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:
In an Era of Constant Change, Nonprofits Must Foster Learning Cultures (Jonathan Kaufman, NPQ)
Johnson Amendment Settlement Tossed By Federal Judge (Paul Clolery, Nonprofit Times)
Shattered Trust: $21 Million DAF Lawsuit Threatens Donor Confidence (Rasheeda Childress, Chronicle of Philanthropy)
How Dissolving Your Nonprofit Can Strengthen the Sector (Traci Lester, NPQ) [Ed. Helpful article addressing a topic that receives too little attention. The critical question for some organization in or fast approaching the zone of insolvency may be whether the nonprofit’s dissolution or merger into another nonprofit would better serve its mission and the communities it serves. A responsible dissolution may preserve the work, the data, and the organization’s legacy for the broader community’s benefit rather than just allowing those things to disappear.]
Treat Nonprofits as Strategic Partners, Not Just Philanthropic Recipients (Wei Shi, Harvard Business Review)
Making Compliance Work for Philanthropy (Martha Lackritz-Peltier, SSIR)
Opinion: Without Federal Data, Nonprofits Are Flying Blind. Funders Must Act. ( Aleda Gagarin and John Mohr, Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Wealthy Donors Are Hiding Political Money in Secretive Nonprofits (Theodore Schleifer and Steven Rich, NY Times) [Ed. 501(c)(4) organizations are well-established, critical parts of our nonprofit sector. Dark money funding elections is a big problem. Legal reform is necessary.]
ActBlue May Have Misled Congress on Vetting Foreign Donations, Its Lawyers Warned (Reid J. Epstein and Shane Goldmacher, NY Times)
Creating Shared Value (Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer, Harvard Business Review)
Significant Events:
- “Trump had promised to revive the economy and keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. Now he has started a war he had not gotten a mandate to wage, and the economic pain may only be beginning. A month into the largest oil shock in modern history, global growth forecasts are being slashed, shortages are emerging across Europe and Asia, and energy traders warn the world has yet to feel the full severity of the disruption. A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that is the primary exit route for oil and gas from the Persian Gulf, could tip the global economy into recession.” Time
- “Millions of children have been plunged into crisis by the war in the Middle East, with reports of child soldiers in Iran, mass forced displacements in Lebanon and the killing of hundreds of minors. … “Children in the region are being exposed to horrific violence, while the very systems and services meant to keep them safe are coming under attack,” said Unicef’s executive director, Catherine Russell.” Guardian
- “In total, the DOJ quietly closed more than 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of President Donald Trump’s administration, abandoning hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, drugs and other offenses as it shifted resources to pursue immigration cases, according to an analysis by ProPublica.” Pro Publica
Equity and Justice Related Articles & Resources:
Congressional Black Caucus scholarships discriminate, lawsuit alleges (Jessica Guynn, USA Today) [Ed. AAER and Edward Blum continue their attack on DEI using 1866 civil rights law enacted to protect formerly enslaved persons. Read more about Section 1981 here and here.]
Trump signs executive order asking federal contractors to eliminate DEI (Kanishka Singh. Reuters) [Ed. The referenced executive order can be found here.]
How Trump’s EEOC is attacking DEI and emphasizing white people (Andrea Hsu, NPR)
Climate Change and Environment Articles & Resources:
Fossil fuel companies finally accept the climate crisis – just not their role in it (Noah Walker-Crawford, Guardian)
Federal ‘God Squad’ exempts oil and gas drilling in the Gulf from endangered species rules (Matthew Brown AP)
People often miscalculate climate choices, a study says. One surprise is owning a dog (Caleigh Wells, AP)
Democracy Articles & Resources:
AMERICA 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy (National Urban League)
‘Go Big and Go Loud’: Inside the Justice Dept.’s Push to Prosecute Protesters (Alan Feuer. Alexandra Berzon, and Ernesto Londoño, NY Times)
Trump is dismantling democracy at ‘unprecedented’ speed, global report finds (Frank Langfitt, NPR)
A.I. Articles & Resources:
‘Think Everybody Dead’: How the Threat of AI Is Fueling a New Political Alliance (Calder McHugh and Brendan Bordelon, Politico)
‘They feel true’: political deepfakes are growing in influence – even if people know they aren’t real (Eric Berger, Guardian)
The Worst-Case Scenario for AI and the News Is Already Here (Yair Rosenberg, Atlantic)
Good Vibes:
Braylon Mullins hits incredible game-winner to send UConn to Final Four (NCAA)