 4:15 p.m. PT: Join a group of your peers for this series that will help you establish a more resilient organization through these challenging times. Corky McReynolds, Principal of LeadTeam Consulting will help you discover, assess, and apply tools to build or enhance resilience during change that results in a stronger and more sustainable organization. This series is most appropriate for Oregon-based 501(c)(3) staffed nonprofits statewide, but primarily in metro or metro-adjacent areas. More details and registration information here. 

Fundraising in Times of Change - Transforming Your Development Program in 2021, Thursday, February 18, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: In this session, Laurel McCombs, Senior Philanthropy Consultant at the Osborne Group, will look at practical and aspirational ways to approach your development planning and prioritization this year that will help you continue to adapt to uncertainty while addressing key challenges and opportunities that can lead to greater return on investment and, ultimately, greater impact. More details and registration information here.

Becoming a Great Board Member: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Board Governance, Wednesday, February 24, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: In this webinar, presented by Jenn Clemo, NAO’s Director of Nonprofit Leadership and Resources, you will learn about the nonprofit board of directors and gain an understanding of what it means to be an effective board member. Jenn will provide a thorough overview for new board members or those looking to refresh themselves on the fundamentals. More details and registration information here.

2021 Annual Nonprofit GAAP Update, Thursday, February 25, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT: Gary McGee, CPA, Founder and Managing Partner of Gary McGee & Co. LLP will lead this annual nonprofit accounting and auditing update session. You’ll learn about new and proposed accounting and auditing standards, and how they will affect nonprofit organizations and their auditors. Topics will include Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) guidance specific to nonprofit entities, AICPA accounting and auditing activities, and a Single Audit update. More details and registration information here.

The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint Course: Your Step-by-Step Roadmap and Built-It-Yourself Toolkit for Crafting an A+ Grant Proposal, March 1 through May 3: In this comprehensive, on-your-own-schedule video-based, course from GrantsMagic U, veteran grant writer, grant consultant, and grantmaker Maryn Boess pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to be successful in the grants world. She will share hundreds of tried-and-tested tools, strategies, how-to's and "insider's tips" to take you to your next level of grants success no matter where you're starting out. More details and registration information here. 

Nonprofit Learning Cohort – Fundraising Through Uncertainty, five Monday weekly interactive sessions – March 1 through March 29, 12 – 1:15 p.m. PT: Join a group of your peers for this series with fundraising expert Laurel McCombs. Learn how to push forward through the ongoing uncertainty to not only achieve your fundraising goals for this year, but strengthen your development program for the future. This series is most appropriate for executive directors and development directors from small, rural-staffed organizations. More details and registration information here.

Ambassador Training: Better Word-of-Mouth Marketing, Tuesday, March 2, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT: Even in the era of social media, the most effective marketing strategy is word of mouth. Regardless of your role – board, staff or volunteer – you can represent your organization more effectively and encourage positive buzz. Join Andy Robinson, Principal of Andy Robinson Consulting, to learn how to engage potential supporters, develop compelling messages, and deliver them effectively. More details and registration information here.

Bigger Impact Together - What Your Organization Can Do to Forge Stronger Collaboration Through Creative Partnerships and Mergers, Wednesday, March 3, 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. 

NAO’s 2021 Guiding More Good Virtual Conference, Saturday, March 13, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. PT: Carrying on the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship’s tradition, the Guiding More Good Conference will be held virtually on Saturday, March 13, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. PT. We’ll be bringing you exciting expert speakers, practical resources, and virtual networking opportunities. 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.

Nonprofit Learning Cohort – 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.

Nonprofit Learning Cohort – Creating a Strong Volunteer Program for Small, Rural Nonprofits, five Monday weekly interactive sessions – April 12 through May 10, Noon to 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.

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