Nonprofit Harvest

Some Glass Half-Full Thoughts

Lucy Bernholz writes an “instant classic” by reframing the moment: It’s not a recession, it’s a restructuring.

What might now seem to be on the edge of philanthropy - or any industry - may very well come to its center. And quickly. Here are some ways restructuring might happen:

• Social enterprise begins to morph the philanthropic giving that exists to its left and the commercial enterprise that exists to its right (on a spectrum from giving to investing)

This is just the first idea, relevant to the Social Enterprise Network.  I suggest you go read the entire piece.

More Positive Thinking

• pubTalk asks, Out of Crisis, Opportunity?

• Nonprofit Leadership 601 is looking for something positive

I’m getting tired of the media focusing on negative stories of nonprofits struggling to survive, so recently I started tagging POSITIVE stories of nonprofits that are saving money, improving their operations and thriving during this current economic downturn.

A Round-up on the Stimulus and the Federal Budget Proposal

• The National Council of Nonprofits is producing Special Reports on Economic Stimulus & Recovery.  I’ll post them here, but you can subscribe to an RSS feed for the most up to date information.
  • Nonprofit Grant Opportunities
  • Stimulus Grant Tips and Thoughts
  • Whether and How States Are Accepting & Distributing Federal Stimulus Funds

• Coverage from the New York Times
  • Obama Plans Major Shifts in Spending
  • Limiting Deductions on Charity Draws Ire

• From the Washington Post
  • In $3.6 Trillion Budget, Obama Signals Broad Shift in Priorities
  • 2010 Budget Blueprint: Agency by Agency

• The Center on Budget Policies and Priorities weighs on the budget proposal

• The Chronicle on Philanthropy assesses the sector’s reaction to a plan to reduce charitable deductions

The Minnesota Angle

• Minnesota Budget Bites has posted their take, First look at Obama’s budget 

• The League of Minnesota Cities has posted information on their website and presented a webinar on how the Federal Stimulus may impact Minnesota’s cities
  • Download the presentation
• Read Budget Bites on the Minnesota budget

• The legislature’s presentation on the state budget that they deliver at town hall meetings

• Obama’s shout-out to Minneapolis was unexpected

Transparency and Accountability

• Examine the federal budget documents

• State Recovery Sites are now included on Recovery.gov to “help explain how they are spending funds allocated by the Recovery Act.”

• The Minnesota Management & Budget website has a section devoted to the Stimulus

Other News

• The National Council’s  February Policy News features a number of items of note
  • It leads with a story on the Preserve Charitable Tax Exemptions Campaign lead by MCN
  • Includes an update on L3C legislation, which has been introduced in Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
    • Read Kate’s take on L3c - a Low-profit Limited Liability Corporation
    • Read an overview written by Americans for Community Development

• From the Chronicle of Philanthropy
  • Charities Merge at Almost the Same Rate as Businesses
  • Individuals Make Fewer $1-Million Gifts; Grant Makers Help Offset Decline

• Charities Now Seek Bankruptcy Protection