 New Commonwealth Insights: Report Featuring Fundraising Advice from Panel of Experts
 The latest edition of our Commonwealth Insights publication has arrived in time for #GivingTuesday and end-of-year fundraising efforts! For this year's third edition, we interviewed four fundraising experts and collected their advice to aid with nonprofits' fundraising drives. Click
here to access the report. Key points include:
- Consistently engaging donors and providing new, creative ways for them to be involved with the organization's work is becoming increasingly important.
- Donors are looking for more ways to make a difference and need to be shown the specific ways they can do so by donating to a nonprofit.
- Donors of all ages are looking for new and innovative ways to give outside traditional models of giving.
We are deeply grateful for the wisdom shared by the report's featured experts:
Mercy Bell of Beacon Academy,
Margaret Keller of Community Access to the Arts,
Kenny Weill of K. Weill Consulting Group, and
Jodi Wolin of Boston Harbor Now.
Commonwealth Insights publications highlight policy, issues, and trends important to the nonprofit sector. Read past publications including editions that examine policies such as tax reform and the Earned Income Tax Credit
here. The series is made possible by support from the
Barr Foundation.
 Eyes are turning to the Senate as it plans to pass its version of a tax reform bill by December 1, giving the House and Senate time to work out the many differences and enact the first comprehensive reform of the tax code since 1986. As currently written, t
he Senate bill would raise taxes on nonprofits, limit the incentive for individuals to give by nearly doubling the standard deduction, and strip away valuable resources currently available to nonprofits to help accomplish their missions.
As the Senate begins debate on their version of the bill,
visit our Advocacy Action Center and send a message to Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey urging them to fight for a bill that supports nonprofits and strengthens communities. Sending a message takes under 2 minutes. Click
here.
On Monday, November 20,
Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan addressed a room full of members at our Policymaker Roundtable at the NonProfit Center in Boston. Nonprofit directors and staff joined for a candid conversation on the work of his office as well as the challenges that remain ahead
.
A Massachusetts native with 30 years of experience in the for-profit and public sectors, Secretary Heffernan gave an overview of the scope and work of the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, which includes overseeing and implementing a state budget of nearly $40 billion and providing guidance on the economy to the Governor. Secretary Heffernan spoke on his agency's priorities, including the finding of outcomes-based, cross-cutting solutions for the Commonwealth's fiscal issues, as well as ensuring that the scope of services extends to all parts of Massachusetts.
MNN looks forward to hosting more Policymaker Roundtables for its members in the coming year. To attend Roundtables, learn more about joining MNN as a member by clicking
here.
Please join us for our first quarterly member public policy
call on
Tuesday, December 12 at 11:00am. As the advocate for the Massachusetts nonprofit sector, MNN works with policymakers at the state and federal levels to help pass policies that support Massachusetts nonprofits and enable them to achieve their missions. On this
call, we'll be discussing three items: (1) federal tax reform; (2) the employer health care assessment; and (3) a Massachusetts State House round-up. The
call will last 30 minutes.
Register here.
Nonprofit members of MNN already receive an array of
advocacy benefits, including access to an in-house Director of Government Affairs, members-only Policymaker Roundtable events featuring prominent elected and appointed officials, and regular
advocacy updates on local, state, and federal issues. Going forward, member public policy calls will be scheduled every quarter to provide valuable information on what's going on in Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill and how members can best plan their
advocacy efforts to maximize impact.
What's In a Membership? Learn More or Refresh Your Knowledge on MNN Member Benefits
On
Wednesday, December 6 at 10:00am, MNN will hold its first quarterly nonprofit member benefits webinar. This webinar is ideal for both members interested in taking advantage of all of the benefits of their membership, and nonprofits considering membership with MNN.
We will cover a range of benefits including advocacy, events, programming, and cost-saving resources. We will also have some time to answer questions about MNN and membership.
The webinar will
last 30 minutes. Click here to register.
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Nonprofit 411: Driving Diverse, Desired Target-Audience Actions with Online Advertising
Because many nonprofit organizations aren't looking to receive compensation for their services, individuals charged with marketing and development activities may assume online advertising doesn't make sense for them. It's very reasonable to think that the "featured" marketing vehicle only makes sense for for-profit businesses looking to generate product and service sales. With the ideas shared in this article, I hope to shake up those preconceived notions and shed light on why I believe there is a role for online advertising in a nonprofit's marketing and development toolbox.
Read more.
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Free Wednesday Webinars
How to Conduct an Organizational Conflict Assessment
In this webinar, MNN member
The Mediation Group will ask attendees important questions: "Is unnecessary conflict eating up your time? Are your employees stressed? Is morale low? Do you wish you could get everyone rowing in the same direction?" During this interactive webinar, attendees will learn how to take the pulse of their organizations so they can begin to understand the source of these challenges. Attendees will take away some easy tips to help employees feel valued, listened to, and respected in times of conflict.
Register here.
QUICK LINKS
Sandler Training is an international training and development organization is dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals with the ability to achieve both professional and personal growth through their sales, management, and leadership development programs. Sandler is now accepting applications from nonprofit organizations in the Boston area for a $35,000 scholarship for professional development training through its affiliate, Praxis Growth Advisors, Inc. The scholarship will include one full year of their award-winning Strategic Management Solutions Program, one full year of their award-winning Sales Mastery Professional Development Program, their Advanced Communication Dynamics Workshop, Cold Call Boot Camp, and Referral Growth Program. Applications will be accepted online
here until December 31, 2017
. The top three applicants will be interviewed in January by Sandler Training staff; the winner will be announced by
January 31, 2018
.
Kevin York Communications, a marketing communications agency, is now accepting applications from nonprofits to be their 2018 pro bono client. The client will be assisted with a project that will help advance their marketing and communications program and leave a mark on their audience. The client will have the same access to the agency's resources and staff as a paying client would. Past pro bono clients include Fathers' Uplift, First Teacher, and InnerCity Weightlifting. Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2017. For more information on the application process, click here.
The
Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) is a nonpartisan research center established in 2012 at the University of Notre Dame. LEO works with nonprofit and government agencies across the country interested in generating objective evidence about the impact of programs designed to reduce poverty and improve lives. Areas of interest include housing, health, education, criminal justice, self-sufficiency, child welfare, and seniors, among others. At this time, where there is a viable evidence-building project, LEO does not require a fee for service. To learn more about LEO and their current projects/partnerships, please visit
here
.
ELS Educational Services, Inc. of Boston, MA, is seeking a home for free office supplies and furniture in like-new condition. Items include desks, chairs, a laminator, water cooler, and printer fax. Furniture is free of charge. Recipients must arrange for their own pick-up. Contact Mackenzie here for more information.
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 eight to nine organizations every six months, and
Bridgespan is currently enrolling for the cohort that will start in December 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.
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New & Returning Affiliate Members
*Special discount for MNN members
Cabot Risk Strategies is a team of experienced insurance professionals, helping clients manage risk through insured solutions and/or self-insured solutions.
*Insurance savings-inquire for details.
Donor Development Strategies
Donor Development Strategies works on behalf of Boston's WGBH in a door-to-door campaign to increase support for public media. Now hiring.
Sannella & Associates assists nonprofit organizations with executive financial management and strategic planning. including interim and part-time CFO services.
*No charge for introductory consultation.
New & Returning
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