A bi-weekly update from the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network.                                        

healthcareEmployer Health Care Assessment Update
Last week, Governor Baker presented the House and Senate budget conference committee with a new health care assessment proposal. The original assessment, proposed back in January, would have charged many employers $2,000 per employee and was projected to raise about $300 million in the first six months of implementation. 

First, and most importantly, the new proposal would not penalize employers for employees who are on spouse, parental, veterans, or Medicare coverage as the original proposal would. Other key improvements include:
  • The assessment would sunset two years after implementation; 
  • The total amount to be collected with the assessment has been scaled back to $200 million;
  • For all employers, the new proposal would increase an existing assessment, the employer medical assistance contribution (EMAC), by a small amount (from $51 to $77 per employee annually); and
  • Employers with employees on MassHealth or ConnectorCare would pay an additional charge of up to $750 for each employee receiving those benefits (the assessment is calculated at 5% of the first $15,000 of annual pay). 
The proposal includes a two-year rate adjustment for unemployment insurance, estimated to save employers hundreds of millions. Finally, it includes changes to the MassHealth program and additional insurance market reforms. MNN is in the process of analyzing the new proposal and will engage the conference committee as needed on this important issue. 

federalMNN Visits Capitol Hill to Advocate on Federal Issues 
On Wednesday, June 21, MNN traveled to DC to talk to the Massachusetts federal delegation about charitable giving and the Johnson Amendment. We met with the offices of Senators Warren and Markey and the offices of Representatives Clark, Neal, and Kennedy. Armed with our latest copy of Commonwealth Insights, we discussed the millions in giving to Massachusetts nonprofits at risk in federal tax reform, and we urged our congressional delegation to support a universal non-itemized charitable deduction. In addition, we provided updates on efforts to repeal the Johnson Amendment and the reasons why Massachusetts nonprofits want to preserve the amendment to keep nonprofits nonpartisan. 

We urge nonprofits throughout the Commonwealth to use the Commonwealth Insights report, and our one-pagers on the charitable tax deduction and the Johnson Amendment, to engage Congress on these issues and share stories on impact. To find your US Representative, click here, and click  here to look up your Senator. 

Questions on these issues or other state or federal issues? Contact Tonja Mettlach, Director of Government Affairs, at tmettlach@massnonprofitnet.org.

sponsorSponsorship Open for MNN's Annual Conference
MNN is getting ready for our annual conference on  November 1. Save the date and join us for a day of learning and networking with nonprofit and business professionals from across the Commonwealth. General registration will open later this summer.

In the meantime, we are currently signing up exhibitors for this year's expo. As a reminder, sponsorship is only open to MNN affiliate and nonprofit members. Find out more about the sponsorship packages available, and sign up here. Tables sold out quickly last year, so be sure to reserve yours today! 

roundtablePolicymaker Roundtabl e with Representative 
Sánchez
Our next Policymaker Roundtable will take place on  July 26 at 9:00 a.m. with Representative Jeff Sánchez  at Associated Grant Makers, 133 Federal Street, Suite 802, Boston. Representative Sánchez was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2003 and has served in many important roles, including his current post as House Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. His legislative priorities include access and retention in education, public infrastructure development, workforce development, public health, and affordable housing. You can learn more about the  Representative here

To register, click herePlease note: Policymaker Roundtables are open to MNN members only. Learn about becoming an MNN member here.  

webinarsJune's Free Wednesday Webinar


Join BerryDunn's business process improvement experts tomorrow as they present a webinar tailored specifically to nonprofit leadership and finance professionals. Tina Bode and Lisa Trundy-Whitten will explain how to identify opportunities for improvement, where advances can be made, and what tools can help you reach your goals. Improve your processes and gain access to greater efficiency. Register here.
nonprofit411Nonprofit 411:
How to Beat the Cybercriminals - A True Story
By Ashley Fontes, Communications Manager,  Tech Networks of Boston

A few weeks ago, one of our clients was hit with a ransomware software attack that made company files inaccessible, leaving most of their employees unable to work for several hours. If you don't already know about ransomware, this means your files could be locked so that you cannot use them, you could be prevented from accessing Windows, and certain apps could be blocked from running. Worst of all, these cybercriminals demand large amounts of money for files to be retrieved. Sounds like a nightmare, right?  Read more .
QUICK LINKS 
Director of Development, AIDS Action Committee of MA
President/CEO, Media Power Youth
Associate Director of Development, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
Director of Communications, The Full Frame Initiative
Manager of Targeted Communities, Mass Mentoring Partnership
Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships, Empowerment Through Integration
Development and Communications Manager, Boston Community Capital, Inc.
Program Director, RECOVER Project
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Conference on Community and Justice
Communications Associate, Barr Foundation
Salesforce Consultant, 501Partners
Executive Director, Cape Cod Young Professionals

July 11
Salesforce Bootcamp 101, Boston, July 14

Resources
The Women's Initiative of United Way of Central Massachusetts is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Lois B. Green Leadership Award and the 2017 Meridith D. Wesby Young Leader Award. These awards are presented on Thursday, September 27 at the annual "Stepping Up For Girls" event. The Women's Initiative Awards Committee encourages you to nominate women in the community that embody leadership and values of their co-founders Lois Green and Meridth Wesby. The nominee must show a commitment to the Women's Initiative mission: Igniting positive change for girls through philanthropy and women's leadership. Please complete the Nomination Form by  Friday, June 30 via email or mail. If you have questions, please contact Anne Wettengel, Program Director, at  anne.wettengel@unitedwaycm.org.

Home for Our Troops is holding their Veterans Service Organization (VSO) Symposium on  Tuesday, July 11 in Taunton. It is an opportunity to learn from other nonprofits in the Veteran Service community and to discover valuable resouces, insight, and information to pass along to the Veterans and families in your program. For more information or to register, click here.

Applications are now open through  July 12 for the Social Innovation Forum's 2017-2018 Social Innovator Accelerator. The accelerator offers small to mid-sized organizations (with budgets from $100,000 to $2M) access to capacity support valued at $150,000. For more information or to nominate an organization(self-nominations welcome!), click here.

The Bridgespan Group is working with six local funders to provide Leading for Impact®, an innovative capacity building program, to nonprofits in the Boston area. Leading for Impact® is a city-based consulting program designed to help ambitious nonprofits pursue strategic opportunities and build capacity to both improve their performance over time and achieve greater, local impact. Through Leading for Impact®, Bridgespan will help accelerate the impact of 50 high-potential nonprofit organizations in the Boston area through 2021. They will be launching cohorts of 8-9 organizations every 6 months, and Bridgespan is currently enrolling for the cohort that will start in December of 2017. This program is best suited for organizations that are working to increase social mobility in the greater Boston area, and that have executive teams of four to six individuals. Please see the list of organizations that have participated in the program. Click here to learn more.

In collaboration with the National Council of Nonprofits, MNN and Associated Grant Makers invite nonprofits and funders to a half-day of facilitated programming dedicated to building better working relationships and increasing the impact of the sector. The Great Funder-Nonprofit Relationships event will be on  September 12 in Boston. For more information or to register click here.





New & Returning Affiliate Members 
*Special discount for MNN members

Helps organizations to achieve their missions and focus on results. 
*Free 30-60 minute phone consultation &  10% discount on multi-year projects

Supports local nonprofit organizations through their assurance, tax, and consulting services. 
*D i scounted hourly rates

Offers deposit services, cash management, investment management, foreign exchange services, insurance services, and commercial financing to nonprofits.
*Discounted rate for investment management, transaction charges waived for nonprofit commercial checking account clients, earnings credit rate up to 1.25% offered

New & Returning 

MNN's work is made possible by the Barr Foundation, The Boston Foundation & the Highland Street Foundation.
If you'd like to share a story or have a job, grant or other information that is important to Massachusetts nonprofits, contact  info@massnonprofitnet.org.