July 1, 2021

100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon – Register by July 16 at 5 p.m. 

Do you work for one of the best nonprofits in Oregon? Register to find out! Oregon Business’ 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon survey is used to find out how satisfied your employees are and what their concerns might be – taking time to listen to your employees will set you up to be an even stronger organization. Join our effort to support strong workplace culture and celebrate successful employers by participating in the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work for in Oregon survey. Participation is free. Organizations must have a minimum of 10 Oregon-based employees and/or volunteers who work at least 20 hours per month. The survey must be completed by July 20, 2021. For more information and registration, click here.

While the new Executive Order cancels most pandemic-related restrictions, it also reminds Oregon residents that masks are still required in health care settings, airports, airplanes, and public transportation. To read the entire executive order rescinding the majority of the COVID-19 restrictions, click here.

To stay apprised of OSHA’s guidance for vaccinated and unvaccinated workers outside of a healthcare setting, see their regularly updated guide here. The recent major change in their guidelines is: Unless otherwise required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, most employers no longer need to take steps to protect their fully vaccinated workers who are not otherwise at-risk from COVID-19 exposure. This guidance focuses only on protecting unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk workers in their workplaces (or well-defined portions of workplaces). Reopening does not mean all OSHA COVID-19 requirements are going away completely. For example, optimizing ventilation is still required in restaurants and stores, as are notifications of positive cases in the workplace.

The 2021 Legislative Assembly Adjourned Sine Die June 26th. The legislature passed a sweeping set of bills and funding packages in their five-month legislative session, which needed, as has been the norm, a flurry of final votes – 50 on Saturday alone. They passed major bills on clean energy, behavioral health, police reform, housing and homelessness, wildfire recovery (over $600 million alone!) and other critical funding packages. Our friends at OPB have a great article with a breakdown of the core funding and policy packages that got approved.

Pew Charitable Trusts research team published the report How Far American Rescue Plan Dollars Will Stretch Varies by State, an analysis of the relationship between the American Rescue Plan Act funds and state budgets. The new report explains the methodology for allocating funds to each state and the rate that the money will be paid out by the federal government. Interesting detail: the percentage of ARPA funds as a share of state budgets ranges from the lowest of 4.9% (Wisconsin) to the highest of 22.7% (Wyoming).

In a 6 to 3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional California’s requirement that organizations seeking charitable contributions in the state submit a copy of the Schedule B to Form 990 that they already filed with the IRS. Essentially, the Court ruled that a blanket reporting requirement that even just arguably infringes associational rights is not valid if the state could accomplish its legitimate law-enforcement responsibilities in less generic ways. The case is Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, No. 19-251, decided July 1, 2021.

The National Council of Nonprofits issued this statement on the case and Independent Sector issued this statement on the ruling. Both of our national colleagues capture an important concern that public trust is eroded when high profile cases of self-dealing come to light. Protecting the public’s trust in the sector requires enforcement of standards and laws demonstrating that nonprofit organizations are ethical, accountable, and transparent.

Our colleagues across the border at CalNonprofits also issued a statement today, saying in part: “With this opinion, we have lost an important means of keeping bad actors from using tax-exempt status to commit harmful and unlawful acts against the public. We are deeply concerned that this unprecedented finding will put a serious damper on the ability of the Attorney General to regulate our sector—to the detriment of the hundreds of thousands of mission-driven nonprofits doing vital work in our communities.” 

The Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday continued its “Dirty Dozen” tax scams with a warning for people to watch out for predators using tax-related schemes ranging from fake charities to scams targeting seniors and immigrants. The announcement on June 30 stated, “The IRS continues to see a group of ruses by dishonest people who trick others into doing something illegal or which ultimately causes them harm. Predators encourage otherwise honest people to do things they don’t realize are illegal or prey on their good will to take something from them.” High on the IRS’ watch list are scams requesting donations for disaster relief efforts are especially common on the phone. The report offers several tips for taxpayers, including urging them to check the status of a charity using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool.

Today, the IRS added syndicated conservation easements to the Dirty Dozen list, stating that “promoters take a provision of tax law for conservation easements and twist it through using inflated appraisals of undeveloped land and partnerships.” According to the IRS, these abusive arrangements are designed to game the system and generate inflated and unwarranted tax deductions, often by using inflated appraisals of undeveloped land and partnerships devoid of a legitimate business purpose. See all Dirty Dozen “worst of the worst” tax scams for 2021.

Reopening Roundtable Sessions 

Hosted by: Jenn Clemo and Allison Adcox, NAO  

Tuesday, July 13, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT | Presenter: Nancy Bacon, Nancy Bacon Consulting and Washington Nonprofits

This online course is designed for nonprofit executive directors and board members so you can operationalize disaster preparation within your organization. This session walks participants through the why, what, and how of making their organizations more resilient when facing natural or viral disasters. More details and registration information here.

Your Grants Success Path: 10 Steps to Get You Where You Want to Go 

Wednesday, July 14, 10 – 11:30 a.m. PT | Presenter: Maryn Boess, GrantsMagic U 

In this fast-paced, high-takeaway training, veteran grant professional and longtime grantmaker Maryn Boess shares GrantsMagic U’s unique Grants Success Path – the powerful 10-step road map that cuts through the often-bewildering “grants wilderness” to lead you reliably to your next level of grants success. More details and registration information here.

Tuesday, July 20, 3 – 4:30 p.m. PT | Presenter: Jenn Clemo, NAO

In this 90-minute webinar, participants will learn about the fundamentals of nonprofit governance and gain an understanding of the board’s role in the management of the organization. This quarterly learning opportunity is designed for emerging and seasoned board members alike, and anyone else looking for a governance refresh! More details and registration information here.

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

Our friends and colleagues at WVDO are offering several certificate courses in the coming months. 

 This six-month program, offered in partnership with Portland State University, provides practical skill-building grounded in leadership theory for nonprofit professionals who want to up their management game. The final deadline is July 2, so get your applications in now! To learn more or to submit your application, click here.

 This ten-month program starts in September and is capped after sufficient participant numbers are met, so you’ll want to get your application ready ASAP. The Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising, offered in partnership with Portland State University, is intended for anyone from absolute beginners to mid-career professionals, this course combines classroom and practicum knowledge to accelerate the fundraising learning curve and provide a deep understanding of every phase of the fundraising process. Early bird applications through August 8. Click here to learn more or apply.

Applications are now open for our Certificate in Grant Writing Course! This nine-week tactical deep dive into the fundamentals of grant writing starts in October and is capped after sufficient participant numbers are met, so you’ll want to get your application ready ASAP. The Certificate in Grant Writing, offered in partnership with Portland State University, is intended for anyone interested in gaining experience in nonprofit grant writing. Participants in the program will gain a deeper understanding of the fundraising landscape, learn practical grant writing, and gain real-world experience as you write a proposal. Early bird applications through August 26. Click here to learn more or apply.

Thinking about retirement? Nonprofits do great work in their communities, but how well are they preparing their staffs for life behind the paycheck? Join AARP Oregon and the Oregon Dept. of Consumer and Business Services on July 28 at 11:30 AM have teamed up to offer a free lunch and learn Zoom workshop that will help individuals receive financial milestones to give them peace of mind. This interactive workshop will take a look at what we need to do 10 years, 5 years and 1 year ahead of retirement. For more information and to register, click here.