Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters,
I hope that your year-end fundraising is going well and that communities across Oregon are showing the care and respect they have for your hard work through their generosity.
As you may know, in response to COVID-19 and with generous support from funders and sponsors, NAO pivoted our programming to web-based learning and convening sessions back in March. Those funding contributions allowed us to provide all workshops and webinars free of charge. Throughout our response to the pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn, we have strived to offer quality programming that addresses the specific challenges that nonprofits across the state have faced in 2020.
As we look forward to 2021, our commitment to the same level of quality programming and support to your missions remains. We know that nonprofits play a crucial role in the vitality of our communities and we are determined to provide affordable offerings in the coming year.
Beginning in January 2021, we return to a nominal charge for our webinars and invite you to continue to take advantage of these programs. You can see a preliminary list of what we have coming up in January below. We have set the rate at $15/each for NAO members and $30/each for non-members (what we call yet-to-be-members!). We hope that you will support us as we work to meet your need for timely information and professional development programs. Recordings of offerings related to COVID-19 response and economic downturn will remain on our website for your use and review.
I invite you all to become members of NAO, both to get the reduced rate for our trainings and also to take part in the network that you created to serve your needs. NAO's Membership Team is ready to answer any questions you may have on the myriad of benefits available to NAO members.
Thank you for all you do in your communities and we hope to be back in-person with your organizations soon!
Stay safe and healthy,
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Jim White
NAO Executive Director
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Upcoming Online Sessions
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.
Asking Through Adversity, Tuesday, January 12, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Matt Lehrman, Co-Founder of Social Prosperity Partners, delivers a jolt of pragmatic guidance that enables nonprofit leaders and fundraisers to solidify the relationships upon which their organizations depend. He will share 12 tactics in 36 minutes provide clear guidance and vivid current examples for how to drive your organization’s sense of purposefulness through difficult times. More details and registration information here.
Virtual Volunteerism, Thursday, January 14, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Janet Capetty, Founder of Take FIVE Training, will discuss how to engage your dedicated volunteers in person, to think differently, and consider ways in which to keep volunteers active virtually. More details and registration information here.
Mindful Inclusive Leader-Shift, Thursday, January 21, 10 – 11 a.m. PT: Today’s climate is demanding an urgent SHIFT in the way we lead. Natalie Matias, Global Meditation Coach, Facilitator, and Consultant and Lillian A. Tsai, Founder and Principal at TsaiComms LLC will discuss how to apply an integrative approach using mindfulness with inclusive leadership practices, to begin cultivating the necessary capacity and resilience to be mindful and inclusive leaders to shift, survive, and thrive. 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 at: https://www.projectimpactpdx.com/
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Advocacy Issues at the Federal Level
Bill-Drafting Status: Although nothing’s official, word is that the conversion of the bipartisan COVID Emergency Relief Framework into legislative text has hit some snags. It’s being reported that there is disagreement on how to write the four-month moratorium on COVID-related lawsuits. On the other thorniest issue, the bipartisan group reportedly agreed to solicit input from the National Governors Association and the National Association of Counties on how to refine their proposal for $160 billion in state and local aid.
Spending Bill Status: Congress plans to pass a one-week extension to the continuing resolution currently funding the government set to expire on Friday, December 11. The new deadline will be December 18. This should give lawmakers time to continue negotiating an omnibus spending measure as well as a COVID relief bill that is still expected to be passed in one major package.
Business Lobbying: Our colleagues at the National Council of Nonprofits have been keeping track of what the business community is pushing and saying on COVID relief and the U.S. Chamber’s Action Center provides helpful insights. Specifically, the Chamber is asking its grassroots to push for a bipartisan agreement that can pass this year and ensure that as the bill is drafted (1) the PPP provision provides for support for all nonprofits including 501(c)(6)s, (2) the liability provisions provide meaningful protection like the Safe to Work Act. That point about PPP expansion is aimed at securing PPP loans for local Chambers. Here are the Chamber talking points:
- According to recent Census Bureau polling, over 30% of Americans expect to lose employment income in the next month and early 8% are either not current on their rent or mortgage or have little confidence they can make next month’s payment.
- On December 26, 12 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits.
- This month more small business have reduced employment (11.4%) than increased employment (4.8%).
- Nearly 37% of small businesses saw a decrease in revenue this month.
- Over 73% of small businesses received assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program, but nearly all have exhausted their PPP funding and over 26% expect to need additional financial assistance in the next six months.
- Set aside 30 percent of PPP funds for loans to nonprofits.
- Expand PPP eligibility to charitable nonprofits of all sizes (remove the 500-employee cap)
- Define nonprofit “gross receipts” for purposes of a second round of PPP loans using the standard tax-law definition and not a new definition created for this one program.
Nonprofit Community Letter: An additional 100 nonprofits from across the country have signed the Nonprofit Community Letter bringing the total number to more than 4,100 nonprofits from all 50 states. That includes 88 nonprofits from Oregon. This letter encompasses the key talking points that nonprofits are advocating on with our policymakers in Washington DC. If you would like to sign on to the letter, please let us know and we will connect you with our national colleagues.
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At the State Level
Governor’s Budget for 2021-2023
In preparation for the next legislative session and with the backdrop of the multiple crises that have impacted communities across Oregon in 2020, Governor Brown released her budget proposal last week in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the turmoil.
The Governor’s 2021-2023 proposed budget and policy agenda relies heavily on securing additional coronavirus relief funds as current monies are set to expire on December 30, 2020.
Governor Brown indicated that not everyone would be happy with the budget. The budget has left the state with projected shortfalls in revenue from taxes and came with cuts to critical services implemented by nonprofits. Oregon faces a $718 million budget gap for the Oregon Health Plan alone, largely due to the pandemic. Some of that gap will require “cost savings and asking our already-stressed health system to share in the sacrifice.” This could include lower than anticipated compensation for healthcare providers and some human service organizations.
The Governor’s budget would keep the state’s main school fund relatively unchanged at $9.1 billion. In addition, the governor’s budget stabilizes education funding by drawing $215 million from the Education Stability Fund for public schools.
The governor’s recommended biennium budget spending plan is $100.2 billion in total funds spending, including $25.6 billion in General Fund and Lottery Funds. It will be considered by lawmakers when they convene in Salem in January.
As lawmakers wait to see if Congress will pass another COVID-19 relief package, Governor Brown’s proposed budget calls for federal funds for COVID-19 testing, health services, rent forgiveness, targeted mortgage relief, additional $600 payments in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Insurance, a renewal of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, child care support and more flexible Coronavirus Relief Fund support for local and state governments. The Governor has repeated requested that the US Congress immediately reinstitute the $600 supplemental benefit for unemployment and enhance federal employment compensation.
In addition to applying federal funds towards pandemic response, the governor’s budget invests $30 million in public health modernization “to better prepare Oregon’s public health system to respond to events like the current pandemic.
The budget also includes $17.9 million in investments in a range of strategies to protect seniors living in assisted living and nursing homes where there have been an abundance of COVID-19 outbreaks.
The full details of the Governor’s budget can be found here.
Oregon Department of Human Services Briefing - Community partners and external stakeholders are invited to join Fariborz Pakseresht, Director of ODHS, and his team for a briefing on the Governor’s Recommended Budget for the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) for the 2021-23 biennium. The On-line briefing take place from 1:00 to 2:00pm on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 and will be followed by a questions-and-answers session. Click here to join the meeting. A link for live captioning will be provided prior to the event.
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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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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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