All Posts By

charitableadvisors

Mar 21

Nonprofits’ minimum wage bind

By Feature, Governance

By Jennifer Jones Austin, commentary, Times Union |

Across the nation there is mounting concern about economic inequity. At the heart of the matter of the ever-increasing economic divide are stagnant wages, which have plagued millions of low- and middle-income Americans for decades. But here in New York state we have a real opportunity to do something about this.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a $15 minimum wage to be phased in over the next two years for New York City residents and by 2021 for all other New Yorkers. His proposed legislation, the first of its kind put forth by the governor of any state, has the very real potential to increase the financial stability and improve the upward mobility of 3 million New Yorkers. The governor has evidenced his commitment to the minimum wage increase by using his own authority to raise the wages of both state and SUNY employees, but he has not yet moved to include those workers who provide vital human services for the state.

Human services and Medicaid-funded workers employed by nonprofits funded by state government contracts and Medicaid reimbursements deliver mandated services including child welfare, childcare, senior services and supports for the disabled. These workers perform critical roles in our economy and in the communities they serve. However, more than 50 percent of them, more than 400,000, earn less than $15 an hour.

Button Text
Mar 21

Nonprofit ads tap ‘Game of Thrones’ to highlight real-world conflict

By Feature, Fundraising

By Alina Tugend, ShortCuts columnist, The New York Times |

The actors in “Game of Thrones,” the epic fantasy series featuring story lines about civil war and banishment, are using the enormous popularity of their HBO series to raise money for real-life victims of conflict and exile.

Beginning Monday, public service announcements and videos featuring the show’s actors will appear urging support for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian relief organization that aids refugees. The ads will appear online exclusively, including on the charity’s microsite, YouTube and social media platforms.

The campaign will run through the series’s sixth season, which begins April 24, with the goal of raising $1 million. The organization is tapping into a significant audience: The trailer for the coming season of “Game of Thrones” was viewed 32 million times within 24 hours of being posted online on Tuesday.

Button Text
Mar 21

Nine nonprofits ask for Zebulon, N.C.’s support

By Feature, Fundraising

By Aaron Moody, reporter, The News & Observer |

Nine nonprofit organizations have submitted applications asking Zebulon leaders to consider them for support as the town prepares its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

The town has dished out the same amount of funding to the same groups for the past four years: $1,000 each to the Zebulon Chamber of Commerce, Shepherd’s Care Medical Clinic and the East Wake Education Foundation, and $500 to the annual Zebulon Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast. All those groups reapplied for varying levels of support this year.

Representatives of six of the nine applicants made brief presentations on their requests at the March 7 board of commissioners’ meeting.

Button Text
Mar 08

Top nine tips for managing junior boards

By Feature, Governance

By Cynthia Remec, executive director and founder, BoardAssist

Every day BoardAssist is approached by enthusiastic millennials who are eager to be agents of change on a nonprofit board.  Unfortunately many of these terrific candidates are either too young to be considered for a full board seat by our clients, or unable to meet the financial commitment required by our nonprofit clients.

Until recently we had not been able to accommodate these terrific people and their generous desire to give back.  Now we can, with our new Pilot Junior Board Matching Program!

Button Text
Mar 08

A trending fundraising tool: a junior board

By Feature, Governance

By CJ Orr, associate director, Orr Associates |

Six years ago, the phrase “junior board” was understood by only a few. Now, I hear it all the time. I work at a nonprofit consulting firm, Orr Associates, Inc (OAI). OAI works exclusively with nonprofits to help them with their fundraising and development needs. Our nonprofit partners consistently tell us they struggle to engage with millennials. Many of them have been building junior boards to serve as a solution.

Over the past year, I took the time to study the complexities and fundraising interests of the millennial generation. In my research, I identified over 400 nonprofits that have a junior board and spoke with over 70 of them about their junior board. I also serve as a board member on four different junior boards.

Button Text
Mar 08

Boarding call for next-gen leaders

By Feature, Governance

By Anna Pikovsky Auerbach, Moonridge Group COO, Stanford Social Innovation Review |

The millennial generation cares about the state of the world and wants to get involved—so why do so few boards have young members?

A quick search of “millennials on nonprofit boards” yields more than 67,000 search results on Google. Most of the articles that turn up emphasize the value of millennial leadership, and include calls to engage and involve them in the social sector. But reality lags far behind interest and intentions.

One large, national survey in 2012 showed that only 2 percent of board members were under 30, while 43 percent were between 50 and 64. Meanwhile, 70 percent of millennials spent at least an hour volunteering last year, and 84 percent made a charitable donation. More than other living generations, the millennial generation is focused on making a difference, being hands-on, and pursuing what it loves. Data like this makes it clear that millennials care about the state of the world and want to get involved — so why do so few boards have young members?

Button Text
Mar 07

IUPUI Nonprofit Expo: Bringing students and employers together

By Sponsor Insight

By IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs staff |

Now in its sixth year, the IUPUI Nonprofit Expo brings together nonprofit, government and community partners that offer internship, volunteer and job opportunities for IUPUI students and alumni.

This year’s event will take place March 22 from noon to 4 p.m. at the IUPUI Campus Center.

“The Nonprofit Expo at IUPUI is a great way to connect with emerging nonprofit practitioners,” said Alyssa Starr Newerth, the deputy director of Indy Reads. “The students are always very interested in our work and we have made many connections over the years at the expo. We have hired interns and met future and current community partners at this event.”

The expo is a collaborative effort among six IUPUI’s schools. Annually, it is coordinated by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, IU School of Social Work, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI Center for Service and Learning and the IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences.

Since the first expo in 2011, the number of exhibiting employers has more than doubled. Last year, more than 70 organizations took part in the expo, and nearly 450 students and alumni attended the event.

[content_box box_type=”normal”]

np-expoLearn more

To learn more about the 2016 IUPUI Nonprofit Expo, click here. Employers can still register for the event for only $85. Interested nonprofit organizations can register for event by contacting Kathleen Hursh, assistant director of Career Services at SPEA, at hurshk@iupui.edu or 317-278-3651 or e-mail Meredith Wade at npexpo@iupui.edu

[/content_box]

“The potential volunteer-turnout-per-minute is really high,” said Susan Norman, regional volunteer services officer for the Indiana Region American Red Cross. “We can go to other exhibits in other places and talk to maybe three people the whole time because of the nature of the event. These folks are there because they want to be involved with organizations like ours. It helps us do targeted marketing and is a great venue for discovering where students’ interests and our needs overlap.”

Norman called the Nonprofit Expo one of the top three events that the organization attends. She says the skills that students and young alumni bring with them to the job allows the Red Cross to use them in a variety of positions. The fact they’re eager to learn and try different things is an added bonus.

“I know the quality of volunteer I’m going to walk away with,” she said. “I know they’re going to be people who are really interested in our mission, and I know they’re going to be fully engaged and active during the time they’re with us.”

In 2013-2014, the IUPUI Center for Service and Learning survey found an estimated 8,570 students, slightly fewer than previous year, contributed 303,061 hours of service to the community.

“We have so many students on this campus who are connected to the mission of nonprofits,” Hursh said. “This is really just a fabulous opportunity for everyone – employers, students and alumni – who are committed to community engagement.”

Added Newerth, “As a (SPEA) alumna, the Nonprofit Expo makes me hopeful and excited about the future of my profession.”

Feb 29

Do you know your full costs and recover them?

By Sponsor Insight

By Jim Simpson, CPA and director, Financial Technologies & Management |

Last year, the Nonprofit Finance Fund in its State of the Nonprofit Sector reported that only seven percent of nonprofits received full project costs from foundations.

Let’s make sure we have the same definition for defining full costs because it is not just expenses. Using the following formula helps to define what denotes full costs: day-to-day operating expenses + reserves + fixed asset additions + debt reduction.

Nonprofits that recover full costs prevent financial crises and interrupted services and enable leaders to stay focused on mission and related outcomes.

Many nonprofit organizations don’t know their full costs and settle for less recovery than full costs.

Button Text
Feb 29

Nonprofits and lobbying: Yes, they can!

By Feature, Legislation

By Nayantara Mehta, counsel, Alliance for Justice |

When many people think about nonprofits and lobbying, they might think of a relationship like oil and water: they don’t mix. There is a widespread perception that nonprofits cannot lobby, or if they do lobby, they are exploiting some kind of legal loophole. The fact is that nonprofits, even 501(c)(3) organizations, which are the most restricted type of nonprofits, may legally lobby. Getting involved in the legislative process and having a say in policy discussions is not just an appropriate role for nonprofits; it is vital. If nonprofits are not speaking on behalf of their often-vulnerable communities, chances are nobody else is either.

Organizations with a focus on the environment may be the most visible nonprofits engaging in the policy process, but lobbying is no less important for nonprofits working on every issue area, from the arts to wildlife preservation.

Button Text
Feb 29

Two nonprofits face more than $47,000 in fines over L.A. lobbying forms

By Feature, Legislation

By Emily Alpert Reyes, reporter, Los Angeles Times |

Two nonprofits could face fines totaling more than $47,000 from the city Ethics Commission for failing to accurately report how much they had spent on lobbying at City Hall.

Ethics Commission staffers have proposed a fine of $30,000 for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, an influential organization that has successfully pushed to raise wages for hotel and airport workers, and $17,500 for the Hospital Assn. of Southern California, a regional trade group for hospitals.

Button Text