Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
Happy December and Happy #GivingTuesday! As we enter the last month of the year, those of us in the nonprofit sector know all too well that these are the final days before the end of giving season. Anyone who regularly reads these updates knows that I like facts and numbers to back them up. According to charitable giving statistics, 30% of all annual giving occurs in December. Furthermore, 10% of annual giving occurs in the last three days of the year. I encourage all who can, and feel so moved, to invest in the nonprofit organizations of your choice who are doing great work in our communities, and particularly in 2020! Support Oregon nonprofits, #CareLikeAnOregonian, and give generously. To all our nonprofits – I hope that your year-end fundraising goes smoothly and you all exceed your goals!
What better day to re-launch a portal designed to simply facilitate grant applications and help your nonprofit? Resource Connector is a partnership project between the Grantmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington and NAO. This web-based portal connects requests that nonprofits submit with interested funders who can collaborate to support their needs.
The Resource Connector pilot program that we ran earlier this year provided valuable feedback from participating nonprofits and funders. Many suggestions have been incorporated into the portal and we are pleased to share that the Resource Connector has been expanded and re-launched! Here are just a few of the new elements that we want to highlight:
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Open to any 501(c)(3) organization in Oregon and Southwest Washington;
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Requests for funding can be in any area of need up to $20,000;
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Specific account profile updates that allow you to identify if you are BIPOC-led, rural, COVID-impacted or wildfire-impacted;
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Expanded space to state your case for funding; and
Be sure to check out the Resource Connector and take advantage of the opportunity to submit a new or revised funding request for the great work you do in our communities – good luck!
Stay safe and healthy,
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Jim White
NAO Executive Director
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At the Federal Level
Year-End Legislating Confronts the Raging Pandemic
Congress must pass a massive appropriations bill by the December 11 expiration of a temporary spending extension to avoid another government shutdown. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, top House and Senate appropriators reached agreement on a bipartisan set of funding levels, paving the way for passage of a $1.4 trillion spending package. Of greater concern is the looming COVID cliff: the year-end expiration of pandemic-related programs and protections that will adversely affect millions of lives unless Congress and the Administration reach agreement on much-needed relief, including key nonprofit policy priorities.
In late-breaking news: A bipartisan collection of Senators and Representatives this morning announced a temporary package of COVID relief proposals. The announcement of the proposal is only the first step and congressional leaders haven’t said whether they will support it. But it could accelerate movement toward a law before the COVID cliff occurs at the end of the year.
Estimated to cost $908 billion, the COVID Emergency Relief Framework would be effective from today, December 1, through March 31, 2021. The lawmakers propose $288 billion for PPP, EIDL, restaurants, stages; $180 billion for additional UI benefits of $300 per week; $160 billion for state/local governments; $25 billion for rental assistance; and $4 billion for student loans, among many other things. The proposal also would provide short-term federal protection from COVID-related lawsuits – a moratorium designed to give states time to develop their own responses. We’ve attached the chart released at the news conference. We understand that the bill is still being written; we’ll share more as it is available.
The following Senators and Representatives are proposing the package:
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Senators Cassidy* (R-LA), Collins* (R-ME), Hassen* (D-NH), King* (I-ME), Manchin (D-WV), Murkowski* (R-AK), Romney* (R-UT), Shaheen* (D-NH), and Warner* (D-VA).
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Representatives Gottheimer* (D-NJ), Johnson (R-SD), Phillips (D-MN), Reed* (R-NY), Spanberger (D-VA), and Upton (R-MI).The House Problem Solvers Caucus, which released its own COVID relief framework this fall, endorsed the new package.
Returning to the underlined phrase above: the bill is still being written. Our national network of State Associations is connecting to the lawmakers identified above to advocate for the following nonprofit priorities within their framework. For instance, the bill needs to include:
- 100% coverage of benefits costs charged to reimbursing (self-insured) employers and extension through March 31, 2021
- Extension of the Coronavirus Relief Fund through March 31, 2021
- Extension of the CARES Act above-the-line deduction through March 31, 2021 and Increase of the deduction to $600/individual and $1,200/couple
- Expansion of PPP eligibility to nonprofits with more than 500 employees
We encourage all of our network to reach out to our congressional delegation and Senators to encourage them to work together to pass the next Coronavirus Relief Fund package. You can find template action alerts for your constituents, sample tweets, and talking points for op-eds and letters to the editor posted on the National Council of Nonprofits’ webpage: #Relief4Charities Day of Action. Please feel free to use the content in a way that best meets your needs and get your voice heard!
Mid-Size Nonprofit Loans: Today, the Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to hear from Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell at a hearing titled, “The Quarterly CARES Act Report to Congress.” In his written testimony, Mnuchin states, “I strongly encourage Congress to use the $455 billion in unused funds from the CARES Act to pass an additional bill with bipartisan support. The Administration is standing ready to support Congress in this effort to help American workers and small businesses that continue to struggle with the impact of COVID-19.” The hearing will give Senators the opportunity to question the witnesses about the Main Street Lending Program and why nonprofits haven’t shown any interest. Here is a list of the Committee members. The hearing will convene on Tuesday at 10:00 pm EDT and can be accessed here. On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Committee will have the same witnesses before it.
PPP Necessity Questionnaire: SBA is using the Forgiveness Platform to send PPP lenders two new documents that provide operational details about the Loan Necessity Questionnaires. The documents include a letter to PPP lenders and a User Guide (PowerPoint), Paycheck Protection Program Lender Instructions for the Loan Necessity Questionnaire. Per the lender letter, updates to the Platform and Necessity Questionnaire process include: (1) the provision of links to the Loan Necessity Questionnaires (SBA Form 3509, For-Profit Borrowers, and SBA Form 3510 – Non-Profit Borrowers); and (2) updates to the Forgiveness Platform to allow online submission of the Questionnaires. [Lenders remain responsible for separately inputting borrowers’ responses to each question into the web form available on the platform, but are not required to reenter narrative comments from the questionnaire.] SBA is advising lenders to read the complete instructions in the User Guide before beginning submissions of the Questionnaires.
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NAO thanks all of you who are responding to so many crises and disasters in our communities. We have curated a set of resources and links with our COVID-19 resources and Oregon Wildfire Response Resources 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 FEMA coordinators (called VALs), Regional Solutions, local Office of Emergency Management, United Ways and County/Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs). A coordinated disaster and recovery response is imperative! Please be part of the solution by sharing what you’re doing.
You can connect to the Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (ORVOAD) by clicking this link and connecting to these other groups.
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Upcoming Online Sessions
How to Read Financial Statements, Wednesday, December 2, 3 – 4:30 p.m. PT: Erin Zollenkopf, CEO at Susan Matlack Jones & Associates presents this session on how to read financial statements. More details and registration information here.
Effective Supervision Practices for Advancing Equity and Inclusion – Session 2, Thursday, December 3, 3:30 – 5 p.m. PT: Session 2 of a two-part series with Cliff Jones, Consultant Partner at Capacity Building Partnerships will continue to explore the most essential elements of a supervisor’s role with a diversity, equity and inclusion lens. Attendance at Session 1 is not required. Details and registration information here.
Revenue Recognition: Topic ASC 606, Wednesday, December 9, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Join Jessica Yoder, Shareholder and Jeffrey Lester, Senior Assurance Manager, both at McDonald Jacobs for a webinar on reviewing examples and best practices for implementing new revenue recognition standards on topic ASC 606. More details and registration information here.
Preparing for a Federal Audit, Thursday, December 10, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Join Neville Wellman, Team Member at CFO Selections and Mark Kajitani, Director of Human Resources at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization for a session on preparing for federal audits. This webinar is designed for board members, executive directors, and other staff members who need an introduction to federal audits. More details and registration information here.
Virtual Project Impact Cohort, February 16 through August 17, 2021: Join Steve Patty, Ph.D. from Dialogues in Action for a Project Impact Cohort consisting of seven virtual half-day graduate-level sessions over seven months, individualized coaching for each organization, resulting in qualitative and quantitative findings to demonstrate and improve impact. There are openings for up to 12 teams. The deadline to apply is January 15, 2021. Learn more and apply 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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