It is December 30th. Only two days until 2016 comes to a close! It’s been a busy and news-filled year. So here, to close out 2016, are five fascinating articles from the nonprofit world.                                     

1) ROUNDUP: THE TEN MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF 2016 FOR NONPROFITS. This overview covers everything from the Presidential election to the Dakota access pipeline protest to Black Lives Matter, and more besides. Relive and analyze some of the major events of a very dramatic year:
http://www.nonprofitlawblog.com/10-significant-news-events-of-2016/

2) WHAT ARE THE FIVE BIGGEST TRENDS PHILANTHROPY TRENDS? There may be fewer resources for nonprofits, several of them have eased their restrictions to make grant-giving more flexible. In addition, foundations are emerging as substantial knowledge hubs, a shift in how they’ve viewed themselves in the past. Get the full story:
http://www.cof.org/blogs/re-philanthropy/2016-12-16/five-trends-philanthropy

3) MAJOR NEW CROWDFUNDING PLAYER:  GoFundMe just recently surpassed three billion dollars donated via its platform (through 25 million individual donors). CEO Rob Solomon wants to see GoFundMe generate forty billion in donations in the next decade, and thinks that GoFundMe can pull it off. Find out how:
https://www.fastcoexist.com/3066778/future-of-philanthropy/gofundmes-biggest-cause-yet-is-becoming-the-most-powerful-force-in-ph

4) WHAT’S COMING IN 2017: Here’s a conversation between KQED’s Marisa Lagos and Politico California Playbook Senior Writer Carla Marinucci covers new laws which go into effect in 2017 and impact nonprofit organizations:
http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2016/12/29/54073/state-of-affairs-new-ca-laws-and-politics-stories/

5) TOP TEN NONPROFIT & PHILANTHROPY STORIES FROM 2016: OF THE YEAR: You’ll find everything here from philanthropy’s impact on the presidential campaign to the growing force of Big Philanthropy and questions about its clout. In addition, NPQ features several “where do we go from here?” questions about the shifting landscape. Make sure you’re up-to-date as the year ends:
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2016/12/29/npqs-10-big-nonprofit-philanthropic-stories-2016/

That’s all for the Friday Five for 2016! We’ll be back in one week with our first 2017 Friday Five to ring in the new year. Here’s wishing you a safe and happy New Year’s Eve.

Want to know more about nonprofits? Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and send your questions about the nonprofit world to info@b-alaw.com. We’ll see you in 2017!