WHAT'S NEW
7/20/10 - The New York Times Editors call for full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. I couldn't agree more!
6/21/10 - Non-profits can offer local governments a way of cutting costs while maintaining services. One example: "Nonprofit group to handle Beaufort County's land preservation program."
6/17/10 - An interesting piece of legislation to keep an eye on: the Nonprofit Sector and Community Solutions Act. This bill outlines systems for "better federal coordination, greater support for the work of nonprofit organizations, and the collection of meaningful data and research about nonprofits." It has been introduced by Representative McCollum, Democrat of Minnesota. Go Gophers!
6/1/10 - Fundraising is most often the number one concern cited by non-profit Boards, and it is true, without a sustainable, predictable stream of income, it is difficult to plan and implement programs. But ultimately, what are you paying for with those donated funds? For most of us, it's staff. People to design and run the projects of the organization.
This column explains why putting human resources at the top of your priority list will reap great rewards for your organization. Treating your people as professionals will go a long way toward making your organization a success.
4/23/10 - Three years ago, the IRS changed the rules for reporting by non-profit organizations. Since 2007, all non-profits must provide annual reports, regardless of their annual income levels. If they fail to report for three consecutive years, they will lose their tax-exempt status. This year is the first time that this may be a possibility, and some estimates are that up to 400,000 non-profit organizations are in danger of losing their tax-exempt status.
Is your organization in compliance with IRS reporting requirements? Check the IRS website to find out: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=217087,00.html
4/2/10 - Recent research has shown that conservationists too often don't make clear the connection between natural resource protection and restoration and the ecosystem services provided by those natural resources. We all need to do a better job of explaining why conservation work is beneficial for human societies as well as the flora and fauna found living in conserved places.
3/16/10 - Many non-profit organizations wrestle with the issue of accepting corporate donations from companies whose practices are not entirely in keeping with the mission of the non-profit. This is especially true in the conservation/environmental field, where there is concern about the appearance of "greenwashing" an otherwise less-than-green company through acceptance of their financial support.
The decision to accept the donation or not rests with your organization's board of directors. However, there are many companies which have created grant-making foundations or other entities through which they contribute to causes in line with their corporate mission. This one degree of separation may be enough to make your organization more comfortable accepting their largesse.
I have profiled three of these types of corporate giving entities in the attached document, each of which has a grant proposal deadline coming up in the near future. Take a look and consider if any of these match your needs and policies: Corporate Foundations
3/2/10 - The Nature Conservancy and Stanford University teamed up to investigate the impacts of land conservation on housing availability. In Silicon Valley, the negative impacts of conservation land as open space or natural habitat on housing development was found to be very limited.
1/1/10 - The economic slide has one silver lining: land prices are lower, allowing conservation groups more opportunity to purchase properties. The New York Times covers this phenomenon.
