October 15, 2020

With so much in our lives right now, from the impacts of COVID-19, the economic downturn, the impacts of hundreds of years of systemic racism coming to greater consciousness and the Oregon wildfires, it feels like nothing could get worse… But, it actually can. We all know (and I am “knocking wood” as I write this), that Oregon and the whole Pacific Northwest is overdue for a very, VERY large earthquake. The “Cascadia Subduction Zone Event” is predicted by seismologists to be in the order of 9.0 on the Richter scale. The Great Sendai (or Great  Tōhoku Earthquake as it is sometimes called) in Japan in 2011 was 9.0 and killed over 10,000 people, caused a massive tsunami and shifted the earth between 4 to 10 inches on its axis. 

So, with everything going on, I hope that you’ll take some time today with your teams to participate in the Great Oregon Shakeout today. Hold your #ShakeOut drill when and where you want. You can choose another date or several dates, and include people in multiple locations (home, work, or school), perhaps through video conferencing. It's actually a good idea to practice earthquake safety in different situations each year, and ShakeOut Organizers are there to support you. 

Nonprofits are instrumental in supporting the critical needs of community. Just as we are leading on practicing health and safety in response to COVID-19, and leading on equity and justice reforms, we need to be leading on disaster risk reduction too! Shakeout today! 

Many of you know that yesterday, we announced that the Center for Nonprofit Stewardship and Nonprofit Association of Oregon have signed an agreement to combine the programs and staff of their respective organizations and strengthen support, resources, and service to charitable nonprofits across Oregon. NAO will acquire CNS’ assets, CNS staff will become part of the NAO team, and the unified nonprofit will operate under the NAO brand. The expanded NAO will continue the work of CNS’ specific niche in serving rural and small nonprofits, as well as continue serving the over 1,100 nonprofit members of NAO and the thousands of nonprofits that strive to bring beauty, creativity, justice, and service into our communities across the state. We are delighted at this announcement about our two organizations coming together to serve all of you! 

I’m also happy to be sharing our second episode of NAO’s The Public Space podcast – Managing a Racially Charged Crisis in Real Time. Leaders are responsible for managing major organizational crises with far-reaching impacts in real time. In this episode Kim Brick and David Navarro, both leaders of color at Oregon Coast Community Action, joins NAO’s Lilisa Hall to share what they did when confronted with a racially charged crisis that threatened their organization and entire community. There’s much to learn from Kim and David’s approach as we deal with racial and social injustice in our own communities. ORCCA serves Coos, Curry, and western Douglas counties with a mission to actively create positive changes for a thriving community. Start listening here! The Public Space is available to download on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, and anywhere else you get your podcast. Don’t miss an episode, subscribe today, tell your networks about NAO’s latest resource, and let us know what you think!

Last week Oregon Business released its 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon list for 2020! Congratulations to all the nonprofits who made this prestigious list. I’m especially pleased to recognize that many of the nonprofits who made the list are NAO Members – a special heartfelt congratulations to all of you – thank you for being part of the NAO network!

Are you working to advance health equity in response to COVID-19 for the Latino/a/x and Indigenous Mesoamerican communities in Oregon? The Oregon Latinx Leadership Network (OLLN) wants to partner with and support local community-based organizations (CBOs) working in every corner of Oregon. They are seeking proposals for culturally and linguistically responsive community education, engagement, and wraparound supports for Latino/a/x and Indigenous Mesoamerican communities in response to COVID-19. Contracts can include services and supports completed between Mar. 1 and Dec. 30, 2020. Resources will be distributed among CBOs across the state, with special consideration for rural communities. They have extended the opportunity for organizations serving these communities to Oct 20.  

You can find all the information you need to submit your proposal here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development is investing $5.5 million in the La Pine Community Health Center which provides primary health care services to the rural town of La Pine, north to Sunriver, south to Crescent, and east to Christmas Valley. Congratulations LCHC! The center is located in a 19,558-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1995 and renovated in 2016. The facility meets the clinic's needs by providing offices, exam rooms, a lab, and a waiting area, with a parking lot located on the property for both customers and employees. The facility also includes space for two private businesses, a pharmacy and a physical therapy office, which sublet the space. However, LCHC didn’t own the facility and its lease costs were subject to change. This funding will ensure that affordable primary care services continue to be available to a large number of remote residents in central Oregon. It is also a good reminder to nonprofits that there are all kinds of federal programs that we are eligible for and we should seek out for funding support. 

Yesterday’s edition of USA Today includes a significant article about the struggle of nonprofits during the pandemic. It reports on specific problems experienced by the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association and with quotes from the National Council of Nonprofits. Notable still, the article links to the new Nonprofit Community Letter, the Nonprofit CEO statement, and other resources that make our case for #Relief4Charities. Nonprofits face grim outlook as worried Americans cut back on donations during COVID-19 pandemic.

Count Update: After yesterday’s Supreme Court decision blocking a preliminary injunction and allowing the Administration to end field operations, the Census Bureau issued a statement to conclude data collection on Oct. 15, 2020, This means that internet and phone self-response and nonresponse follow-up (NRFU) will cease after today! Paper responses must be postmarked by Oct. 15, 2020. 

Census Call to Action: Action has moved to Congress in support of the bipartisan bills (S.4571/H.R. 8250) to extend the deadlines. The Leadership Conference and States Count Campaign make the pitch: “Congress must set a clear path forward by pushing back the statutory reporting deadlines for apportionment and redistricting data by 120 days each.” They have provided new talking points, a new fact sheet on data processing, social media toolkit, and an explanation of why the 99% count is unacceptable. Please feel free to use and share.

A letter from private and nonprofit sector leaders condemning the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping was sent to the President today. A link to the full letter can be found here. NAO was among the 160 or so organizations listed, including 33 of our state associations of nonprofits colleagues. 

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:

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. 

Building Organizational Resilience in Times of Change, Thursday, October 29, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: All organizations face challenges during change, especially in 2020. Why does recovery from challenges take longer in some organizations; while in others, the recovery is shorter and far less disruptive? Corky McReynolds, Principal at Lead Team will discuss key systems that help build organizational resiliency during change and explore a model for resiliency that can lead to sustainability with long-lasting achievement. Register for the session here.

Telling Your Best Story – The Key to Successful Fundraising, Friday, October 30, 10 a.m. – Noon PT: This webinar is intended for organizations that serve and are located in rural communities. Successful fundraising is all about the people you know and the stories you can tell. Presented by Ron Frey, Principal at Frey Resource Group, this session will help you tell your best fundraising story in a way that touches the mind and heart, and open the door to significant gifts. You’ll learn the key elements of a great fundraising story, how to tell them, and how to make them stick. You’ll leave equipped with practical ways to improve your next donor presentation and inspire joyful generosity. This webinar will be interactive with an opportunity for you to participate in a virtual workshop format including breakout rooms and the ability to have control of your camera and microphone, so you can interact directly with other attendees and the presenter. Register for the session here.

Small Town Strategies for Better Fundraising – Five Essential Principles for Long-Term Success, Friday, November 6, 10 a.m. – Noon PT: This webinar is intended for organizations that serve and are located in rural communities. Whether your organization is large or small, there are five essential principles that will assure your long-term fundraising success. This is especially true in small towns and rural settings. You don’t need a large budget to put each one of these principles into immediate action to win more donors, grow donation income, and build a nonprofit organization that has high impact. In this workshop Ron Frey, Principal at Frey Resource Group will give you a strategic management framework for accelerated income growth, with a lot of practical, actionable steps you can take to raise more money now. This webinar will be interactive with an opportunity for you to participate in a virtual workshop format including breakout rooms and the ability to have control of your camera and microphone, so you can interact directly with other attendees and the presenter. Register for the session here.

Merger and Strategic Partnership for Nonprofits, Tuesday, November 10, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: In this workshop presented by Scott Schaffer, Principal of Public Interest Management Group, nonprofit leaders will learn about a range of options to restructure organizations, with goals of having a greater mission impact and financial sustainability. Organizations can consider a diverse range of organizational partnership models. Merger is just one of several alternatives, and we’ll examine the benefits and pitfalls of each, along with analytic methods for assessing them. The group will engage in a small-group exercise and discussions throughout. Participants will be better equipped to answer questions such as: Should we consider restructuring? What are our options and how can we evaluate them? What process can we adopt? 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.

Maintaining Internal Controls in the Remote Work Environment, Monday, November 16, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Amid these unprecedented times, many organizations have moved all employees and operations to function remotely. Maintaining strong internal controls should still be a priority for organizations to reduce the possibility of mismanagement, error, and fraud. Challenges can arise when many controls are manual or require two people to perform in person, which isn’t always possible while following social distancing guidelines. Join Jessica Yoder, Shareholder at McDonald Jacobs and Erin Zollenkopf, CEO at Susan Matlack Jones & Associates to learn more about how you can maintain strong controls to keep pace with the current ever-shifting environment. Register for the session 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.

How to Communicate Your Impact: Four ways to Measure and Communicate Your Impact, Thursday, November 19, Noon to 1 p.m. PT: Your value proposition is your impact. Your impact is why your organization exists, why your team is assembled, and why you deserve the investment of the community. Impact is your raison d’etre. Especially now, when there is so much pulling on the attention of people, you need to be crystal clear about the impact you are having. And you need to help others be crystal clear as well. In this session, Steve Patty, Founder of Dialogues in Action, explore four ways to evaluate your impact and four ways to communicate your impact. If you follow these principles, you will be clearer about your message and more compelling about the case for your mission and cause. Register for the session here.

Sincerely,

Jim White

Executive Director