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!