Public policy and advocacy work key to nonprofit sector success in Oregon
Letter from: Jim White, NAO Executive Director

It’s that time of the year when our state legislature is in session and nonprofits are working hard to ensure that state, as well as federal and local spending policies prioritize and safeguard programs that provide critical support to Oregon’s most vulnerable populations.

Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in the development and implementation of public policy to promote an informed, healthy, and strong democratic society. We witness and respond to the impact of public policies on the people we serve, whether they are at-risk kids, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, or those expressing themselves through the arts. 

We Want to Hear From You - Take Our Survey!
2019 Year-End Charitable Giving Survey
Survey deadline: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 5 p.m. (PT)

The Association of Fundraising Professionals of Oregon and SW Washington and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon would like to hear from you about the results of your fundraising efforts in 2019. It has been a year since we learned of early implications from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are eager to find out if there are sustained impacts on charitable giving for the nonprofit sector in 2019.  

2020 Compensation & Benefits Survey
Survey deadline: Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. (PT)

NAO invites all 501(c)(3) organizations in Oregon to participate in the 2020 Compensation & Benefits Survey. Information about employee compensation and benefits is one of the top requests we get at NAO. In response to your needs, we have launched this survey for the first time - focused on nonprofits - by your own nonprofit state association.

Nonprofit News
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Comes to the Siuslaw

On February 12, 2020 NAO had the great pleasure of bringing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshop to the Florence community in partnership with Siuslaw Vision! The workshop involved conversations that challenged perceptions, decoded harmful or limiting language and created points of action for people to take DEI principles back to their nonprofits and workplaces. The dialogue was meant to be a little uncomfortable as people examined their experiences, related them to others in the room and acknowledged their places of privilege.

The event received coverage by The Siuslaw News. Read full article
Viewpoint: Albertina Kerr's CEO on Housing Crisis for Caregivers

Depending on your nonprofit, public policy and advocacy work can be a critical component of the work you do every day. Part of this work is raising awareness of your organization’s mission, mobilizing your constituents, and spreading the word about key issues. A fine example is this article on the housing crisis for caregivers by Jeff Carr, CEO Albertina Kerr (NAO member) that ran in a recent Portland Business Journal edition.

Nonprofit Resources
Want to be part of NAO's 2020 Advocacy Cohort? Here's how!
Come be part of helping to shape this rural-based advocacy cohort model

Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in the development and implementation of public policy to promote an informed, healthy, and strong democratic society. No matter the degree of investment in public policy and advocacy work, it is a good idea for all nonprofits to develop skills and expertise in this critical area. That’s why NAO is excited to announce that – with support from The Ford Family Foundation – we will be convening an Advocacy Cohort for rural nonprofit leaders.

COVID-19 Resources

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has been constantly in the news lately. Often Oregon’s nonprofits are some of the first organizations to respond in the event of a crisis. With that in mind, check out links to resources nonprofits may find useful.

ORS 65 Changes: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know
NAO webinar recording available - watch now!

On February 11, 2020 NAO hosted a webinar with David Atkin, Director and Attorney of Center for Nonprofit Law on changes to ORS 65 and covered simplified rules for majority voting, allowances for voting by email, modifications to the conflicts of interest provisions and changes to a number of requirements for membership nonprofits. Over 150 participants joined form across the state!

Access recording (Available to NAO members-only)
Guide: Best Practices in Health Insurance Purchasing
NAO Member Benefit Partner: Nonstop Administration and Insurance Services, Inc.

Health insurance is often the second most expensive line-item in an organization's budget. Is your plan working for your employees, and is it affordable for your organization? Are you prepared for these conversations during your health insurance renewal period? 

Download this educational six-month timeline and checklist guide from NAO member benefit partner Nonstop Administration and Insurance Services, Inc. to learn how to make health insurance renewals a smoother and more efficient process. Even if you are within the six-month window, this guide can provide checkposts to guide your process. 

Strategically and thoughtfully preparing for your health insurance renewal can ensure that your organization has thoroughly vetted all options before making a decision.

403(b) Plan Sponsors Are Running out of Time to Act!
NAO Member Benefit Partner: Impact Benefits & Retirement

Great News! Organizations who currently have a 403(b) plan can adopt a pre-approved 403(b) plan with a favorable IRS opinion and receive automatic correction in any defects of its plan. The deadline March 31, 2020!

Top 6 Tax Risks for Your Nonprofit Website
Submitted by: NAO Business Verified Member, NetRaising and NAO Affiliate Member, Clark Nuber

Your website may inadvertently cause tax risks to your organization. A website communicates an organization’s mission, programs, and events to donors, volunteers, and the community. That is a valuable service. However, it can also communicate taxable unrelated business activities, prohibited or limited activities, and noncompliance with tax rules. Knowing basic guidelines gives individuals responsible for the website the ability to recognize potential risks and bring it to the attention of management.

Get to Know a Nonprofit Member!
Featured NAO member: Tucker Maxon School
Mission: Tucker Maxon School teaches deaf and hearing children to listen, talk, learn, and achieve excellence together.

Tucker Maxon is a unique school where deaf/hard of hearing and typical hearing children learn together. These two groups learn from each other. Learning alongside students who are deaf and hard of hearing, our typical hearing students learn to value differences and become strong communicators. Learning and playing alongside their typically hearing peers, our deaf and hard of hearing students learn to listen and talk from their friends and are given good speech role models. Together, these two groups grow, learn, and achieve academic excellence.

NAO's membership Statewide! Who are they?
What to be featured in this section?
Be in the spotlight. Share how your nonprofit is making a difference in your community!

We are excited to offer a spotlight opportunity for NAO's nonprofits members. Share information about your organization, recent accomplishments and how being an NAO member has helped your nonprofit succeed in furthering your mission.

Fill out Q & A (For NAO nonprofit members only)
Not an NAO member? Join our network today!
Upcoming Learnings and Convenings
Balancing Leadership Between Board and Staff: How to Have Critical Conversations
Event details: March 3 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Join us for this session, which will provide honest and practical discussion of the complexities of the nonprofit Board/ED relationship. We will take a closer look at how the nonprofit sector views the responsibilities of the executive director, board, board members, and board chair as a window into developing a shared understanding of these complexities, eliminating role confusion, and providing tips for having honest, healthy conversations that prevent unwelcome surprises and keep everyone focused on mission-impact.

Nonprofit Fundraising and Board Workshop
Event details: March 9 in Grants Pass, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Are you wanting to help your organization reach more supporters, volunteers, donors, and to be known in your community? Are you wanting to improve your understanding of board roles and responsibilities to help your organization thrive? Please join us for this amazing "double" workshop that combines two important concepts that will help your organization grow its circle of friends and increase your board’s effectiveness.

Fixing the Rules Governing Government Grants
Event details: March 10, Online learning
National webinar: No cost

Governments rely on nonprofit organizations to promote well being in communities by providing services to individuals at all stages of their lives. Yet, governments are not always good partners when it comes to reimbursing nonprofits for the costs of providing those services. That could change for the better – and soon. The federal government recently proposed revisions to the primary law governing government grantmaking – the OMB Uniform Guidance – that could result in greater reimbursements for indirect costs, reduce administrative burdens, and increase transparency. Many nonprofits are asking: What would these changes mean? Do the revisions go far enough? Is there anything I can do to make things better?

Strategic Financial Management for Nonprofit Leaders
Event details: March 11 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Strategic financial management is critical to nonprofit success and sustainability. It involves actively building, monitoring and adjusting the organization’s business model. This session provides nonprofit leaders with an overview of key strategic financial management concepts, as well as practical methods for fulfilling this role within organizations. 

NAO Networking Event for Nonprofit Consultants
Event details: March 11 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event

Connect and meet consultants who work with nonprofits and engage in a unique, robust and collaborative business network serving nonprofits! Learn more about what’s going on in the nonprofit sector from one another – trends, challenges and opportunities that you’re all facing. Hear results from NAO's State of the Sector survey report along with key trends affecting Oregon nonprofits (shared by NAO’s Executive Director Jim White).

Leveraging Turbulence: Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Into Culture and Management
Event details: March 12 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

In systems thinking, a leverage point is a place in a system's structure where a solution element can be applied. It's a low leverage point if a small amount of change force causes a small change in system behavior. It's a high leverage point if a small amount of change force causes a large change in system behavior. In this session we will explore: ways that turbulence surfaces in DEI initiatives; Forms of leverage that minimize change force used and maximize positive change outcomes; Integrating DEI into an organization's culture; and Strategies to drive DEI through the existing management and supervisory structures.

The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint Course (8-part webinar)
Event dates: March 16 - May 18, Online learning
NAO partner event: NAO members receive $100 off

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 tips" to take you to your next level of grants success no matter where you're starting out.

Oregon's 2020 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report
Event details: March 17, Online learning
NAO event: No cost for NAO members

NAO will share highlights from Oregon's 2020 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report! What's going well, what's not, and which areas need more focus. 

In fall 2019, NAO invited Oregon nonprofits to participate in a State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey to learn about the health of the public benefit sector in Oregon. And you told us – thank you! 248 nonprofit organizations from around the state shared great information with us. NAO has compiled the data and there are interesting data points and trends you won’t want to miss as you plan ahead for the success of your nonprofit! Learn more about where we’re doing well, where we’re not, and what your nonprofit could be doing to get your nonprofit healthier given the trends, gaps, and opportunities before us. 

Tips and Tools for Building the Board of Your Dreams!
Event details: March 18 in Bend, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

The board you have is the board you build! In this session, we will explore fundamental board concepts to help you build a self-governing board and to be a gold-star board member! If you are interested in strategies for recruiting engaged and informed board members and exploring how to develop your board’s capacity, don’t miss this session!

Douglas County Nonprofit Resource Roundup
Event details: March 18 in Reedsport, Oregon
NAO event: No cost

The Douglas County Nonprofit Resource Roundup is a learning and networking opportunity convened by NAO for nonprofit staff, board, and volunteers to connect, meet funders, and learn about valuable tools and resources designed specifically for nonprofits. After the funders panel and discussion, participants will work together through a facilitated discussion and an assessment tool to identify areas where you can improve your work and connect to resources that can help you become more effective in serving your mission.

Different Ways to Present and Communicate Your Financial Statements
Event details: March 19 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Financial statements help you understand the work of a nonprofit; they paint a story with numbers. Additionally, they help you to learn where an organization may be struggling financially and to make informed decisions about how to allocate resources. Join us to see different ways to present financial information to communicate your story and help users including the board, management, and funders understand the work and the financial picture of your organization.

Curry County Nonprofit Resource Roundup
Event details: March 19 in Brookings, Oregon
NAO event: No cost

The Curry County Nonprofit Resource Roundup is a learning and networking opportunity convened by NAO for nonprofit staff, board, and volunteers to connect, meet funders, and learn about valuable tools and resources designed specifically for nonprofits. After the funders panel and discussion, participants will work together through a facilitated discussion and an assessment tool to identify areas where you can improve your work and connect to resources that can help you become more effective in serving your mission.

Building Constituency: Turning Engagement into Action
Event details: March 19 in Springfield, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

An essential element of the mission-driven work that nonprofits do each day is the formation, retention and growth of constituency. In order to achieve mission impact, nonprofit leaders turn positive engagement of our constituents into action in many ways, including volunteering, charitable giving, committee and board membership and legacy giving. In this session we will discuss the fundamental principles of constituency development and explore ways to turn engagement into action!

Five Actions Nonprofits Can Take to Enhance, Protect, and Defend Their Reputation
Event details: April 1 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Nonprofits want to tell their stories and support their causes. To do this successfully, nonprofits must, among many other things, take care of their reputation. Reputation is building familiarity, establishing trust and fortifying confidence within your nonprofit and within the communities you serve and from whom you receive support. Conversely, nonprofits are sometimes tasked with protecting their valuable reputations during a crisis or addressing a challenging issue or political climate affecting their cause.

The Resilient Nonprofit Leader: Navigating Change in Nonprofits
Event details: April 2 in Medford, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Maximize your organization’s impact, build increased engagement and productivity of your staff, board and volunteers and better navigate the ever-changing tides of change in the nonprofit sector by practicing resilient leadership. In this workshop you will gain a deeper understanding of attitudes, skills and behaviors of resilient leaders and resilient nonprofit organizations.

Supporting Good Work: Building Your Organization's Fundraising & Friendraising Capacity
Event details: April 2 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Fundraising is not just a means of raising money, but also a way to promote the message and goals of an organization. In this workshop, we will recognize the responsibilities and various potential roles of fundraising for the board, staff and volunteers. We will also address the components of a healthy fundraising program and funding plan.

Conducting Culturally Responsive Evaluations
Event details: April 2 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Gain a greater understanding of evaluation using a culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE) framework. In this session, we will identify CREE strategies that can be readily applied to your unique setting and needs. We will also meet others who are advancing CREE in the context of complex on-the-ground realities.

Culture and Learning Exchange with the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Event details: April 8 in Grande Ronde, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

The Spirit Mountain Community Fund and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon have developed this cultural tour and learning exchange to help nonprofits serving Polk and Yamhill Counties learn about the history, culture, organization, and services of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. By the end of the day, it is our hope that each participant will make meaningful connections between the services their organizations’ provide and how their organizations can partner with and serve tribal communities.

Bookkeeping Basics: A Recipe for Success
Event details: April 9 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Organized, accurate, and transparent books are essential to any organization’s financial story, especially for nonprofit organizations. We will explore some of the basic steps necessary to ensure bookkeeping for your nonprofit is set up for success. In this session you will walk through a “1, 2, 3 recipe” to identify your bookkeeping needs, to understand how to create the right system, and how to support your nonprofit bookkeeper! This session is ideal for bookkeeping staff and those who manage finance staff. 

Deconstructing Whiteness at Work
Event details: April 9 in Eugene, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

As champions of social justice, nonprofit leaders steward charitable missions and we have a responsibility to take a deeper look at how whiteness shows up in our organizations. In this session we will unpack the concepts of whiteness and white fragility, and build practical skills to effectively interrupt white supremacy when it shows up in our work and workplaces.

Oregon Nonprofit Leaders Conference
Event dates: April 20 - 22 in Ashland, Oregon
Community event

The annual conference brings together nearly 400 nonprofit leaders for two immersive days of education, information and networking, offering sessions on current, relevant and inspiring topics facing nonprofits today, and draws participation from nationally and regionally respected keynote speakers and workshop leaders. Participants also have the opportunity to engage with funders from across the region.

Budget Bootcamp for Nonprofit Leaders
Event details: April 22 in Bend, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive 50% off

Your annual budget is one of the fundamental building blocks of sound financial management. A budget serves as a guide for financial and mission-related activities for nonprofit organizations. Leading and implementing an effective annual budget process is critical for organizational success. Join us for this session where we will explore the elements of a successful budget process. 

Effective Supervision
Event details: April 29 in Portland, Oregon
NAO event: NAO members receive $75 off

Employees are your organization’s greatest resource, but if they are not being effectively supported and directed, you may not be receiving their maximum contribution to your organization’s mission and goals. Cliff Jones, Consulting Partner at Capacity Building Partnerships, offers a holistic approach to supervision. He has helped hundreds of supervisors in nonprofit settings develop skills and supervision methods that really make a difference.

Oregon Nonprofit Community Calendar
Check out the Oregon Nonprofit Community Calendar featuring NAO and community events happening across the state. NAO members also have the opportunity to submit event listings for free!

The Oregon Nonprofit Community Calendar is provided by the Nonprofit Association of Oregon with support from our members and funders. The goal of the calendar is to have one central location to promote, network, and coordinate nonprofit events across Oregon.

Stay Connected!
The Nonprofit Association of Oregon is the statewide nonprofit membership organization representing and supporting charitable nonprofits of all sizes, geographic locations and missions across Oregon. NAO strives to connect, improve and advance all nonprofits to help build a thriving and vital Oregon.

Questions or comments about Oregon's Nonprofit Digest?