Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters, |
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COVID-19 cases are rising again in Oregon primarily due to the more contagious Delta variant. Governor Brown issued a statewide mask mandate for both the vaccinated and unvaccinated effective tomorrow (Friday) for all indoor public spaces throughout the state. As we currently understand the requirement, masks would be required in public buildings, businesses, and nonprofit offices and work sites. The only exemptions we know of are when you are at your home or another private residence.
If you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, the odds of becoming hospitalized due to a breakthrough infection are very low – so if you have not received your free COVID-19 vaccination yet and you are eligible to do so, please go get vaccinated. While the vaccine is effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19, vaccinated individuals can still transmit the virus to others – with the Delta variant being as contagious as it is, Oregon hospitals are quickly becoming overwhelmed. As nonprofit leaders, it is important to consider the health and safety of our communities – please wear a mask in public indoor spaces to help slow down the spread of disease and the overcrowding of our hospitals.
I know the pandemic has been exhausting – I know that we all hoped to be “back to normal” by now. While we are still very much in the middle of this crisis, there is reason to feel positive. We have access to excellent vaccines that keep most people from getting seriously ill and we know that wearing masks indoors reduces the risk of infection. We have the tools that we need to change the course of this virus. In the meantime, with vaccinations and mask mandates, there are safe ways to gather in person. NAO is planning on moving forward with our in-person events this fall with appropriate COVID protocols in place. Being vaccinated and wearing masks will allow us all to be together in person safely.
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Stay healthy and be safe,
Jim White
NAO Executive Director
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Nominations Are Open to Join NAO’s Board of Directors Until 5 p.m. on August 27
NAO is growing our Board of Directors and looking for people who have the energy and drive to advocated on behalf of the nonprofit sector. We are seeking four individuals willing to commit and serve at least one three (3) year term beginning January 2022. While we are accepting applications statewide, in order to ensure that our board is representative of the diversity of our state, NAO has established a set of criteria that will help us in the screening process for selecting new board members for the NAO board. For more information on our criteria and to apply, click here.
NAO Fall Programming Is Right Around the Corner!
Individual tickets will be going on sale in the coming weeks, but if you’re an NAO Member you have the opportunity to purchase a Member Pass now to save up to 30% on individual ticket prices and to gain priority registration to all of NAO’s network events. If you would like to buy multiple passes, we have an even better deal for you. Please contact Curtis Brooks.
If you aren’t an NAO Member yet, this is the right time to join! All of NAO’s programming is offered at a deep discount to our members. Becoming an NAO Member today could save you up to 60% on our 2021 and 2022 network programs. Check out the other benefits to NAO Membership and join today.
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COVID-19 in Oregon: Record Number of Hospitalizations and Mask Mandates Are Back
Heat Advisory Through Saturday
Cooling centers are opening across Oregon as temperatures reach triple digits over the next few days. In a “worst-case scenario,” the temperature could reach as high as 111 F in some parts of western Oregon by Friday before a weekend cooldown, the National Weather Service warned this week. It’s more likely temperatures will rise above 100 F for three consecutive days, peaking around 105 F on Thursday. To find a cooling center in your community, please call 211.
As a reminder, last month OSHA announced new outdoor labor rules following the deaths of workers in extreme heat in late June. They require employers to provide workers with water and shade as close to their worksite as possible, either in the open air or in a ventilated indoor space when temperatures hit 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They must also offer 10-minute breaks every two hours when temperatures hit 90 degrees. In addition, drinking water must be no warmer than 77 degrees and contain no caffeine. Oregon OSHA also requires employers to train supervisors and workers in the aforementioned topics and recognizing symptoms of heat-related illnesses on the job. Employers must also develop plans to adapt workers to the heat. Please be mindful of these rules if you have any staff or volunteers working outdoors in hot weather.
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Senate Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
The Senate passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bill to increase funding for roads, bridges, broadband expansion and access, and other infrastructure projects. The vote was 69 to 30. Speaker Pelosi has said the House will not take up this bill until the Senate also passes the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, something that is not expected to happen until late September at the earliest.
Our colleagues at Independent Sector put out an urgent alert for nonprofits to help shape the new Infrastructure Bill. All it takes is two minutes of your time to tell Congress to make sure that critical civic and community infrastructure investments are part of the final bill.
This is a powerful and unmissable opportunity for our sector to have a voice in how the federal government invests in the jobs, structures, and systems upon which our communities are built.
Senate Budget Resolution
The FY 2022 Budget Resolution provides instructions to several committees on what policy matters to put in the forthcoming budget reconciliation legislation. (Here are the Summary, Full Text, and Details) The resolution seeks to lay the groundwork for universal Pre-K, free community college, healthcare insurance expansion, immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, and counter-climate change initiatives, among many others. It anticipates about $120 billion for SALT relief, and four more years of the monthly child tax credit payments, which is estimated to cost $400 billion. The Republican answer so far is that the budget is unrestrained taxing and spending. One new policy paper asserts that workers making less than $400,000 a year would bear the burden of at least some of a corporate tax increase. Debate on the Budget Resolution began immediately after passage of the infrastructure bill. The official process calls for 50 hours of debate and then votes on a series of amendments. Senators waived most of the debate time and got straight to the dreaded “vote-a-rama.” More than 900 amendments have been filed by Republican Senators seeking to force tough votes on controversial issues (FY 2022 Budget Amendment Tracker). The outcome is not in doubt, just the completion time.
ERTC Update
Treasury and the IRS provided a helpful answer to the question: can employers (including nonprofits) exclude forgiven PPP loans, Shuttered Venues grants, and restaurant relief when calculating “gross receipts” for purposes of determining eligibility for Employee Retention Tax Credits. Specifically, Revenue Procedure 2021-33 issued today provides a safe harbor permitting employers to exclude from gross receipts solely for determining eligibility for the ERTC the following three amounts: 1) the amount of the forgiveness of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan; 2) Shuttered Venue Operators Grants under the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act; and 3) Restaurant Revitalization Grants under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. An employer can exclude these amounts solely for determining whether it is an eligible employer for each calendar quarter in which it claims the ERTC on its employment tax return. This is a favorable result and clarifies that nonprofits need not treat forgiven PPP loans as revenues, something many accountants had told their nonprofit clients (incorrectly) they had to do.
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NAO's Upcoming Learning and Convening Opportunities
NAO offers practical, affordable learning and convening programs in a variety of formats, including conferences, resource round-ups, informational sessions and mini-workshops through webinars, and deeper-dive learning through virtual learning cohorts. Please scroll through and sign-up today!
Fall 2021 Learn at Lunch Series
Are you on a nonprofit board or staff member looking for practical training and tools to strengthen your organizational leadership skills? Join NAO for an opportunity to learn at one of our regional Learn at Lunch sessions. Each series is made up of four, one-hour sessions held each week over the lunch hour, in person. We'll provide bite-sized training in Board Management, Board Recruitment & Retention, Engaging Your Board in Fundraising and Finance Fundamentals. Sessions are provided a la carte, so you can join us for all of them – or what topic you think is most applicable to your work now.
Upcoming Learn at Lunches are taking place throughout the state: Philomath (Sept 16 – Oct 7); McMinnville (Oct 7 – Nov 4); and Roseburg (Oct 21 – Nov 11). For more details and registration, click here.
NAO Webinars
The Ultimate Grant Proposal Blueprint Course
August 16 – October 18, 2021 | Presenter: Maryn Boess, GrantsMagic U
In this comprehensive, on-your-own-schedule video-based, course from GrantsMagic U, Maryn Boess pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to be successful in the grants world. With a new video released each week, you’ll learn hundreds of tried-and-tested tools, strategies, how-to's and "insider's tips" to take you to your next level of grants success no matter where you're starting out. NAO members receive $100 off registration! More details and registration information here.
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Thank you to the following SUPPORTERS and SPONSORS who are supporting NAO’s online 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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