December 16, 2022

Hello Nonprofit Leaders and Supporters, 

On behalf of the staff here at NAO, I’d like to wish you all a happy and restful holiday season. We are tremendously grateful for all of your hard work over the last year to support Oregon’s nonprofit sector and our communities. While at times the year may have felt overwhelming in the deepening levels of challenges we are facing, without your important work, our society would be so much worse for wear.  Thank you!  

Like all of you, we are busy closing out this year and preparing for the opportunities and challenges of 2023. You may remember that over the summer, we sent out a survey asking about nonprofit experiences with government contracting. I am thrilled to be able to release the findings of that survey today in our most recent report titled Systems, Services, and Solutions: A Study of Government to Nonprofit Contracts in Oregon. Through this survey, we wanted to determine if current public sector contracting systems and practices are in alignment with policy intentions and whether they are conducive to successful partnerships between the nonprofit and public sectors. We hope you find the results of our study as informative and illuminating as we did. To download this free report, visit here. This study and report coincide with the work we are doing in partnership with Northwest Health Foundation on the Nonprofit Modernization Act: a legislative fix to a number of the key challenges identified in the report. We hope that you will join us on January 26^th for our campaign kickoff. This virtual event is free and open to all. For more information and to register, visit here. 

On January 26^th, we also have even more events for our members – we will be hosting our Annual Meeting as well as NAO’s Member Day Conference prior to the kickoff of the Oregon Nonprofit Modernization Legislation. The Annual Meeting and Member Day Conference are free and open to members only so if you are not an NAO member yet, this is a great time to join! 

Again, I hope you have a fantastic end of 2022, that your year-end fundraising exceeds your goals, and I will see you next year! 

Stay healthy and be safe,

Jim White

NAO Executive Director

At the State Level

Legislative leaders and the Governor-elect are preparing for a 2023-25 budget that anticipates cuts in services and programs despite the prospect of a record level personal kicker refund and higher than normal Rainy Day Fund and Ending Fund Balance. Governor-elect Kotek is expected to release her recommended 2023-25 budget for public review any time now. The cuts are a reflection to a predicted recession during the 2023-25 biennium. Oregon’s constitution limits the legislature’s authority on use of the personal kicker refund to balance the budget.  

The annual Oregon Business Leadership Summit was held this week. Governor-elect Kotek announced her priorities as restoring trust in government, holding government more accountable, and promoting intergovernmental partnerships with business. Business leaders at the summit identified lack of affordable childcare and housing as the top challenges to workforce retention.  

News & Rumors. State Senator Dallas Heard of Roseburg will be stepping down from the legislature at the end of the year.  Governor-elect Kotek will appoint James Schroeder as the interim director of the Oregon Health Authority. Schroeder comes from the Health Share of Oregon. Kotek announced that she will visit all 36 Oregon counties during her first year in office.  

At the Federal Level

Continuing Resolution Passed by Senate 

The U.S. Senate passed a one-week continuing budget resolution last night that extends temporary funding for the federal government through next Friday, December 23. The U.S. House of Representatives had passed it on Wednesday, and President Biden is expected to sign it into law today. Without passage of this kind of act, the funding for the federal government would have expired after today. The Senate is drawing to the end of their business for the year and is scheduled to go into recess next week, which gives Congress has until next Friday either to: 

1.     Approve an omnibus appropriations bill for the remainder of the federal fiscal year (through September 30, 2022); or 

2.     Pass another continuing budget resolution to fund the federal government through a date in early 2023. That would give the incoming Congress an opportunity to work out the details of a full government appropriations bill. 

Our contacts in Washington DC indicate that the first option appears the most likely to happen. Congressional leaders have said they are close to finalizing negotiations on details of an omnibus spending bill. 

Call for Charitable Giving Incentives Restoration 

Yesterday, NAO sent a message to Senator Wyden (OR-D) and Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, asking for the Senate to quickly pass the Omnibus spending bill and include key charitable giving incentives that were not extended after at the end of 2021. An omnibus appropriations bill provides the opportunity for Congress to enact a variety of appropriations and policy changes that could benefit nonprofits and the people they serve, including new or increased appropriations, one-time funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations, and tax law changes.

Included in our message was a request for several key nonprofit priorities: 

1.     Charitable nonprofits are still reeling from years of significantly increased demand for services and unstable or declining resources; 

2.     The charitable giving incentives enacted by Congress, especially the Universal Charitable Deduction, helped nonprofits meet those needs and maintain services until the incentives expired at the end of 2021; and 

3.     We asked that Congress immediately restore and extend the charitable giving incentives through 2023 to provide support for nonprofits now while giving Congress time to consider permanent solutions. 

Please join us in contracting Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley in requesting these key provisions be extended. Contacts for both can be found here. 

NAO Webinars

Banking for Nonprofits in the Digital Age

January 11, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. | Presenter: Chris Barron, Summit Bank

In this session, community banking expert Chris Barron will cover everything your nonprofit needs to know about banking in the digital age. From what tools are available to help you manage your day-to-day operation/cash flow, how to protect yourself and your organization from potential fraud, to general knowledge of how the industry has changed over the years. Whether your organization is just starting or you’re a seasoned nonprofit professional, there’s something for everyone in this session. More details and registration information here.

What Does Mindfulness Have To Do With Anti-Racism?

February 22, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. | Facilitators: Katharine Quince, Quince Consulting and Erica Briggs, NAO

Being a champion for justice and equity takes energy, compassion, and resilience. Mindfulness practices offer ways to build the inner strength needed to stay engaged in the work, grounded and connected. Informed by leaders and teachers such as Ruth King and Kristin Neff, this interactive workshop will explore how incorporating mindfulness into your personal and professional life can support you as a leader for equity and inclusion. You will be provided resources and instructions for easily accessible and trauma-informed practices and opportunities to engage in discussion and problem-solving with like-minded peers. More details and registration information here.

NAO Nonprofit Learning Cohort (Virtual)

Start the Year Right! – Supporting Team and Individual Well-Being in Purpose-Driven Organizations (5-Part Session)

January 19 – February 16, 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Facilitator: Anna Young, Anna Young Consulting

This five-session learning cohort is an invitation to start 2023 by revisioning and recalibrating organizational well-being at the individual and team levels. As leaders, how can we share best practices and learn together while creating a safe space to talk about what is and is not going well? We will spend our time together mapping the current level of stress and burnout in our organizations and diagnosing the underlying causes; differentiating between "gravity problems" (that are part of the context and can’t be solved) and actual problems so we can focus our energy on what will make a difference; understanding the relationship between equity and well-being to make sure organizational policies benefit all; naming and defining success; and learning about how individual well-being impacts team dynamics and vice versa. More details and registration information here.

NAO Regional Networks (In-person*)

Want to connect with other nonprofit leaders in your area? Join us at a regional network in Bend, Corvallis, Medford, Portland or Springfield! NAO's regional network sessions are designed for nonprofit leaders, staff, board members, and volunteers. They are open to any nonprofit leader who wants to learn more about best practices while advancing their skills in nonprofit management, financial accountability, equity and inclusion.

Each network typically offers one session per month between September and June. See what’s coming up in a city nearest you, or sign up to receive region-specific promotions here.

Bend

Nonprofit Network of Central Oregon (NNCO)

Corvallis

Mid-Valley Nonprofit Network (MVNN)

Portland Metro – *NAO’s Portland Metro series will be held virtually via Zoom until Spring 2023. Anyone from across the state may now virtually participate in sessions from any of our three networks below:

Equity and Inclusions Leaders Network (EILN)

Nonprofit Fiscal Managers Network (NFMA)

Nonprofit Leaders Network (NLN)

Medford

Rogue Valley Nonprofit Network (RVNN)

Springfield

Lane County Nonprofit Network (LCNN)