Nonprofit Resources of the Week – 10/17/26

Nonprofit Resources of the Week curates timely articles, tools, and commentary to help nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and their advisors stay informed about legal developments, sector trends, and emerging issues affecting the nonprofit and philanthropic ecosystem, including those related to equity, climate change, and resilience. The series also seeks to share tools, perspectives, and sources of inspiration that support more effective, thoughtful, and sustainable nonprofit leadership, and that help those working for and with nonprofits carry out their roles with greater confidence, efficiency, and purpose.

Notable Nonprofit Posts, Articles, & Other Resources:

What the 2026 U.S. midterm elections could mean for nonprofits and education (RSM)

Opinion: Stop writing the nonprofit world’s obituary. We have work to do. (Jeff Williams, Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Blunting Fed Threats to Charitable Sector: New CA Law (Linda Rosenthal, For Purpose Law Group)

New legislation would strengthen donor standing in gift disputes. Does it go too far? (Ben Gose, Chronicle of Philanthropy)

New CA Protections for Charitable Bequests of Non-Probate Accounts (Linda Rosenthal, For Purpose Law Group)

Statewide Anti-Terrorism Measures (National Council of Nonprofits)

Reimagining Boards for High Impact (BoardSource) [Ed. The downloadable brief is authored by Marty Kooistra and Jane Wei-Skillern)

Who’s on Board? Gender and Race in Nonprofit Board Rooms (Women’s Nonprofit Leadership Initiative)

A Growing Tide: Creating New Channels for Change (Carmen Rojas, Rickke Mananzala, CEP)

Will MacAskill responds to our cover story on effective altruism (Economist)

Significant Events:

“A 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday, killing three children and a teacher before being shot dead by a community member, police said.” Time
“President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that puts on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest. …Trump’s unexpected decision comes a week after he stunningly said the U.S. had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia to try to bring down global energy prices, despite that potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.” AP
“The reckless missile attack on King Khalid international airport in Riyadh on Saturday did not just export the death and misery inside Yemen to Saudi Arabia, it also left Donald Trump forced to reconsider his diplomatic and political strategy [including “blame Zelenskyy, trade with Russia” and “keep the political temperature down on his war of choice in Iran and its spillover in Yemen until after the midterms”] ….” Guardian

Inside Elon Musk’s $276 Million Midterm Rescue Mission for Republicans (Theodore Schleifer, NY Times) [Ed. The subheading reads: “The world’s richest person has quietly become by far the biggest known midterm donor, trying to save Republicans’ Senate majority with some of the largest donations in American political history.”]

Appeals court appears skeptical of Trump’s attempt to shield presidential records (John Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, Politico)