Friday Five: November 11, 2016

Today is November 11, Veterans Day, a time to remember and be grateful for our veterans’ service. In case you missed it, there was a presidential election on Tuesday. We have compiled five nonprofit-related articles that explore the how the nonprofit sector is important in these times.                                                         

1) Wondering how nonprofits fit into this democracy of ours? The Nonprofit Blogger has a thoughtful recollection about the election and the role the nonprofit sector can play in our democracy. As he writes, quoting Barbara Bucholtz, “the nonprofit sector teaches the skills of self-government…it inculcates the habits of tolerance and civility, [and] it mediates the space between the individual…the public/government sector, and the private sector.” Find out how the nonprofit sector helps act against excess power in either sphere:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2016/11/the-day-after.html

2) In Slate, Eric Holthaus writes that for those concerned about climate change, there were some positive developments down-ballot: Florida rejected a measure that would have hurt the solar industry. Holthaus also points to actions individuals can take to help slow climate change: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2016/11/all_is_not_lost_on_climate_change.html

3) Nonprofit Quarterly has compiled four general ideas for what nonprofits can do in the wake of the election results. On the list: Make sure your board understands the importance of advocacy even outside the particular emphasis of a nonprofit’s mission; look for ways to create active collaborations across identity groups and causes; and engage more with your constituents. Check out the full list:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/11/09/donald-trump-four-things-nonprofits-must-consider-on-the-day-after-election/

4) The American Civil Liberties Union has concerns about the constitutionality of several of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign proposals, among them the mass deportation force and the proposed ban on Muslims entering the country. The ACLU has a detailed look at the specific Constitutional issues Trump’s proposals may pose and throws down the gauntlet: https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/if-donald-trump-implements-his-proposed-policies-well-see-him-court

The ACLU’s more detailed look: https://www.aclu.org/feature/donald-trump-one-man-constitutional-crisis

5) If the post-election period has you feeling energized or wondering what you can do to make a difference, Bustle magazine has a collection of 27 small steps you can take that will have a positive impact. #2: Go outside. #8: Set up a recurring donation to an organization that’s fighting to make a difference. See all 27 ideas:
https://www.bustle.com/articles/194304-27-little-things-you-can-do-to-make-a-positive-difference-after-the-2016-election-results

That’s it for the Friday Five. For the readers out there who are feeling discouraged or depressed, former Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s advice after he lost the 1964 election in a landslide, “Mourn, then organize,” springs to mind.

The Friday Five will still be here next week, so check back then. And, as always, if you want more nonprofit information, you can follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page. We’re available for any questions you may have about nonprofits at info@b-alaw.com. See you next week.

Friday Five: November 4, 2016

November is here. This seems almost as improbable as the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years after being down 3 games to 1… which also happened. In addition, there’s a Presidential election in four days—make sure to vote!                                                      

1) Reframing has been talked about a lot lately, both on a personal and professional scale. The blog SelfishGiving (which also hosts the nonprofit-focused podcast CauseTalk Radio) brings us the story of SickKids and its attention-getting, inspiring branding and ad campaign. SickKids wants to reframe the concept of disease and empower both the children fighting their illnesses and donors. To that end, their campaign features kids suiting up as if they were warriors in Mortal Kombat and other video games…and it’s spectacular. Watch the jaw-dropping commercial and be inspired by SickKids’ efforts:
https://www.selfishgiving.com/blog/sickkids-vs-x

2) Last week we brought you news of Goodwill Omaha and reports of its CEO Frank McGree’s outsized salary and troubling sub-minimum-wage payments to Goodwill Omaha employees. In a dramatic move—and a victory for the investigative work of Henry J. Cordes and the Omaha Herald—McGree has now resigned. The board of Goodwill Omaha has announced that it will be taking further steps to assure transparency and reform the organization. Find out about the continued actions taken for accountability:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/11/02/resignation-ceo-marks-end-beginning-embattled-goodwill/

3) The New Yorker has a fascinating look at the rise of donor-advised funds on the Philanthropy 400 (the list of charities that have raised the most money from private sources), which opens up into an exploration of how dramatic changes in fundraising methods in the past few years are shaking up the fundraising landscape. We’re in the middle of a period of momentous change in philanthropy, and this piece is essential reading for getting the lay of the land:
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-wealth-gap-in-philanthropy

4) Are there good ways to give students hands-on experience in nonprofit law? Joseph Mead, who blogs at the Nonprofit Law Blog Network, says the answer is a definitive “yes.” Mead teaches a policy advocate course at Cleveland State University that plunges students into the real world of nonprofits, partnering with a different Ohio-based nonprofit every semester. Students learn about challenges faced outside the classroom that textbooks and case law may not prepare them for—and learn how to provide more effective help to organizations and clients. Learn more about the hands-on learning taking place at CSU:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2016/10/experiential-learning-in-nonprofit-law.html

5) Trying to figure out the difference between a nonprofit with members and one without? Charity Lawyer Blog has a brief and elegant guide, and since nonprofits are required to specify whether or not they have members in their org docs, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter these two different types of nonprofits, as a donor, a board member, or just a curious citizen. Blogger Ellis Carter has all the necessary information:
http://charitylawyerblog.com/2011/04/26/nonprofit-law-jargon-buster-voting-members-vs-self-perpetuating-boards/

That’s it for the Friday Five. We’re stuffed with news and we’re only four weeks away from Thanksgiving. We’re going to have to hold some space in reserve or we may literally explode from information overload. (Well, not literally, but you get the idea.)  But if you want more nonprofit information, you can follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.

As always, you may reach out to us with any questions about nonprofits at info@b-alaw.com. We’ll be back next week.

Friday Five: October 28, 2016

Three days ‘til Halloween! Are you excited? We are—we’ve cared our pumpkins, we’re finishing our costumes and are stocking up on candy. We have also stocked up on articles about nonprofit organizations. Here are five reads from the world of nonprofits that will keep you on the edge of your seats:

1) Nonprofit Quarterly highlights some crackerjack reporting from The Omaha World-Herald on Goodwill Omaha and its CEO Frank McGill’s annual salary. Hold on to your notebooks: it was $933,444—far above with what CEOs of similar nonprofits in the area make. Add to Mr. McGill’s inflated salary the fact that Goodwill Omaha reportedly pays its disabled workers a sub-minimum wage, and you’ll understand why Douglas County Board of County Commissioners are looking into whether to revoke the nonprofit’s property tax break. Get the hair-raising details here:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/10/26/goodwill-omahas-bad-business-model-may-affect-property-tax-exemptions-local-nonprofits/

2) Bridgespan, a consulting firm for nonprofits and philanthropists, has been conducting an investigation into how to increase the number of donors making “big bets” (defined as a gift of more than $10 million to change a social issue), and how to increase the effectiveness of big bets themselves. Fast Company has a rundown on Bridgespan’s findings; one of the issues holding philanthropists back is an “aspiration gap”; several philanthropists say they want to donate large sums, but rarely end up following through. Find out what else is scaring away donors from making big bets:

3) Both the Clinton Foundation and the Trump Foundation have been in the news recently, and there have been controversies surrounding both, but as National Public Radio reports, that is where the comparison ends—one of them is a legitimate charity which receives very high marks from CharityWatch and Charity Navigator, while the other charity… does not.  NPR lays down the chilling compare-and-contrast here:
http://www.npr.org/2016/10/17/498154413/theres-really-no-comparison-between-the-trump-and-clinton-foundations

4)Thinking of forming a 501(c)(4)? Be aware that new legislation has taken effect which requires 501(c)(4) organizations to notify the IRS of their intent to operate as a 501(c)(4). The IRS has created Form 8976 for these purposes. Also worth noting: 501(c)(4) organizations must file Form 8976 within sixty days of their formation. Here’s the link so those forming 501(c)(4)s can avoid any frightening encounters with the IRS:
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/electronically-submit-your-form-8976-notice-of-intent-to-operate-under-section-501c4

5) Did you know that the dining hall workers at Harvard University were on strike? They were, but have just come to an agreement with Harvard, thus bringing the strike to an end. The strike has raised questions about university endowments. As The Atlantic notes, Harvard has the largest endowment of any university in the nation, but workers were making less than $35,000 a year and paying as much as $4,000 annually for out-of-pocket health care expenses. Public pressure and support from Harvard students helped bring about a resolution to the strike. Find out how:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/10/harvard-and-dining-workers-reach-tentative-agreement-to-end-strike/505349/

That’s it for the Friday Five. We have found and carved the perfect pumpkin, drunk our pumpkin spice latte and eaten way too many pumpkin-flavored foods. Now it’s time to The Great Pumpkin would be pleased. Happy Halloween!

Don’t be afraid to follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook page. Feel free to reach out to us with any fear-inducing questions about nonprofits at info@b-alaw.com. We’ll see you next week!

Friday Five: October 21, 2016

There are only ten days left until Halloween. Do you know what you’re going as? We’re thinking of going as the terrifyingly rapid passage of time because there are only ten days left until Halloween. But we have not let our concerns about time stop us from scouring the web. Here are five intriguing reads from the world of nonprofits:               

1) In a carefully written and thorough piece, the blog Selfish Giving challenges conventional wisdom about breast cancer awareness month (aka “Pinktober”) and makes a case that the campaign has run its course. Selfish Giving points out that there are several other diseases worthy of our attention and dollars, and that the Komen Foundation—the primary organizer behind Pinktober—has spent over a million dollars needlessly pursuing other organizations that use its tagline “for the cure.” For the full argument, click here:
http://www.selfishgiving.com/blog/5-reasons-pink-needs-to-fade-to-black

2) One of the important questions to ask before forming a nonprofit is if the would-be organization is able to generate enough funds to pay its employees. Nonprofit Quarterly has a story about Mad Cow Theatre in Orlando, Florida and several claims from actors, stage managers, and designers that it hasn’t been paying them regularly—or at all (and allegedly owes the city of Orlando over $300,000). Take this as an object lesson in what not to do:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/10/20/mad-cow-theatre-suffers-public-shaming-loses-grant-stiffing-artists/

3) Tax experts Ellen P. Aprill and Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer conducted a deep dive into the Trump Foundation’s ongoing tax issues and their connections to Donald Trump’s as-yet-unreleased tax returns. Aprill and Mayer illustrate many of the troubling underlying issues, including “assignment of income.” Ensure that an assignment of income doesn’t cause you issues with the IRS by reading their post here:
http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/10/aprill-mayerthe-relationship-between-the-trump-foundation-and-trumps-tax-returns.html

4) Mergers! When two nonprofit organizations merge with each other, it can get complicated—how do you handle management succession? What’s the best way to design a brand for the new organization? How can you ensure that the two different cultures align? Mission + Strategy Consulting and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management just released a study on 25 successful nonprofit mergers. Find out what made them so successful:

5) Finally, Marc Gunther, who blots at Nonprofitchronicles.com, brings us the inspiring story of Mauricio Lim Miller. Miller started the Oakland, California-based Family Independence Initiative in 2001 to enable poor people to share ideas and resources with each other, and the Initiative has expanded to Boston, New Orleans and Albuquerque. Miller deservedly won a MacArthur genius grant, but hasn’t let that slow him down; he’s determined to figure out how to scale the Initiative so it can serve more families. Hear about how he plans to do this:
https://nonprofitchronicles.com/2016/10/19/lunch-with-a-genius/

Friday Five: October 14, 2016

The middle of October cometh. It is October 14th, and as of this week it’s actually starting to feel like fall, or at least fall-esque. Wherever you are, we hope that you are enjoying a pumpkin latte as you peruse these five articles about the nonprofit world:                  

1) Nonprofit Quarterly flags an investigation conducted by the Washington Post about the impact of donations from “Big Soda” (aka the soda industry) on health and medical groups. The American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are among 96 nonprofits that accepted sponsorship money from PepsiCo and Coca-Cola and then lobbied against more than two dozen health bills aimed at reducing soda consumption. The appearance of conflict of interest is certainly eyebrow-raising. Read on to find out what the American Beverage Association, which represents both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, has to say: 
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/10/11/eat-big-sodas-impact-nonprofit-health-advocacy-groups/                              

2) The fundraising activities of nonprofits—specifically, foundations—have been in the news a lot recently, so the Council of Nonprofits’ overview of charitable fundraising practices for nonprofits is timely and useful. For example, every fundraising solicitation must contain language confirming you're registered to fundraise in that state. If you’re involved with a nonprofit, you can use this entry to make sure your organization is in full compliance. Check your best practices here:
https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/charitable-solicitation-registration

3) Network For Good is conducting a weekly countdown of fundraising tips and tricks until the end of 2016. In this entry, author Connie Paulos speaks to how an organization can effectively use storytelling in its year-end fundraising appeals. Want to know what the 5 “C”s of storytelling are? Satisfy your curiosity:
http://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/year-end-countdown-week-12-tell-story-craft-winning-appeal/

4) School funding. Patent wars. Recycling. The Supreme Court (still at eight members instead of ninedue to a lack of hearings for nominee Merrick Garland) just began its 2016-17 session, and on its docket are five cases that could impact the nonprofit community in various ways. If you want to know what arguments and decisions to keep an eye on, NPQ (via The Hill) has you covered:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/10/03/one-man-scotus-faces-docket-consequences-communities/

5) The Boston-based Bridgespan Group is designing a series of “billion-dollar bets”—studies on how one billion dollars could best be spent to address various causes. Bridgespan has now turned to incarceration, especially as it pertains to racial inequality and over-criminalization. Now that all of Bridgespan’s “deep dives” are completed, it plans to connect with philanthropists to see if they can be implemented. To learn about the specifics of Bridgespan’s incarceration deep dive, see what Nonprofit Times has to say:
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/authors-propose-1-billion-philanthropic-bet-incarceration/

That’s it for the Friday Five. We're off to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. We’ll be back next week with more highlights from the nonprofit world… and more pumpkins. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter; you can also ask us anything about the nonprofit world at info@b-alaw.com. See you next week!

Friday Five: October 7, 2016

It’s October! It’s also the six-month anniversary of the Friday Five. Time flies when you’re preparing for Halloween… I mean, finding the best nonprofit news to share. We have five nonprofit-related articles to illuminate what’s happening in the world of nonprofits.

1) Nonprofit Quarterly asks whether the IRS’ Form 990, the financial form that nonprofit organizations have to regularly file, may be hurting those organizations. Specifically, NPQ points out that nonprofits may be under-reporting the funds they spend in administration and overhead, leading donors to think the organizations don’t need as much to function as they actually do, which leads to lower donations and a vicious cycle. How can the cycle be broken? NPQ has some ideas:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/09/30/part-ix-outer-space-dysfunctional-expense-frame-form-990-encourages/

2) Conventional wisdom says that nonprofits need to learn from for-profits. But in the tech magazine Fast Company, Michelle Kedem argues that for-profit companies can learn a lot from the nonprofit world—everything from how a commitment to social responsibility can help a company’s brand to how recognizing the importance of community can help a company thrive. What else do nonprofits have to teach for-profits? Find out: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3063652/its-time-that-for-profits-start-learning-from-nonprofits-heres-how

3) You may or may not be using comedy in your fundraising and outreach. Sheena Greer, a writer and nonprofit consultant, has a guest post on John Haydon’s blog about comedy and how to apply it to nonprofit communications. You may not have thought that memorizing those Monty Python skits would ever come in handy, but Ms. Greer begs to differ:
http://www.johnhaydon.com/better-fundraising-starts-comedy/

4) Many charities now have a digital trustee, a designated board member who is tasked with staying knowledgeable about online strategy, social media, cybersecurity and other tech areas. On the Just Giving blog, nonprofit consultant Zoe Amar shares what she’s learned by being a digital trustee:
http://blog.justgiving.com/5-things-ive-learned-from-being-a-digital-trustee/                 

5) The future of philanthropy lies with the next generation. Family foundations are taking steps to educate younger family members, but the transition can still be bumpy. The National Center on Family Philanthropy has a post on Guidestar about the best ways to manage a generational handoff and ensure that a family foundation continues to do good work. See their in-depth analysis here:
https://trust.guidestar.org/teaching-the-next-generation-about-philanthrop

That’s it for the Friday Five. We’re off to find the perfect pumpkin. We’ll be back next week with more highlights from the nonprofit world. In the meantime, check out our Facebook page and twitter feed; you can also get in touch with us at info@b-alaw.com. See you next week!

Friday Five: September 30, 2016

Welcome to Friday! This week, we said good-bye toAgnes Nixon, the socially conscious creator of the legendary soap operas All My Children, One Life to Live and Guiding Light who passed away at 93. By writing timely issues into her soaps, she raised social consciousness about many issues, from AIDS to racism. You can read the New York Times tribute here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/arts/television/agnes-nixon-who-injected-social-ills-into-soap-operas-dies-at-93.html?_r=0

We also have five nonprofit-related articles to help you deal with any end-of-September blues.

1) TurboVote, a nonprofit organization devoted to encouraging voter turnout, is teaming up with YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr, and some other major social media platforms to increase voter registration for the upcoming election. The platforms are using some engaging tactics to capture millennials’ attention—Tumblr has altered its main dashboard page to feature a message about voter registration and Twitter’s created a new “I registered” emoji. What are YouTube and Instragram doing to increase turnout? Click here to find out:  https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/09/29/young-voter-registration-instagram-twitter-tumblr-top/

If you live in California but have not yet registered to vote, you can register online here: http://registertovote.ca.gov/

2) Gene Takagi points us to a Nonprofit Quarterly article from Clara Miller, President of the F.B. Heron Foundation, that went viral; Ms. Miller’s piece, based on a talk she gave, starts with a deceptively simple True/False test about how money functions in the nonprofit world and just how complicated managing nonprofit finances can get. Think you can pass her quiz? Try your luck here:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2005/12/21/the-looking-glass-world-of-nonprofit-money-managing-in-for-profits-shadow-universe

3) Nell Edgington, President of Social Velocity (a nonprofit consulting firm), reminds nonprofit leaders and employees that their time is valuable and that it’s okay to charge for that time. This reminder applies to anyone who works in the nonprofit sector as well as to freelancers of all types--place a value on your time and calculate your rate accordingly. Find out how:
http://www.socialvelocity.net/2016/09/what-is-the-value-of-a-nonprofit-leaders-time/

4) The blog Nonprofit Tech for Good takes a hard look at whether nonprofits are getting a good bang for their buck from social media—and they might not be. Some issues raised by Nonprofit Tech for Good: Snapchat has no tangible return on investment (ROI); many social media platforms are trending towards video, but a nonprofit may not have a good videographer on staff; and social media can distract nonprofits from better online tools that produce a better return on investment. Want to know how to make the most of your nonprofit’s social media? Find out what not to do:
http://www.nptechforgood.com/2016/09/18/12-not-so-great-realities-about-nonprofits-and-social-media/

5) Stanford Social Innovation Review brings the story of the resurgence of Kepler Books in Menlo Park. Kepler Books started as an informal center for political and social activism in the late 1960s. And in 2011, when Kepler was struggling for business and about to go under, it shifted its community events to a new nonprofit entity, Peninsula Arts and Letters, which concentrates on community engagement and educational programs as part of its mission. The result has been a mini-renaissance: more author events, more local authors, more school activity. Kepler’s successful embrace of the hybrid model is a great case study in creative thinking and socially conscious ambition. Learn more here:
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/turning_the_page

That’s it for the Friday Five. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the blog posts of our lives.  Got questions about forming a nonprofit? Tips for things you’d like to see in the Friday Five? Drop us a line at info@b-alaw.com.

Friday Five: September 23, 2016

It’s here. Autumn is here. We can smell the Pumpkin Spice Lattes brewingnearby. Soon the leaves will be changing colors. (Well, leaves in other places. In Los Angeles, the trees either dry up or don’t change color at all.) To help ease the seasonal shift, here are five good reads about nonprofit-related news. 

1) Puerto Rico is going through economic turmoil, but that hasn’t stopped its citizens from being generous. In fact, Puerto Ricans clobbered mainland Americans this quarter in terms of the percentage of households who reported making charitable contributions, 74.9% to 55.8%. The study Giving in Puerto Rico conducted a deep dive on the data, and it’s inspiring to read about how supportive Puerto Ricans are even when their territory is suffering:
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/giving-puerto-rico-tops-mainland-rates/

2)  Bidding wars may be good for Silicon Valley’s high-tech workers, but not its nonprofit organizations. As average salaries increase to the six-figure zone, landlords are raising commercial rents accordingly, and nonprofits are finding themselves squeezed out of their buildings. The two greatest needs that nonprofits have, salaries and overhead, are needs that Silicon Valley donors don’t want to pay for. Fast Company has a detailed exploration of the problem:
https://www.fastcompany.com/3063699/the-future-of-work/how-silicon-valleys-talent-wars-are-killing-its-nonprofits

3) Nonprofits are owned by the public and disallowed from enriching private individuals and as such, self-dealing transactions are frowned upon by the IRS. A good example of a self-dealing transaction would be a person who used foundation funds for personal expenses—that’s use of charitable funds to personally benefit the person in question, and that’s a no-no. Reports show that the Trump Foundation has done just that. The Friday Five offers this link as a cautionary tale:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/09/trump-paid-legal-settlements-with-his-charitys-money.html

Expanding on this, Paul Waldman at the Washington Post raises some additional concerns about the appearance of conflict of interest regarding the Trump Foundation and some questionable donations it made:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/09/05/trumps-history-of-corruption-is-mind-boggling-so-why-is-clinton-supposedly-the-corrupt-one/

4) Recent disputed police shootings of African-American men in Tulsa and Charlotte have put police procedures and racial questions back in the headlines. Philanthropic, the blog of Philanthropy News Digest, announced that the California-based James Irvine Foundation will be coordinating a $1.3 million program to increase trust between police and communities, building on a pilot program in Oakland. You can get all the details on the Irvine Foundation’s efforts here:
http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2016/09/building-police-community-trust-through-reform.html

5) Could improving student performance in American schools be as simple as bringing back recess? The American Academy of Pediatrics thinks so, and so does the LiiNK Project (Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids.) LiiNK is recommending that kids play outside at school four times a day, based on Finland’s recess policies and its top ranking in most educational categories. Want to find out how recess helps kids learn? Click here:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/09/21/recess-making-old-new/

That’s it for the Friday Five. We cannot resist the call of a pumpkin spice latte, so we’re off to go get one. Tips for things you’d like to see in the Friday Five? Drop us a line at info@b-alaw.com. 

Friday Five: September 16, 2016

Can you believe we’re halfway through September? We cannot. We are currently pretending we do not know what “half” means. But we have a full complement of Friday Five items from the web. 

1) Black Lives Matter (BLM) was already a nonprofit, but it's now expanded to the point where the organization is officially partnering with the International Development Exchange (IDEX), a more established nonprofit charity. IDEX is now a legal, contracted partner of BLM, accepting donations and applying for grants on their behalf. IDEX has worked with those in need on several continents and has more experience handling financial matters for nonprofits, and so far the partnership seems like an excellent fit for both.This is a good read for anyone who wants to know how to handle sudden growth and the right steps to take for partnering with a more experienced organization:
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-black-lives-matter-charity-20160906-snap-story.html

2) Bergman and Allderdice likes to use the “headline test” as a guideline when advising its clients: how would you feel if your actions were in a headline on the front page of your local paper the next morning? How would your donors feel? Nonprofit tax-exempt organizations can only participate in highly limited political activity. An argument can be made that board members, as individuals, are free to do so, as long as it's clear that they are not acting as representative of the organization, but it may not pass the “headline test." Nonprofit Quarterly reports that Melissa Crews, a board member for Hope for New Hampshire, had to resign after she chose to appear in an attack ad against Maggie Hassan, the current governor of New Hampshire. NPQ has the full story:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/09/06/prominent-nonprofit-board-member-resigns-in-wake-of-attack-ad-against-candidate/

3) Unicorns may not be real, but the St. Paul-based Family Tree Clinic’s unicorn campaign is very real and very successful. The Family Tree Clinic had participated in Horizon Foundation's Give Out Day, a national day of LGBTQ giving, for the past few years. But after Horizons unexpectedly postponed Give Out Day, the Minnesota nonprofit had to come up with another way to collect donations. Nonprofit marketing coach Nancy Schwartz has an in-depth look at how The Family Tree Clinic turned what could have been a disaster into an inspiring moment:
http://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/unicorn-leads-record-breaking-campaign/

4) The reliable and industrious Beth Kanter (whom we’ve linked to before) is an expert on how nonprofits can help their people avoid burnout; she’s now developing a scale on how to identify and detect burnout, as it can be hard to spot. Want to detect burnout in your people? Find out more here:
http://www.bethkanter.org/hhnp-activist/

5) We suspect Philanthropy Journal’s blogger Sarah Choe only dropped Justin Bieber’s name into her post as a bright shiny object to get our attention, but you know what? It worked. Truth in advertising compels us to report what Ms. Choe did not—that Bieber is not specifically mentioned anywhere except the headline. But this is still a useful post about how to get famous celebrities and “influencers” on board with a specific cause:
http://philanthropyjournal.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-get-justin-bieber-on-board-with.html

That’s it for the Friday Five. Bergman and Allderdice cannot slow the passage of time, but we can help you with any and all of your nonprofit questions and needs. Drop us a line at info@b-alaw.com with any questions. See you next week!

Friday Five: September 9, 2016

Today is September 9th, 2016, and it’s finally starting to feel like fall. On this day in 1776, Congress officially renamed this country the United States of America(from the United Colonies). We appreciate Congress’ attention to detail, but we can’t help wondering about the reason for the two-month delay. “Hey, guys? Remember back in July when we declared our independence? Since we’re not colonies anymore, should we maybe rename ourselves?”

In an enjoyable bit of historical irony, on this day last year Queen Elizabeth II became England’s longest-reigning monarch. As of today, she has ruled for a whopping 64 years. We cannot promise that today’s Friday Five will help you achieve that level of longevity, but we can assure you that it will inform and illuminate various nonprofit matters for you.

1) Jonathan Timm of The Atlantic notes that opposition to President Obama’s overtime rules came from some unexpected quarters, namely the progressive nonprofit PIRG (U.S. Public Interest Research Group). Timm explores the troubling discrepancy between some nonprofits’ values and the way they treat their own staff members and poses some questions that are well worth pondering: 
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/the-plight-of-the-overworked-nonprofit-employee/497081/

2) Good news for anyone who sends out a lot of postal mail: The NonProfit Times reports that the U.S. Postal Service is making multiple adjustments to its first class mailing rates. Stephen Kearney, the executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, says that many of these changes will be favorable to nonprofits. Among other shifts, the allowable weight for first class mail before extra charges are incurred will rise from 3.3 ounces to 4 ounces. Check out The NonProfit Times for the details:
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/usps-giving-mailers-break/

3) Maybe you’re not someone who uses postal mail. But chances are you use email, which means you want people to both open your emails and then actually read them—and possibly donate to your cause. The Moflow blog lays out six helpful tips to make those emails sparkle:
http://moflow.ca/crafting-nonprofit-emails/                                                                      

4) Millennials: What do they know? Do they know things? Let’s find out![1] Specifically, what do millennials think are the ten largest problems the world is currently facing? The World Economic Forum took a massive survey (querying more than 26,000 members of Generation Y worldwide) and Business Insider has the writeup. Global warming makes the list. To find out the other nine items, click here:
http://www.businessinsider.com/world-economic-forum-world-biggest-problems-concerning-millennials-2016-8

5) Erin Braddick, senior counsel at NEO Law Group (AKA friend-of-the-blog Gene Takagi’s outfit) has drafted an elegant article on fiscal sponsorship in American Bar. “For lawyers who work with nonprofits and exempt organizations or individuals with philanthropic aspirations, ‘I want to start a nonprofit’ may be the single phrase they hear most frequently. However, the most valuable advice an attorney can give to a client seeking counsel on starting a nonprofit might be to not do so.” All is not lost, though; Braddick walks through the steps involved in using fiscal sponsorship to achieve your goals (as opposed to setting up your own nonprofit). Read the whole thing:
http://www.americanbar.org/publications/blt/2015/05/04_bradrick.html

Our Friday Five has once again come to a close. Do you have nonprofit-related questions? Ever wanted to start a nonprofit of your own? We’ve got answers. Contact Bergman and Allderdice at info@b-alaw.com with any questions. We’re here to help. See you next week!

[1] Reference explained  here: http://bojackhorseman.wikia.com/wiki/Hollywoo_Stars_and_Celebrities:_What_Do_They_Know%3F_Do_They_Know_Things%3F%3F_Let's_Find_Out!

Friday Five: September 2, 2016

Welcome to September!

Today is Sept. 2nd. It’s back to school season. Actually, it’s past that point—students now have to go back to school around August 17 or 18, which strikes as downright inhumane. Thank goodness we don’t have to do that anymore. Meanwhile, for your own continuing education, here’s the Friday Five:                                                          

1) Gene Wilder’s death was a major loss, but his legacy lives on. Slate has an article highlighting an important and inspiring part of that legacy, the nonprofit network Gilda’s Club NYC, which Wilder founded to support ovarian cancer survivors. In addition, Wilder founded the Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and testified before Congress to request increased funding to battle ovarian cancer. To understand the full impact of his support, click here:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/08/30/gene_wilder_spent_decades_raising_awareness_for_the_ovarian_cancer_that.html

2) In 2004, 36% of all taxpayers took itemized deductions. By 2015, that number had dropped to 29%. What’s going on? The world of itemized deductions has a significant impact on nonprofit organizations. Tax Policy Center’s Chenxi Lu delivers some important analysis of the available data. See what she has to say and how it might affect you:
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/rise-and-fall-itemized-deductions

3) Marketwatch raises some important questions about the effectiveness of nonprofit donations and why so many people are resistant to treating their donations like investments. This is vital reading for any organization interested in donors . Marketwatch and GiveWell.org have crunched the numbers to find out how prospective donors can get the best bang for their buck. Get the full picture:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-we-resist-treating-charities-like-investments-2016-08-22

4)The Better Business Bureau does excellent work. And one of the services it’s currently providing is chasing down “red flag charities”—i.e., charities that haven’t disclosed requested information to the BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance (Among the charities they list is John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For shame!) Find out which charities should be doing a better job on transparency:
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/charities-ignore-bbb-request-info/

5) Are you looking for a new, more meaningful job? Or are you a nonprofit that’s trying to attract dedicated employees? Net Impact and Shannon Houde from Walk of Life Consulting teamed up to create an hour-long webinar that’s available online. Of interest: current nonprofit employees are not always the most engaged (apparently, Monsanto employees are more excited about their jobs). Read the article and watch the webinar to learn how to create the most engaging work environment you can: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-horoszowski/how-to-land-an-impact-job_b_11661626.html               

That’s the Friday Five for this week. Join us next week when we’ll have five more scintillating stories from around the web covering nonprofits. And remember: Don’t make the Better Bureau angry. You wouldn’t like them when they’re angry.

But if you do anger the BBB, you can always reach out to Bergman and Allderdice at info@b-alaw.com. We’re available for all your nonprofit needs. 

Friday Five: August 26, 2016

Today is August 26. The next Friday Five will be in September, which, if we stopped to think about how fast time was moving, would be terrifying. But we don’t have to think about that yet.     

The them of Today’s Friday Five is  communication: good communication (1), inadequate communication (2), learning to communicate (3), failing to communicate (4), and miscommunication (5).

1) Our first story is an excellent example of out-of-the-box marketing… and also truth in advertising. The Humane Society of Silicon Valley takes an unusual approach to promote its dog Eddie the Terrible for adoption. One hysterically blunt quote from the post reads: “Want your kids to grow up with a full complement of fingers and toes? Not the dog for you.” Old organizations may be able to learn some new tricks from this post. Not only did Eddie get adopted, but the post itself went viral. Find out more about Eddie the Terrible:
http://hssvacc.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-full-disclosure-blog-three-reasons.html

2) The 1023-EZ form can be useful and provides an affordable option for small nonprofits. It’s made life easier for a number of our clients. But is it possible the 1023-EZ is too easy? The San Francisco-based Foundation Center’s blog asks the tough questions, pointing out that an organization using the 1023-EZ doesn’t even have to file any supporting evidence. What are the other concerns? Check out the Foundation Center’s writeup for details: http://sanfranciscoblog.foundationcenter.org/is-the-irs-form-1023-ez-too-ez

3) Daniela Papi-Thornton  is the deputy director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and she’s just released a major report entitled “Tackling Heropreneurship.” What’s heropreneurship? Basically, it’s the misguided idea that a social entrepreneur can jump in and solve a social problem without having experienced it or, at the bare minimum, taken the time to truly educate him/herself on the problem. So how can an individual or organization avoid heropreneurship? Writing for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Ms. Papi-Thornton sets us straight:
http://ssir.org/articles/entry/tackling_heropreneurship

4) Nonprofit Quarterly featured this story out of Pittsburgh. Three Rivers Center for Independent Living, a federally funded nonprofit in Pennsylvania that provides funding to disabled people, just sent out letters informing its clients it would be closed for business as of September 8 and that they’d have to seek services elsewhere. When a crisis hits, the best thing an organization can do is ask for help—it’s vital for an organization to reach out to all its networks when trouble comes calling. The worst response is to pretend that everything’s fine. Unfortunately, it appears that’s exactly what Three Rivers did. NPQ’s overview has the gory details on what went wrong:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/08/25/what-not-to-do-when-a-nonprofit-crisis-hits/

5) Missouri is having a bad day. Via Josh Marshall’s Talking Points Memo, we get a lesson in the importance of precision in legal drafting. The Missouri Supreme Court handed down a decision stating that stealing is no longer a felony. Apparently when the Missouri legislature amended its criminal code in 2002, the legislature defined “stealing” in a way that contradicts a pre-existing clause in the criminal code.[1]

Pay attention to clauses. Pay attention to definitions. And if you happen to work in government for the other 49 states, don’t let this happen to you:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/missouri-supreme-court-stealing-felonies

That is our Friday Five. Tune in next Friday for our picks for the most helpful and/or entertaining items from the nonprofit world. If you want to communicate with us about anything, info@b-alaw.com will do the trick. See you next week!

[1] As of January 1, 2017, the error will be fixed. In the meantime, a lot of convicted criminals are appealing their sentences.

Friday Five: August 19, 2016

We still can’t believe that we’re more than halfway done with August. Time flies when you’re having fun compiling the best of the web! We can’t help you slow down time, but we can continue to provide great, informative links about nonprofits. Our five top stories this week are below:                          

1) Do you want to volunteer with an organization but don’t know the best way to serve? Does trying to figure out the difference between an Advisory Board Member and a Junior Board Member give you a migraine? Cynthia Remec, the Executive Director and Founder of BoardAssist, has a clear and helpful guide; read her blog post to figure out what position might be best for you:
https://trust.guidestar.org/volunteering-vs.-serving-on-a-nonprofit-board-vs.-donating-what-nonprofit-role-is-best-for-you

2) We’re not sure whether this falls under “cautionary tale” or simply “unfortunate event,” but Nonprofit Quarterly alerted us to this story. Due to shortsightedness on the part of GeneSysResearch Institute and some questionable choices by for-profit Steward Healthcare systems, the Massachusetts nonprofit Center of Cancer Systems Biology was caught up in GeneSys’ bankruptcy (GeneSys was CCSB’s fiscal sponsor) and several years of valuable cancer research was destroyed as a result. It’s extremely difficult to prevent financial mismanagement at a separate nonprofit, but it’s worth taking note and trying to have as many contingency plans as possible:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/08/10/nonprofit-bankruptcy-leads-destruction-cancer-research/

3) On a much happier note, TechCrunch is reporting that Paypal users will now have the option to donate directly to their favorite charities from Paypal’s home page, and with no fee—as soon as you log in to Paypal, you’ll see a “Donate” button. As long as your organization of choice is certified through Paypal’s Giving Fund, you’ll have the ability to send money to the charity. 38 million Paypal users already donate to charities, so this could make it much easier for people to make charitable donations. It’s worth checking to see if your nonprofit is equipped to accept Paypal donations:
https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/28/paypal-puts-a-charitable-giving-button-in-its-app-for-the-first-time/

4) Legalese got you down? The ABA Journal has ten tips to make your legal writing shine. Our favorite is tip #5, “Make your summary understandable to outsiders.” But the other nine tips are illuminating, too. Find them all here: http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/10_tips_for_better_legal_writing

5) The ever-reliable Board Source takes a stand on term limits for nonprofit board members (Spoiler Alert: They’re a good thing.) If you’re revising your organization’s bylaws and are looking for ways to persuade recalcitrant board members to institute limits, Board Source has some excellent talking points:
https://boardsource.org/eweb/pdf/Content-Marketing/August/Term-Limits-Thumbs.pdf

That’s all folks, at least for the next seven days. We’ll endeavor to keep bringing you the choicest news and opinions from the nonprofit and legal worlds. Questions about nonprofit organizations? Send them our way at info@b-alaw.com. Until next Friday! 

Friday Five: August 12, 2016

We’re three days away from August 15th. However, no soothsayers have warned us to “beware the Ides of August,” so we feel confident that we’ll still be here next week. In the meantime, we’ve culled five informative and enlightening articles covering the nonprofit and legal world. Read on…                                                          

1) Nonprofits are getting more comfortable with using crowdfunding to augment their annual budgets. The Jewish Museum in Manhattan recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to produce “Take Me, I’m Yours,” a special exhibit that lets museum visitors take parts of the artworks home with them to keep (Our favorite detail in this piece: one of the art items visitors will be able to take home is “some air from Yoko Ono.”) For some creative ideas on how you can use crowdfunding programs like Kickstarter or Pledgling (disclosure: Pledgling is a client of ours), check out Nonprofit Quarterly’s writeup here:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/08/10/crowdfunding-new-yorks-jewish-museum-take-im/                                              

2) The New York Times has an excellent look at the troubling intersection between large corporations and think tanks, including the prestigious Brookings Institution. Think tanks are widely regarded as an unbiased and unimpeachable source of information, but the Times reports that the connection between large corporate donations to some think tanks and the think tanks’ subsequent reports raises significant conflict-of-interest questions:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/08/us/politics/think-tanks-research-and-corporate-lobbying.html?_r=2

3) A bright spot this week: For National Bowling Day (tomorrow, Saturday, August 13), Bowlmor bowling lanes, including LA’s own Bowlero, is partnering with the nonprofit Feeding America. If Bowlmor meets its goal, it will make a donation to Feeding America that will feed 500,000 families. It’s always great to see LA companies working hard to make a difference! Find out how you can participate here:  http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20160810/heres-how-free-bowling-games-can-help-fight-hunger

4) Most nonprofits want to be diverse, so what are the specific obstacles that get in their way? Josephine Ramirez explores four organizations, LA’s Cornerstone Theatre among them, that have successfully created boards that look like America. One of the mental re-framings that these orgs have undertaken is to stop thinking about diversity as a “problem to solve” and start thinking of it as simply “something to practice.” There are several great ideas in this piece:
https://medium.com/new-faces-new-spaces/if-your-board-looked-like-your-community-203c878bb0a0#.so2vxbzgq

5) Last week, we highlighted Massachusetts’ consideration of a bill that would require nonprofits to pay property taxes. Now the Nonprofit Law Prof Blog brings news that the District of Columbia is also considering removing the property tax exemption. The effort is spurred by budget considerations and questions about well-financed nonprofit universities like Georgetown. While there’s no need to be alarmist—neither proposal has made it into law yet—it’s important for nonprofit organizations to keep an eye on this proposed legislation, since more states may start to eye tax exemptions in an effort to ease budget shortfalls. Find out more here:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2016/08/dc-debating-property-tax-laws.html

That’s all from us on the Friday Five front. If you just can’t get enough Bergman and Allderdice, you can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.  Until then, we’ll keep calm, carry on, and continue highlighting news from the nonprofit world. See you next week! 

Friday Five: August 5, 2016

Welcome to August! On this day in 1861, the U.S. levied the first federal income tax, setting us on a path towards the existence of 501(c)(3) organizations. More recently, on this date in 2011, NASA disclosed that the Mars Orbiter had possible evidence of water on Mars.

We could use some of that water here in California, given our drought. But there’s no drought of articles about nonprofit news and opinions. Here are five of the best:

1) At the Nonprofit Law Blog, David Brennen flags proposed legislation in Massachusetts that would require nonprofits in that state to begin paying property tax; nonprofits are currently exempt from doing so. The plan is part of an economic development package that is still going through House and Senate negotiations, so it’s not yet law. However, the proposal certainly bears watching as it could inspire similar bills in other states:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2016/07/massachusetts-contemplating-change-in-non-profit-property-tax.html

2) In a thought-provoking piece in The New York Times, Ben Davis, national art critic for ArtNet News, illuminates several alarming trends: the potentially unsustainable growth in physical buildings, the steep decline in attendance at galleries and museums and the decline in government funding for the latter. You can see Davis’ complete opinion here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/opinion/sunday/how-the-rich-are-hurting-the-museums-they-fund.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

3) In an effort to increase empathy towards the homeless, some organizations have been creating “poverty simulation” workshops, enabling those who participate to experience what the homeless and poor go through every day. While the idea may be well-intentioned, Nonprofit Quarterly makes note of efforts that go too far and end up in the land of “misery tourism.” Read on to find out which organizations are engaging in best practices and how to avoid worst practices:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/08/04/simulating-poverty-effective-way-understand-experience/

4) Human rights organizations are facing increasing, and alarming, constraints on their work. This piece in The Philanthropic News Digest’s blog goes in depth about efforts that activists and donors around the globe are undertaking to ensure that they can continue to pressure countries to meet human rights standards. One of their key strategies rests on the concept of ‘civic space.’ How do they plan to pull this off? Find out at: http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2016/08/funding-the-frontlines-the-value-of-supporting-grassroots-organizing

5) Nonprofits spend a lot of time thinking about new donors and major donors, but what about the middle donors—supporters and volunteers who donate regularly, but can’t afford to give at the top levels? Network for Good has assembled an entire PDF that’s free and full of tips on how to maintain connections with your mid-level donors and make them feel appreciated. Get the PDF here:
http://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/middle-donors-give-more/

This has been your Friday Five. We’ll continue to keep our ears to the ground for what’s new in the nonprofit world. We’ll be back in a week, but make sure follow us on Twitter at @BergAlldLaw for more great articles.

Friday Five: July 22, 2016

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy… as long as you’ve got air conditioning or live in a state bordering Canada. The Friday Five is like a cool drink. Or five cool drinks, each one better than the next. If you, like us, are suffering through this heat wave, these links will operate like an ice cube on the back of your neck and they’ll illuminate the current state of nonprofits. We’d like to see Starbucks try that.

1) For its cover story in the current issue, The Nation gathered some of the sharpest minds around to debate and discuss philanthropy and its future. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, Leah Hunt Hendrix (Solidaire) and Daniel Lurie (CEO and founder of Tipping Point Community) are just some of the well-known names discussing what’s on the horizon for giving:
https://www.thenation.com/article/the-future-of-philanthropists/

2) The Nation symposium contains a link to Andrew Carnegie’s original 1899 essay, “The Gospel of Wealth,” which greatly popularized philanthropic giving, and to this intelligent update by Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. Carnegie’s essay is admirable for its honesty; Carnegie is wrestling with the fallout from a system that made him massively successful but left a whole lot of people behind. Thankfully, some of our billionaires continue his tradition of giving. Certain others who have dominated recent headlines... well, we won’t go there. Carnegie’s original can be found here:
https://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/rbannis1/AIH19th/Carnegie.html 

3) In Darren Walker’s update of Carnegie's treatise, one of the major issues Walker zeroes in on is the sheer daunting need of funds: Carnegie gave away $350 million, but the money needed to seriously address people’s needs for food and housing, education, infrastructure and health care climb to the trillions. Walker’s essay is well worth your time: https://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/toward-a-new-gospel-of-wealth/

4) We always enjoy coming across some straight-up practical advice. The FindLaw blog can walk you through some easy tips to work smarter, not harder. (Ed—Really? “Smarter, not harder?” You sound like Gary Cole from Office Space.) That reminds us: Don’t forget to fill out your TPS reports. But read this first:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/strategist/2016/07/3-easy-tricks-to-work-faster-in-your-law-practice.html?DCMP=CCX-TWLP

5) This one was spotted by intrepid lawyer/blogger Gene Takagi: We’ve been hoping to link to The New Yorker for some time, and along comes James Surowiecki to point out that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—the stunt that some felt got too popular for its own good—appears to have in fact had lasting benefits to ALS research. What specific benefits? You have to read the article to find out:http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/als-and-the-ice-bucket-challenge

This has been your Friday Five. We remain stalwart in the face of oppressive heat. If you’re driven to fight the heat by starting a nonprofit, we can help: contact us at info@b-alaw.com. Stay cool (in both senses). We’ll see you next week.

Friday Five: July 15, 2016

It’s July 15th. As summer heats up, a major national event is taking place. Rival factions are preparing for battle. Everyone’s running around trying to gather up information and allies at a frantic pace.                     
We refer, of course, to Pokemon Go. (What, did you think we meant something else?)

To help your own information-gathering, we have five items for you, at least one of which is related to Pokemon Go. (For the uninitiated, Pokemon Go is a mobile “augmented reality” game involving GPS that requires you to take your phone to various locations to “capture” Pokemon figures in public locations. It was released nine days ago, on July 6, and is now estimated to be on 5% of all smartphones, an enormous number (by contrast, Tinder is only on 2%.)

1) And now, Nonprofit Quarterly reports that many of the Pokéstops and Pokégyms in the game to which users are currently flocking are located at public places such as parks, churches, art installations, historical markers, and museums. Several smart museums and charities are taking advantage of the sudden influx of millenials. Find out how, and see if it gives you any ideas:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/07/14/pokemon-goto-opera-nonprofits-made-game/

More on Pokemon Go’s convergence with nonprofits and charities here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pokemon-go-charity-miles-raise-money_us_5786a7fee4b0867123df8758

2) Remember #OscarsSoWhite? The Greenlining Institute raises a timely and important question: Why are 92% of all foundation presidents and CEOs white? If your organization is lacking diversity, it may be failing to fully serve its community or follow its mission. Beyond that, a non-diverse organization may have a significantly harder time reaching the people it wants to help. Greenlining lays everything out here:
http://greenlining.org/blog/2016/philanthropysowhite-time-change/

3) According to the Center for Effective Philanthropy, only 38% of all nonprofit leaders believe all or most of their funders have a deep understanding of their beneficiaries’ needs. What attributes do nonprofit leaders like to see in donors, and how can a nonprofit org make sure its funders properly understand its needs? The CEP’s blog dives in:
http://www.effectivephilanthropy.org/characteristics-help-foundations-deeply-understand-beneficiaries-2/?utm_content=33150228&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

4) Don Kramer’s Nonprofit Issues site has a weekly “Question of the Week” where he answers a question about tricky nonprofit management and policy issues. The current question has to do with a board member’s right to see personnel records when it conflicts with a staff member’s right to privacy:
http://www.nonprofitissues.com/to-the-point/may-board-chair-review-personnel-records

Other good Q&As around confidentiality and overturning voice votes here:
http://www.nonprofitissues.com/to-the-point/can-voice-vote-be-overturned
http://www.nonprofitissues.com/to-the-point/do-these-questions-breach-confidentiality

5) With the impending presidential election, it’s important to remember that 501(c)3s are banned from participating in political activity. But how, exactly, did that restriction become law? The answer, from the blog of For Purpose Law, involves Lyndon B. Johnson, Joe McCarthy, and a tangled web dating back to 1894. Get the full story (and impress your friends and colleagues) here:
http://www.forpurposelaw.com/501c3-political-ban-history/

Wondering if there are great links that didn’t make the Friday Five? Have a nonprofit question you’re dying for the answer to? Hit us up at info@b-alaw.com. That’s all for this week, but the Friday Five will be back next week, rain or shine.  Unless we are out catching Pokemon working on nonprofit law-related activities, which definitely do not include catching Pokemon.

Friday Five: July 8, 2016

Recent fatal shootings of Philando Castile in Falcon Ridge, Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are bringing disparities in racial justice to the forefront.  It’s easy to feel helpless in times like these. But as people who work in the nonprofit sector, we’re perfectly positioned to help. What do you do when your righteous anger just makes you feel helpless?

Don’t give up. Hope still exists. There are still many organizations that are out there fighting to make the world a better place. Here are a few ways to help make the world a better place and make a difference:

1) Mic.com has 15 recommendations, culled from a report from the Center for Popular Democracy and Policy Link, on what your city can do now to promote justice and fairness in law enforcement. Reach out to your city or town councilor and your state representative; ask if they’ve read the report and encourage them to implement the changes suggested in it:
https://mic.com/articles/121572/15-things-your-city-can-do-right-now-to-end-police-brutality

The full report can be found here: http://www.justiceinpolicing.com/

2) One step on the road to making the world a better place is simply to see things from someone else’s perspective. Ta-Nehisi Coates is one our best cultural and societal critics, and his National-Book-Award-winning Between the World and Me, in which he wrestles with racism while writing a letter to his young son, started as an Atlantic article. You can read the original article in full here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/tanehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me/397619/

3) If you’re a writer or artist wondering how you can engage with these issues, Sojourners magazine has some great inspiration with these mini-profiles of ten artists and musicians making timely and relevant art. Even a few pop stars made it in; John Legend and Common’s song from the movie Selma is featured:
https://sojo.net/magazine/april-2015/10-artists-black-lives-matter-movement

4) More and more, nonprofits are using crowdfunding after a tragedy to try to do something good. But laws vary dramatically from state to state, and there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Nonprofit Quartery has essential information for nonprofits that are thinking of using crowdfunding as a source of revenue. Make sure you’re fully informed on the issues so you can help your nonprofit:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/06/28/understanding-crowdfunding-tragedy/

5) Finally, because we’d love to end things on a lighter note, Buzzfeed has this oldie but goodie. We’d like to dedicate this one to all our readers who work in the nonprofit sector:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/leahneaderthal/25-situations-only-nonprofit-people-can-understand-dfyq?utm_term=.rfEJRAGRr#.st8axKYxq

This has been your Friday Five. News has been grim of late, but we’ll continue to bring you the highlights and bright spots of the nonprofit sector. Got a question about your own nonprofit? Inspired to start one? Feel free to reach out to us at info@b-alaw.com, and see you next week.

Friday Five: July 1, 2016

There’s no way around this: we are in summer. And summer is hot. We knew this, but we had forgotten. Three days of 100-degree heat here in Los Angeles have reminded us, and made us very grateful for air conditioning. Not to worry, though; the Friday Five will cool you down (metaphorically) with these brisk, bracing entries that bring with them the cool air of reason.

So long as your air conditioning’s on.

1) Our top entry, from the Nonprofit Law Prof blog, comes with a cautionary “Don’t Panic” note about the headline, which doesn’t refer to a Department of Labor regulation; it refers to a position the Department of Labor is arguing in a court case that has yet to be decided. The case, Perez v. Cathedral Buffet, is a dispute between the federal government and controversial Ohio televangelist Ernest Angley who encourages his parishioners to volunteer… at a for-profit restaurant directly owned by his church. Despite the headline, the article is a worthy overview of the pending court case, and the case’s outcome could have far-reaching implications:
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/nonprofit/2016/06/dept-of-labor-volunteers-who-provide-a-benefit-to-organization-are-employees-must-be-paid-minimum-wa.html

(Angley, it should be noted, has—how can we put this politely—an eyebrow raising past. He’s on recording as stating that God can cure AIDS—and that he has evidence. And then there’s a controversy that’s too bizarre to go into here: )

2) Matt de la Pena’s Newbery Award speech. (The Newbery Award is administered by the American Library Association). Some thoughts:
This speech will make you cry. This speech is about having a seat at the table, and how you pass that on—how you tell others they have that seat. This speech contains one of our new favorite real-life librarians. And, most impressively, De la Pena’s book is a picture book, which typically would receive the Caldecott medal (also awarded by the ALA), so for it to win the Newbery, traditionally given to chapter books without illustrations, is a huge deal. See what de la Pena has to say:
http://www.hbook.com/2016/06/news/awards/2016-newbery-acceptance-by-matt-de-la-pena/?platform=hootsuite

3) Andrew Taylor, a tenured professor at American University’s Arts Management Program blogs as The Artful Manager. In his newest post, the Artful Manager points out that the much-hyped “creative economy” may not be all it’s cracked up to be. To find out why, and what pennies have to do with it, you’ll have to check out his post:
http://www.artsjournal.com/artfulmanager/main/shock-and-eh.php

4) If you’re a millennial, you may be following the Presidential election fairly closely, which means you may want to send money to the candidate of your choice. But will that make you more likely to donate to other causes? Or less? At Philantopic, the Philanthropy News Digest’s blog, Derrick Feldmann breaks down the data into manageable chunks and highlights the key details:
http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2016/06/millennials-and-the-presidential-election-cycle-does-cause-engagement-change-in-an-election-year.html

5) And finally, because we like to end things on an upbeat note, Nonprofit Quarterly has an entry on Charity Charge, a new public benefit corporation that lets credit card holders automatically donate 1% of cash-back rewards towards causes of their choice—it’s just like earning miles. Even better, there’s no annual fee. That might be something worth signing up for. Read more:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/06/29/new-credit-card-lets-users-charge-forward-purchase/

The nonprofit world doesn’t stop for summer, and neither do we: the Friday Five will continue to monitor and highlight the best of the nonprofit web. Got something you think we should highlight in this space? Send it our way at info@b-alaw.com. Until then, we’ll see you on the internet.

Friday Five: June 24, 2016

Happy June 24th! We’re dancing for joy that it’s Friday.

On this day in 1374, a sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance caused people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapsed from exhaustion. In some cases, people suffered from cardiac arrest or died from injuries.

We would like to revise and amend our opening paragraph: we are… sitting with joy that it’s Friday. Calmly.

Here are five must-reads (one of them is actually a must-watch) from and about the nonprofit world:

1) Osocio is a central online hub dedicated to social advertising, defined as advertising from nonprofit organizations that seeks to connect us with other human beings. The embedded video from Agency Jung von Matt/Limmat AG does a great job of visualizing what it’s like to live with fear and significant anxiety. Anxiety is an ‘invisible’ illness, and the two agencies are doing important work to illustrate that people may be dealing with burdens and challenges we know nothing about and encouraging us to think more broadly about mental health:
http://osocio.org/message/fear-is-a-serious-disability/

Learn more about Osocio here: http://osocio.org/about-osocio/

2) Can spreadsheets really get you fired? If they’re combined with hubris and overconfidence, absolutely. Brian Lauterbach at Network for Good digs into his own past so that you can learn from his mistakes and avoid a similar fate:
http://www.networkforgood.com/nonprofitblog/how-spreadsheets-got-me-fired/

3) If you’re a board member who’s wondering how to lean in towards board activity or looking for ways to make your nonprofit better, this blog has some great suggestions for you—everything from learning staff members’ names to insisting to the executive director that “Yes, it is totally acceptable for you to buy a better chair so you won’t be suffering from constant back pain.” Read all about it:
http://nonprofitwithballs.com/2016/06/25-things-awesome-board-members-do/

(There’s also a great link in the 25 Awesome Things article to another article on why the Oxford Comma is so essential. #OxfordCommaForever! http://nonprofitwithballs.com/2016/04/the-role-of-the-oxford-comma-in-nonprofit-communications/ )

4) Culture, culture, culture. The disastrous collapse of the Healing Arts Initiative, a New York City-based nonprofit that made arts accessible to isolated and marginalized people, should remind everyone that even if you’ve got a badass executive director who can ferret out corruption like a private eye, it’s all for nothing if you don’t have the right culture in place:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/06/10/culture-suck-how-a-bad-ethical-culture-can-doom-a-good-nonprofit

5) Shane Bauer (the American journalist who spent two years in prison in Iran) worked with The Mother Jones Investigative Fund to go undercover as a U.S. prison guard at a privately-run (vs. government-run) prison in Louisiana to expose the prison industrial complex. Bauer’s article is thorough, phenomenal and deeply disconcerting:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/cca-private-prisons-corrections-corporation-inmates-investigation-bauer

This has been the Friday Five. Join us next week for help staying on top of pertinent nonprofit articles, topics , and insights, and remember to contact us (link to info@b-alaw.com) if you have any questions about your own nonprofit or board!