Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
Oregon is on fire. Normally, that is a statement that we like to associate with one of our favorite sports teams on a winning streak. Sadly, the fires that I’m referring to are both literal and metaphoric. With the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police, outrage in our community of the way in which Black community members are treated are again enflamed. Yet again another Black man is shot by police. Yet again a family is needing to request of authorities an (any!) explanation of the reasons why, the training and tactics beingdeployed and the need for reforms. Oregonians never stopped protesting and demanding changes since the murder of George Floyd on May 25th in Minneapolis. The shooting of Jacob Blake is now added to a long list of Black Americans that have died or been shot by police. The pain and fire in our hearts can’t be extinguished until there is justice that results in systemic changes in our society. That change needs to both remove the possibility that these events continue while also creating real accountability.
While our hearts are burning for justice, our Oregon is also literally burning. The wildfire season is upon us and at least 16 fires rage across the state according to the Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center. Both the firefighting and the evacuations are complicated by distancing and mask requirements created by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Indian Creek Fire, between Burns and Ontario, is the largest fire burning in Oregon right now and is only 28% contained having burned 48,000 acres. Fires engulfing more than 4,000 acres are also raging near Prineville, Sisters and Warm Springs. In the Mount Hood National Forest, the White River Fire has burned 1,289 acres, and is only 15% contained so far.
As always, in both the real and metaphoric fires that Oregonians are battling, nonprofits are serving at the front of the change and response efforts. Nonprofits like Don’t Shoot Portland and Unite Oregon are working for justice and systemic changes for a better society, while nonprofits like the Salvation Army Cascade Division and Team Rubicon Oregon are supporting a small number of evacuees from the wildfires and are preparing for further support efforts. Both responses underscore the importance that communities place on the nonprofit sector to hold government accountable and provide support and services to those in our communities that need it most. Thank you all for your amazing work. We all hope and pray that both of these types of fires will be extinguished.
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Release of Two New Reports on Oregon Nonprofits and Rural Community responses to COVID-19 |
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Thank you to the 490 nonprofit leaders who responded!
We encourage you to share this report, quote from it, and use it in your thinking and advocacy with policy makers and foundations. We hope that this data can be a resource for you and your organization.
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In Oregon
The State of Oregon will apply for $300 weekly federal benefit for unemployed workers
The Oregon Employment Department (OED) announced on Monday it will apply for the federal government’s new assistance program for unemployed workers. If approved, unemployed Oregonians would be able to get an extra $300 per week for an estimated three to five weeks through FEMA’s Lost Wages Assistance program, which President Trump authorized earlier this month.
More than half of the states have already applied and been approved to receive the grant.
The additional resources would help Oregonians who have lost their jobs due to closures and restrictions enacted for months in response to the crisis. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, more than 500,000 people have filed for unemployment in Oregon. The massive number of requests for unemployment has swamped the OED resulting in the removal of the former director. Some Oregonians are still waiting for their cases to be processed. Oregon’s unemployment rate was 10.4% in July.
The extra $600 per week benefit through the federal government's CARES Act, which helped so many people during the first months of the pandemic, expired at the end of July.
The employment department will have an estimate of when payments could start after the state’s application is approved. Payments will be retroactive, going back to the week ending Aug. 1.
Last week, Oregon launched a $35 million relief check program that was created to issue a one-time payment of $500 to 70,000 Oregonians still waiting for unemployment benefits.
Just three days later, the program ended after all the funds had been distributed, but many complained of not receiving the support on fighting long lines at the authorized banking institutions that processed the payments.
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At the Federal Level
Last week, both Democrats in the House of Representatives and Republicans in the Senate released legislation that would provide extra funding for the USPS. On August 18, Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) released a “skinny” version of the HEALS Act, that includes $300 in weekly unemployment insurance benefits through December 27, and would fuel an estimated $158 billion more into the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the popular small-business loan program that expired on August 8th.
Cost estimates of the Senate Republican HEALS Act have mostly been kept secret, but the National Council of Nonprofits reports a few items of interest. According to a “very preliminary estimate” from the Joint Committee on Taxation, the enhanced Employee Retention Tax Credit would cost $52.4 billion. The Safe and Healthy Workplace Tax Credit would cost $21.4 billion. As drafted, the provisions would sunset at the end of the year, but JCT always estimates the cost over 10 years. A comparison chart of House (HEROES) and Senate (HEALS) legislation allows anyone to quickly compare the two concepts. No word on what it would cost to increase the unemployment coverage for self-insured employers to 75% (in the HEALS Act) or 100% as proposed in the Nonprofit Community Letter supporting changes.
It is the sincere hope of all of us that Congress will take up the important work of passing a new Coronavirus relief package as soon as the August recess is over.
2020 Census
In response to the Census Bureau announcement, Independent Sector joined 900 organizations in signing a letter led by the Census Project urging Senate Leadership to add a provision to the next COVID-19 relief bill that would extend the statutory deadlines and give the Census Bureau four more months to get a quality count of everyone in the country.
Paycheck Protection Program Update
Donor Disclosure
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the donor-disclosure regulations of the Federal Election Commission are too weak. CREW v. FEC. The court upheld a district court ruling from 2018 that struck down a regulation that had allowed social welfare 501(c)(4) organizations to keep their donors anonymous. The Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Election Campaign Act “unambiguously requires an entity making over $250 in [independent expenditures] to disclose the name of any contributor whose contributions during the relevant reporting period total $200, along with the date and amount of each contribution.” Finding that the FEC rule did not require disclosure, the court found, “The Rule therefore is invalid.”
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AFP Oregon and SW Washington Philanthropy Award Winners Announced!
In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, AFP Oregon & SW Washington is promoting and producing the 2020 Philanthropy Awards virtually. Although they must forego the traditional, in-person luncheon ceremony, this year's virtual program endeavors to capture the longstanding sentiment behind this celebration.
The annual celebration has been transformed into a digital event with weekly videos featuring each of the six honorees. Starting the week of October 12 and leading up to National Philanthropy Day, AFP Oregon & SW Washington will launch and promote a featured honoree video showcase. Check out the honorees on their website!
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Upcoming Online Sessions
The Rapid Redesign Project – a two-part cohort on Wednesdays, September 9, and September 23, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. PT: Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action, along with DIA colleagues Jessamyn Luiz and Landen Zernickow invite your organization to participate in a two-day facilitated cohort around redesigning your program strategy due to impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. This cohort will help you design solutions for the immediate challenges of your program; fix some of your chronic and pre-existing issues of your program; and grow the leadership for your program. Let’s reframe our thinking! Registration allows up to five staff members. To participate, fill out this registration form by Friday, September 4. Learn more.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Oregon Charitable Nonprofits, Thursday, September 10, Noon – 1 p.m. PT: Grace L. Chikoto-Schultz, PhD, Assistant Professor at Portland State University and Jim White, Executive Director at NAO will share the findings of the COVID-19 Impacts on Oregon charitable nonprofits survey conducted in June. The survey was aimed at quantifying the challenges nonprofits are facing. The findings underscore not only the importance of the nonprofit sector at this time, but also the pain these organizations are feeling and the hope and concerns they have for the future. Join Grace and Jim for a discussion about what these findings mean for the sector as we chart a path forward through this uncertainty and COVID-19 crisis. Register for the session here.
Resource Development Planning & Prioritizing During Uncertainty, Tuesday, September 17, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Nonprofit leaders are facing a high degree of uncertainty as COVID-19 has disrupted every facet of our work and lives. For those with the responsibility to lead your organization's resource development strategy and implementation, that means finding new sources of funding, adopting new methods for virtual donor engagement, and maximizing your donor database. Planning may seem counterintuitive given all of the unknowns. Now, more than ever, your organization needs a resource development plan in place that provides a roadmap that you can adapt and manage during this uncertainty. Laurel McCombs, Senior Philanthropy Consultant of The Osborne Group will lead a practical, fast-paced session to discuss what you need to do now to get your plan in place and take control of your fundraising priorities for your mission success. Register for the session here.
Collaborative Fundraising: Moving From Scarcity to Abundance, Wednesday, September 30, 9 – 10 a.m. PT: Fundraising doesn't have to be a competitive sport. There are times when multiple organizations, working together, can raise a lot more money collectively. Join Andy Robinson, Principal at Andy Robinson Consulting, who will dive into the specifics of shared fundraising, including: options for collaborative fundraising, why donors and funders appreciate this approach, sorting out the work, dividing up the money, and fundraising with unexpected partners. 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.
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® 2018 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® 2018 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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FRIEND PLUS PARTNER SPONSORS |
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FOLLOW NAO ON SOCIAL MEDIA |
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