IN THIS ISSUE:

  • Coronavirus Considerations for Massachusetts Nonprofits
  • Webinar on Strategies to Reach Hard-to-Count Communities During the 2020 Census
  • Governor Baker Lauds Unsung Heroes at the Light of Dawnn Awards
  • Save the Date: June 15 is Nonprofit Awareness Day
  • Up Next in the Regional Meeting Tour: Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Pioneer Valley
  • Our Shared Sector: Three Ways to Prepare for Successful Inclusion Strategies
  • Nonprofit 411: How Can Prospect Research Make a Difference for My Nonprofit?
  • Free Webinars
  • Jobs and Resources
Coronavirus Considerations for Massachusetts Nonprofits

MNN acknowledges concerns regarding the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and the potential impacts to Massachusetts nonprofits as employers, conveners, and service providers. 

Nonprofits may be concerned with the possibility of having to reschedule or cancel programs or events. At present, the guidance is to proceed with common-sense protections. Additional considerations for nonprofits deciding whether or not to cancel or reschedule a program or event include: determining a deadline for making a decision about canceling a program or event; when, how, and how often to communicate with program participants or event attendees, sponsors, and partners; the impact of canceling a program or event on revenue, including whether or not to explore event insurance to mitigate the costs of a major event cancellation (e.g. fundraising events). Nonprofits can consult the Word Health Organization's publication  here  that details planning recommendations for mass gatherings.

Nonprofits may also be considering adjustments to or implementations of a work from home policy out of concern for their employees' health. Nonprofits should review their policies related to illness and sick leave to ensure that they are consistent with public health recommendations. They should also prepare for the possibility of increased numbers of employee absences by updating or creating policies that support remote work and developing plans to communicate with employees in a rapidly changing environment. Nonprofits can find more recommendations in the CDC's "Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the Coronavirus"  here  and can find a sample remote work policy on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's website  here .

MNN encourages nonprofits to keep updated about COVID-19 from reputable sources like the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  and the  Massachusetts Department of Public Health . Both of these organizations have downloadable and printable tool kits, checklists, and other readily available resources. Feel free to reach out to MNN with any questions or concerns.
Webinar on Strategies to Reach Hard-to-Count Communities During the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census hits mailboxes on March 12, and nonprofits will be needed to help get out the count in hard-to-count communities. This free webinar on  Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00 am , " Getting Out the Count: Tailoring Your Support Efforts to Specific Communities ," will feature advice from subject matter experts who are currently working to ensure hard-to-count populations are fairly counted in the 2020 Census. Participants will learn about strategies being used to ensure that families with young children, people experiencing homelessness, and immigrants have the information and access they need to be accurately counted. The webinar presenters will be Nancy Wagman of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, Marwa Sayed of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, and Gladys Vega of the Chelsea Collaborative. Register below.
Governor Baker Lauds Unsung Heroes at the Light of Dawnn Awards
Governor Charlie Baker joined a crowd of 120 nonprofit and community leaders to celebrate the contributions of unsung community heroes at the 2020 Light of Dawnn Awards ceremony on Tuesday, February 25, 2020. Governor Baker lauded three direct-service nonprofit professionals and three high school students for "exemplify[ing] Dawnn's compassion, leadership, and kindness."

The Light of Dawnn Awards were created to honor the life and legacy of Dawnn Jaffier, who lost her life to gun violence in 2014. The Awards raise the public profiles of those doing important direct-service work who do not have externally-facing roles. Every year, three awards are given to nonprofit professionals by the Highland Street Foundation , the Kraft family , the West End House Boys and Girls Club , and MNN . Three scholarships are also given to three high school seniors and are sponsored by John Hancock Financial and the Foundation To Be Named Later .
Save the Date: June 15 is Nonprofit Awareness Day
Save the date  for MNN's annual public awareness event recognizing the impact and contributions of the Massachusetts nonprofit sector:  Monday, June 15  at the Massachusetts State House. During the day, Nonprofit Excellence Awards will be presented to organizations and professionals that exemplify excellence in nonprofit work. The Presenting Sponsor of Nonprofit Awareness Day: A Celebration of Nonprofit Excellence is  Citizens Bank .
Up Next in the Regional Meeting Tour: Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Pioneer Valley
Regional Meetings are coming to the Greater Boston, MetroWest, and Pioneer Valley regions. The meetings will review new and expanded MNN services and programs and feature a presentation from the Massachusetts Health Connector on best practices for choosing health insurance plans. The meetings will also offer time for informal networking. Regional Meetings are free and open to all nonprofits.

Register for a Regional Meeting below. Information about the Southeast and Cape & Islands Regional Meetings will be announced soon.
Greater Boston Regional Meeting
Friday, March 20, 2020 from 9:00-11:00 am
The Boston Foundation, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA
Presented with The Boston Foundation
MetroWest Regional Meeting
Thursday, April 9, 2020 from 8:30-10:30 am
Special Olympics Massachusetts, 512 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA
Presented with the MetroWest Nonprofit Network and sponsored by the Massachusetts CORE Plan
Pioneer Valley Regional Meeting
Wednesday, July 15, 2020 from 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, 333 Bridge Street, Springfield, MA
" Our Shared Sector ," a partnership between MNN and YW Boston, explores the intersection of nonprofit work and efforts across the sector to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Reach out here with any feedback or suggestions for Our Shared Sector.
Three Ways to Prepare for Successful Inclusion Strategies
YW Boston has been working to advance racial and gender equity and build more inclusive environments for over 150 years. Today, YW Boston’s  InclusionBoston  program has partnered with over 100 organizations to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and create lasting cultural change. As part of this work, YW Boston partners with industry leaders to share insights and discuss successful strategies. YW Boston sat down with the Executive Director of The Urban Labs and EVP Chief Experience and Culture Officer at Berkshire Bank Malia Lazu to learn about her insights into how organizations can prepare for and successfully implement diversity and inclusion strategies. 
New and Returning Affiliate Members
*discount to MNN members
You can see a full listing of affiliates in our online Business Directory. Many affiliates offer discounts to our members!

Ann Donner Consulting works with organizations to bring concepts to fruition. *10% discount.

Ankissam offers innovative, affordable technology solutions for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.

Avidia Bank offers commercial and consumer banking products, as well as the Avidia Charitable Foundation. *Specialized account offers.

Boston Health Care for the Homeless provides and assures access to the highest quality health care for all homeless individuals and families in Greater Boston.

Craftsman Technology is a registered Salesforce partner that provides support, enhances operations, and stimulates nonprofit growth. *Free CRM assessment.

Deluxe Laser and Spa offers safe and healthy laser treatment and spa services.


Jitasa is the largest national bookkeeping and accounting service provider dedicated solely to the nonprofit sector.

Krokidas & Bluestein provides legal services to nonprofit, for-profit, and public clients in the areas of human services, civil, education, labor and employment, real estate, nonprofit, and commercial property law.
Night Heron Consulting provides interim management services such as Executive Director or Operations/Finance Director on an interim basis. *10% off any contract four weeks or more.

The Hanover provides a wide range of property and casualty products and services.

Xerox provides an array workflow solutions developed to improve the way organizations utilize documents.

YPTC provides expert accounting and financial services to nonprofits.
NONPROFIT 411
How Can Prospect Research Make a Difference for My Nonprofit?
by Roger Magnus, Roger Magnus Research

Prospect or development research is useful for nonprofit philanthropic efforts but has its limitations. It involves conducting research and analysis to find out more about individual donors, foundations (private, community, and corporate), and government grants (not discussed here). Nonprofits vary greatly in their funding mix among these three major sources. 
FREE WEBINARS
The term “member” is often used loosely and can easily lead to confusion about whether a nonprofit has members for state nonprofit corporate law purposes, who members are, and what rights they have. Even nonprofits aware they have members may not be clear on whether their members get to vote and if so, when or how. In some cases, failure to obtain proper member approval may invalidate corporate actions. Join Hemenway & Barnes attorneys as they clarify the difference between voting members and other types of members, what rights voting members have, and how their role differs from that of the board. The webinar will also cover requirements for members’ meetings and votes and other legal aspects of having members.  Register here .
This webinar is designed for organizations that want to learn about the prospect research tool that helps identify smaller donors in their donor database who have the potential to become major donors; a one-page “case for support” that engages donors and uses a permission-based strategy to talk about funding; and how to make “the ask.” Learn how to: use wealth screening to identify major gift prospects from within a donor base; create a visual, one-page “case for support” that drives the donor conversation; and make a fundraising ask. Presented by MajorDonors.com .  Register here.
Financial wellness may be a hot phrase in the retirement plan industry, but it’s a bit of an enigma, as there’s no agreement on what it means or expected outcomes. Tune-in to this free webinar to view survey results from retirees and pre-retirees, to learn about tools to help employees plan for retirement, and to hear about the availability of a retirement plan offered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts exclusively for small nonprofits (20 employees or fewer) in Massachusetts. Presented by the Massachusetts CORE Plan .  Register here.
In this day and age, IT threats are real. Many organizations are required to go above and beyond the Massachusetts data protection policies requirements. In this free webinar, the presenters will: help participants understand the landscape of IT security; outline areas of possible risk in an organization in relation to databases, files, email, computer network, and personnel; give participants the tools to rate the priority of outlined risks; and teach participants how to approach risk remediation and next steps. Presented by Insource Services .  Register here.
JOBS and RESOURCES
Job Opportunities

Operations and Membership Coordinator, Massachusetts Nonprofit Network
Director of Development and Communications , Center for Collaborative Education
Program Coordinator, Creative Economy, New England Foundation for the Arts
Director of Development , Rian Immigrant Center
Administrative Coordinator – Guardianship Program , Jewish Family & Children’s Service
Membership Recruitment Specialist , Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts
Executive Director , Health Information Alliance, Inc.
Training and Events Coordinator , Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Literacy Tutor (AmeriCorps), The Literacy Lab
Director of Corporate Relations , New England Aquarium
Special Events Manager , Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
Manager of Partner Relations , Cradles to Crayons
RN/LPN , Community Connections Inc.
Executive Director , Lawyers Clearinghouse
Program Coordinator , Boston Children’s Chorus
Research and Evaluation , Parenting Journey
Director of Development , Massachusetts Charter Public School Association
Executive Director, SkillWorks , The Boston Foundation
Chief Financial Officer , Two Ten Foundation
Program Associate , The Hyams Foundation
Manager Director , Grow Native Massachusetts
Foundations and Grants Manager , The Phoenix – Sober Active Community
Corporate and Foundation Relations Associate , West End House
Climate and Culture Specialist , Engaging Schools
Manager, Volunteer & Partner Support , Boston Cares
Insurance Plans Associate Director , Unitarian Universalist Association
Executive Director , Neurofibromatosis Northeast
Program Associate , Community Access to the Arts
Membership & Special Projects Coordinator , Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Executive Director , BalletRox
Resources
Free office space is available for a nonprofit tenant . Printing Press Lofts is a mixed-use building in the Central Square neighborhood of East Boston. The owners are offering to design and build 500 sq ft of new office space on the ground-level for a nonprofit tenant at no charge. Move-in date is fall 2020. To learn more about the building and contact the owners directly, please visit  www.printingpresslofts.com .

The Merrimack College Community Engagement Program is looking for phenomenal applicants with a passion for community engagement to apply for their one-year  Master's degree  and  fellowship program . Two-year fellowships may be available. Fellowship includes full-tuition scholarship for the Master's degree. Merrimack College is also seeking  fellowship sites  to mentor students and build their organizational capacity. In addition, they are also offering  three-course online graduate certificate in Community-Based Nonprofit Leadership .  Finally, Merrimack College is an approved training provider of the Campus Compact Credentialing Program. Please contact Audrey Falk at  falka@merrimack.edu  for program information or Alex Harrigan at  harrigana@merrimack.edu  for admissions and enrollment information.   

NetSquared , a program of TechSoup, is a free volunteer-run group focused on connecting people and organizations interested in the benefits of technology for the nonprofit and social sectors. They are hosting free meetups for nonprofits in Central Massachusetts . Click here to register for upcoming programs.
New and Returning MNN Nonprofit Members
Above the Clouds - AIDS Project Worcester - American Training, Inc . - Animal Talks - Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center - Bread & Roses, Inc. - Center Maker - Community Foundation for Nantucket - Community Work Services - Connect2uplift - Family Continuity - First Literacy - Friends of Children - Friends of the Public Garden - Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts - Greenagers - Healing Heart Hospitality House - Health Resources in Action - Hodgkin's International, Inc. - Institute for Nonprofit Practice - International Social Work Solutions - Jewish Family & Children's Service - Laps 4 Backs - Lowell Telecommunications Corporation - Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers - Meghan's Light - Nonprofit Fruitful Possession - NOPI- Nonprofit Incubator - North County Land Trust - OUT MetroWest - Peace Valley Foundation - Samaritans - The Literacy Lab - Understanding Our Differences - Urban Edge - Wellesley Students' Aid Society - Youth Villages
MNN's work is made possible by our members and supporters including the Barr Foundation, The Boston Foundation, and the Highland Street Foundation. If you'd like to share a story or information that is important to Massachusetts nonprofits, contact fmartinez@massnonprofitnet.org .