Nonprofits Partner for 2010 Census

A couple months ago, Michigan Nonprofit Association announced their 2010 Census initiative and brought me on board to help lead it. In a blog on September 2, I shared why it’s important for nonprofits be involved in the 2010 Census. (Read the 2010 Census blog here)

Nonprofits Count! is a campaign to mobilize nonprofits to [...]

Member Perspective: Stimulus Funding At Work

Story developed for the Michigan Nonprofit Storybank.
Since 2006, the number of uninsured patients of Muskegon Family Care, a Community Health Center located in West Michigan, has increased by 59 percent. This Community Health Center (CHC) is one in a network of 32 public and nonprofit organizations, who provide quality, comprehensive, community-oriented primary health care [...]

Support Efforts to Make the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax-Free

Voices for National Service and AmeriCorps Alums are spearheading a joint letter in support of H.R. 1596, the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award Tax Relief Act, which would exclude the award from consideration as gross income, ensuring recipients can use the its full value to support their educational pursuits. The joint letter – which [...]

As Individuals are Priced Out of Insurance Coverage, So Are Employers

New U.S. Census data released Tuesday shows that Michigan has more than 1 million residents who lack health insurance. That’s about one in every nine people in the state. This gives new urgency to the national debate on health care reform. It’s of huge importance to the nonprofit world – both as advocates for the [...]

Is Health Care Reform an Issue for Michigan Nonprofits?

Is health care reform an issue for your nonprofit? Michigan Nonprofit Association says yes and nine out of ten responding nonprofits to our recent health care survey agree. MNA and the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University assessed how the current health care system is affecting nonprofits as employers. You [...]

Health Care Reform Proposals Misunderstand Nonprofits

While the Confirmation Hearings for Sonia Sotomayor and the health care reform debate rages on in Congress, many nonprofit leader were on the Hill talking about nonprofit capacity building. The Kennedy Hatch Act provided for $5 million in capacity building funds to help nonprofits in their ability to deliver services. The funding was omitted [...]

It Begs a Definition

The U.S. House passed a stop-gap spending measure to finish the FY 2007 budget. This $463.5 billion “omnibus” bill includes everything from health care to science research to education programs. But did you notice what’s missing?
Earmarks*.
The new House Appropriations chair called for a moratorium on earmarks or “pork” programs that are slipped [...]

Does Cutting the Budget for National Service Make Sense?

The pundits have reported that the last election was all about the war and Americans’ disappointment in the leadership around that issue–It’s the War, Stupid was the debate. Then came Representative Charles Rangel’s suggestion of the reinstitution of the draft. Now we find that the latest Harris Poll says that 73% of Americans believe [...]