January has begun its march through time! As everyone recovers from the holidays and thinks about how to keep their New Year’s resolutions, we’re gathered five articles about the nonprofit world that come with their own New Year’s resolutions and helpful tips as the year gets going:        

1) TEN NONPROFIT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
It’s time for all nonprofits to roll up their sleeves and get to work on these resolutions. Chances are, you’ve probably done all or most of these, but it can’t hurt to review the list. Have you had your organization’s bylaws reviewed by counsel? Can your board members commit to attending a majority of the meetings this year? Can you check off all ten of these resolutions contained in the following link? (the link says five resolutions, but you get double that): http://www.nonprofitlawblog.com/5-new-year-resolutions-for-your-board/

2) NO MORE NONPROFIT STATUS FOR BIG SPORTS LEAGUES?
Many professional sports leagues are classified as 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations, which means that the NFL, NHL, and PGA do not have to pay federal or most state taxes. Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is attempting to close this loophole. While the NFL no longer attempts to claim tax-exempt status, the NHL does, and it collects hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue per year. See the details of Chaffetz’s fix:
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/highlight/new-congressional-bill-would-strip-sports-leagues-of-nonprofit-tax-status/

3) BURNOUT: WHAT ARE THE 5 MYTHS TO AVOID?
Burnout can be a morale killer for employees and officers of nonprofit organizations. Ann-Sophie Morrissette, who’s worked in the nonprofit world for fifteen years, identifies five myths that can increase burnout. One lesson: colleagues aren’t family, so it’s vital to draw clear lines between professional and personal life. Learn about the other four myths and how to battle them: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/five_myths_that_perpetuate_burnout_across_nonprofits

4) THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
What does this year hold for nonprofits? No one has a magic eight ball, but The Nonprofit Times predicts uncertainty, funding instability, and structural changes, but also more nonprofits banding together. Find out what to watch for and how to best navigate 2017:
http://www.thenonprofittimes.com/news-articles/nonprofit-workplace-challenges-predicted-2017/

5) IS YOUR MISSION STATEMENT A MESS?
While we don’t agree with all of the recommended fixes, we do agree that making an organization’s mission statement shorter and focused can make it more effective. These tips come via consultant Erica Mills, who created a free online tool for nonprofits called The Wordifier. Test out an organization’s mission statement against her recommendations:
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/great_mission._bad_statement

That’s it for the Friday Five. We’re off to go work on keeping our New Year’s resolutions.  

In the meantime, you can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and send your questions about the nonprofit world to info@b-alaw.com. We’ll be back next week!