Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
As the news of the President and First Lady’s positive test for COVID-19 sinks in, it serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of this highly infectious disease. We wish the President and First Lady, and all who have been struck by this deadly and debilitating disease, a speedy recovery.
Here in Oregon, the new case load continues to hover between the high 200s and low 300s for daily new infections. Please, please be careful in your work and follow the Center for Disease Control and Oregon Health Authority guidelines on wearing masks, washing hands, physically distancing, and avoiding large crowds in closed spaces. You can find a complete set of COVID-19 Resources on our resources page by clicking here.
In case you missed it, last week we dropped NAO’s very first episode of The Public Space featuring Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action. In this episode Steve shares three key actions leaders can take to guide their teams through a crisis. Start listening here. The Public Space is available to download on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, and anywhere else you get your podcast. Don’t miss an episode, subscribe today!
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At the Federal Level
U.S. House Approves Additional COVID-19 Relief for Nonprofits
As leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and the White House continued their negotiations on much-needed additional COVID-19 relief last night, the House narrowly approved the Updated Heroes Act by a vote of 214 to 207, with 18 Democrats voting nay and no Republicans voting for the bill. The House’s $2.2 trillion dollar proposal would provide several new forms of relief to nonprofits and communities that are struggling due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. The Updated Heroes Act passed by the House with no Republican support is more than unlikely to be passed by the Senate in its current form and negotiations are ongoing to get to a compromise.
The parties are not that far apart. According to Roll Call, on Wednesday, Secretary Mnuchin offered a $1.62 trillion COVID relief proposal that included $250 billion for state and local governments, which is $186 billion less than Democrats want, but $100 billion more than the White House offered in talks that broke down over the summer. The Mnuchin offer also included a $400 per week federal benefit, retroactive to Sept. 12 and lasting through Jan. 1, 2021. Other reported details: a new round of PPP loans; $75 billion for testing and tracing; $175 billion for health care, including vaccine production and distribution; $15 billion for food assistance (SNAP); $10 billion in direct aid for the Postal Service; and $120 billion in aid for airlines, restaurants, and private entertainment venues (the Heroes 2 bill would provide $158 billion). It’s not in the Roll Call article, but it’s safe to assume the offer also included liability protections sought by the business (and nonprofit) community.
NAO continues to work with other nonprofits to advocate for Congress to reach an agreement quickly in a way that provides meaningful help for charitable nonprofits.
Many provisions in the 2,154-page bill that the House passed would affect nonprofits, including:
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Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Improvements. The Updated Heroes Act would set aside 30% of PPP funding for nonprofits and expand eligibility to non-501(c)(3) nonprofits and to nonprofits with more than 500 employees. It also would allow nonprofits with fewer than 200 employees and quarterly losses in gross receipts of 25% or more to qualify for a second PPP loan of up to $2 million. In addition, it would simplify the loan forgiveness process for borrowers with loans of up to $150,000.
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Unemployment Insurance (UI) Changes. The Updated Heroes Act would still only provide federal funds to cover 50% of self-insured nonprofits’ COVID-related UI costs (the state is covering the other 50% of these costs for self-insured nonprofits in North Carolina). It would, however, extend the 50% federalcoverage through June 30, 2021 (it’s currently scheduled to end on December 31, 2020). The Updated Heroes Act also would extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance – which provides UI benefits to self-employed individuals and laid-off or furloughed workers at small and religious nonprofits that are exempt from UI requirements – through January 31, 2021. Additionally, it would restore the $600 per week supplemental UI benefits for most laid-off or furloughed workers from the week of September 6, 2020 through January 31, 2021 and would provide a transitional period to help prevent a steep decline in UI benefits for these workers in February 2021.
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Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) Expansion. The Updated Heroes Act would strengthen the refundable tax credit available to nonprofits and businesses that maintain their employees by significantly increasing the amount of the credit for each employee and by allowing nonprofits to use both the PPP and the ERTC for different periods. This could provide significant new relief for many nonprofits that have sustained financial losses during the pandemic.
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Expansion of Paid Leave Mandate to Larger Employers. The Updated Heroes Act would extend the paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave provisions to employers – including nonprofits – with 500 or more employees. Notably, this provision would not allow these larger employers to claim tax credits for the paid leave that their employees take, potentially creating additional financial hardship for larger nonprofits.
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Additional Aid for State and Local Governments. The Updated Heroes Act would provide $238 billion to states and $179 billion to local governments around the country. This additional funding is critical to help state and local governments continue to provide essential services despite growing revenue shortfalls. Notably, the language in the Updated Heroes Act expressly allows state and local governments to transfer some or all of this funding to nonprofits.
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Appropriations. The Updated Heroes Act includes a wide range of appropriations, including increased funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food banks, arts and humanities nonprofits, domestic violence organizations, legal services nonprofits, hospitals, mental health service providers, and the Community Development Block Grant.
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No Improvement to Universal Charitable Deduction. Unfortunately, the Updated Heroes Act maintains the $300 cap on the universal charitable deduction from the CARES Act and doesn’t extend this incentive for charitable giving past 2020. The Center and other nonprofits continue to ask Congress to make meaningful improvements to the universal charitable deduction by significantly increasing the cap and extending it through 2021.
Continuing Resolution
Thursday morning, the President signed the Continuing Resolution, H.R. 8337, the bill that funds the federal government through December 11. See this section-by-section summary by the National Council of Nonprofits.
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NAO thanks all of you who are have responded to so many crises and disasters in our communities. We have curated a set of resources and links with our COVID-19 resources and Wildfire Response Resource pages that we’ve created to help you and your organizations navigate these difficult times.
If your nonprofit is responding to communities impacted by the fires, please be sure to connect with your local county Office of Emergency Management, United Ways and County/Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs).
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Upcoming Online Sessions
In case you missed our earlier announcement, NAO has made the decision, to hold off on convening our 2020-2021 in-person networks that we usually launch in the fall of each year. Instead, we will extend the strategy deployed in mid-March when COVID-19 restrictions were first put in place to hold online sessions – free of charge to participants – until such time that the State of Oregon and the Oregon Health Authority lift restrictions on in-person gatherings. We thank our supporting foundations, corporate sponsors and members for making this possible. Here is what we’ve got coming up over the next few weeks:
2020 WVDO Conference, Centering Justice: Owning Our Collective Power, October 5 – 7, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT: Join WVDO October 5-7 at their annual conference to address the ways the fundraising sector can embrace abundance and center racial justice. This year features keynotes Vu Le, the writer behind Nonprofit AF, and Rowena Paz Norman from Feeding America. There will also be dynamic breakout sessions led by presenters from the Community-Centric Fundraising movement. Sliding scale payment options are available for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and low income community members. Register by October 3 here.
Virtual Fundraising Events, Tuesday, October 6, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Many organizations are reimagining their in-person fundraising events in amazing ways across digital platforms. Samantha Swaim. Principal at Swaim Strategies will guide you on virtual events, how they can support your organization’s mission and fundraising efforts, and what you need to put together for a successful and impactful event. Samantha will discuss virtual fundraising event how-tos, trends and what’s working in the virtual space, understand technology needs to go virtual; and looking ahead to how virtual events will change in the future. Register for the session here.
Developing a Financial Strategy in a Complex Crisis: Two-Part Webinar, Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 20, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT: Scott Schaffer, Principal at Public Interest Management Group, will conduct two-part webinar on financial strategy developed for nonprofit finance managers. Executive directors may also find value in attending. The current public health crisis, wildfires, and economic realities have disrupted many nonprofits’ operations and funding sources, with longer-term impacts that remain unknown. Organizations face immediate budget challenges and potential threats to sustainability. In this series of two 90-minute webinars we 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 series, participants will have a conceptual framework to pave a pathway toward financial sustainability amid uncertainty. Register for the session here.
Upswell 2020, October 14-16, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. PT: Independent Sector’s Upswell 2020 is about two most important things facing every changemaker in the U.S.: ending racism and recovering from the pandemic. How we deal with these monumental challenges – in this utterly urgent moment in our shared history – will determine nothing less than the future of our nation. It sure won’t be easy and it certainly won’t be perfect. But our efforts will be existentially necessary. So, we’re inviting you to show up! Claim your agency. Elevate your ideas. Amplify your voice. Get creative, innovative, passionate, and relentlessly determined. Because it’s going to take the very best you’ve got – and the very best the rest of us have got – to heal our nation and create a society where every person can thrive. To find out more about Upswell, click here. Register for Upswell here.
Wait, Now I’m Managing Remote Workers? Addressing Legal and Practical Realities of a Virtual Workforce, Thursday, October 14, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Many nonprofits hastily converted to virtual work with the onset of COVID-19. Now, what started as a short-term solution has shifted to a permanent or long-term strategy to keep mission-critical work moving forward. Leaders are grappling with how to support their employees in this changed work environment, how to manage organizational risk around employee matters, and how to keep their teams safe, productive, and effective. P.K. Runkles-Pearson, Partner at Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP will dive into the important legal and practical considerations nonprofit employers must consider and address as they adapt to the “new normal.” Register for the session here.
How to Lead Through Turbulent Times: Six leadership Practices for Facing Adaptive Challenges, Thursday, October 22, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: The uncertainty and stress of these days put a strain on even the most effective leaders. How do you stay personally buoyant? How do you focus on the things that matter most? How do you use the turbulence productively for yourself, your team, and your beneficiaries? Utilizing the principles of Adaptive Leadership, Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action, will help you explore and apply six essential skills for leading through times of uncertainty: Identify the growing edge, Regulate the temperature, Get on the balcony, Provide a holding environment, Give the work back, and Absorb the heat. Practicing these skills will help you develop your team and maximize your impact through these challenging days. Register for the session here.
Managing a Racially Charged Crisis in Real Time: How Two Nonprofit Leaders Rose to the Challenge, Tuesday, October 27, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: Oregon nonprofit leaders are challenged every day with the work they do for their organizations, the people they serve, and the community at large. They also have to be ready to manage major organizational crises with far-reaching impacts that inevitably will come their way, like it or not. And when a crisis is racially charged, includes systemic issues, and threatens an organization and its community, that crisis is beyond challenging. How do you handle a crisis like this in real time? How do you decide what steps to take? What actions do you take and how do you anticipate the potential ramifications? In this session Kim Brick, Executive Director and David Navarro, Director of Director of Development and Fundraising at the Oregon Coast Community Action based in Coos Bay, will share firsthand their experience from this past summer in navigating this significant racial-related crisis that has critical ramifications for ORCCA the communities it serves, and beyond. They’ll set the context, discuss how the situation unfolded step by step, how they responded, reaction from their constituents, and what all this meant to them personally and professionally. Register for the session here.
QuickBooks Made Easy Webinar: Desktop, November 10, 11, and 12, 11 a.m. – 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® 2020 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 Made Easy Webinar: Online, November 17, 18, and 19, 11 a.m. – 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® 2020 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.
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I hope that you all stay safe and healthy!
Sincerely,
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Jim White
Executive Director
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Thank you to the following SUPPORTERS and SPONSORS who are supporting NAO’s online COVID-19 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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