As you may well know, gas prices are high, much higher than they have been in recent years. More and more, we hear from nonprofit organizations finding it difficult to provide basic services to the community because of the high gas prices. Currently under federal law, volunteers can receive reimbursement up to 14 cents per mile, but any reimbursement over 14 cents must be treated as income. This law has not been updated since 1998. Unfortunately, those outside of the nonprofit sector often don’t realize how high gas prices can impact a nonprofit and its volunteers.

On August 6, the Giving Incentives to Volunteers Everywhere Act of 2008 (Bill S.3429) was introduced in the US Senate. The bill addresses the impact of the high cost of fuel on volunteers, charities and the communities being served by nonprofits. You can support an increased federal mileage deduction for volunteers by sending a letter to the editor of your local paper. To send a letter to the editor or view a sample letter, click here.

We also want to hear from you - have you or your organization been affected by increasing gas prices? How has it changed the way you do things? Have you been able to adjust? Do you have any ideas for other nonprofits about how to cope?

We’ve been having conversations over the past few years about the changing nature of nonprofit leadership, having to adapt our sector to the next generation of leadership. This conversation goes beyond the nonprofit sector, but to the role and place for young professional leadership in Michigan and its economic impact.

We all know young professionals are seeking employment in vibrant cities like Chicago and we think Michigan can’t compete with that. But what about Madison, WI or Minneapolis, MN? Michigan Future, Inc. has released a new report: Young Talent in the Great Lakes: How Michigan is Faring. It’s a really interesting examination of Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit compared to other Midwest cities, and what’s attracting and keeping young professionals. Check out the quote from it below -

“The pattern is that high prosperity states (including Minnesota and Illinois in the Great Lakes) have big metropolitan areas with even higher per capita income. That means metropolitan Detroit and metropolitan Grand Rapids and, to a lesser degree, metropolitan Lansing must become the main drivers of a prosperous Michigan. In fact, it is hard to imagine a high prosperity Michigan without an even higher prosperity metropolitan Detroit.”

Submitted by Allison Treppa

The Volunteer Center of Battle Creek has formally changed its name to HandsOn Battle Creek, affiliating with the national HandsOn Network. HandsOn Battle Creek is still providing volunteer opportunities for individuals, groups and corporations, in addition to serving as the 211 Call Center for Calhoun County.

The change in name and image provides a national identity to inspire and help people get involved and take action. Battle Creek is the first Volunteer Center in Michigan to change its name and we’ll be sure to keep an eye on the changing landscape of Michigan volunteer centers.

Submitted by Allison Treppa

At Nonprofit Day this year, a number of experts on the state budget and issues of relevance to the nonprofit sector will be assessing how the results of the 2008 election will impact nonprofits and the work they’re doing. Far from the average pundit debate, this session will highlight how nonprofit issues such as the state budget, recruitment of talent, health care and economic development will fare during the heat of the election season and into the new year. Moderated by Craig Ruff (Public Sector Consultants), panelists will include Don Gilmer (former House Appropriations Chair and former State Budget Director), Jeannine La Prad (Corporation for a Skilled Workforce), John “Joe” Schwarz (former member of Congress and former Michigan State Senator), and Diana Sieger (Grand Rapids Community Foundation).

Join us for Nonprofit Day on September 24 to hear the experts’ opinions on how your issues will fare this election season. www.mnaononline.org/nonprofit08.asp has the full agenda and registration info.

Submitted by Tiffany Aurora

MNA’s Michigan Participation Project has scheduled a series of voter engagement trainings across the state this August. Each training will cover the following:
- Why nonprofits are uniquely positioned to affect greater voter turnout;
- The do’s and don’ts of election year activity;
- Nonpartisan election activity: what it looks like, how you do it;
- Ideas for incorporating voter engagement activities into the work you’re already doing;
- Where to access resources to complement your efforts; and more!

But what’s just as great about these trainings is that you’ll have the opportunity to meet other nonprofits from your area who are involved in voter engagement work. It’ll be a great opportunity for networking and sharing ideas about how best to reach as many members of your community as possible!

These trainings are currently scheduled to take place in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Midland, Traverse City and Wixom during the week of August 18. We also have a training scheduled in Flint on September 18. Check out this site for the full training list and to register.

Oh, and did I mention that the trainings are free? Rumor has it there might be free stuff available at the trainings too, but you didn’t hear that from me.

Submitted by Tiffany Aurora

Tuesday, August 5 is the Michigan Primary Election! Don’t forget to head to the polls tomorrow and vote! Polling locations will be open from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Nonpartisan Voter Guides
Just in time for the Primary Election, the Michigan Participation Project (MPP) website has posted links to a number of nonpartisan voter guides, including the Michigan House of Representatives Voter Guide and several city and county guides. Visit the MPP website today to access the voter guide for the State House and see if there is a local voter guide available for your area!

Frequently Asked Questions on Election Day
Want to provide your colleagues, friends and family members with a quick way to find answers to the commonly asked questions that arise on Election Day? Share this website: www.michparticipationproject.org! Here you’ll find information about how to confirm that you are registered to vote, locating your polling place, accessing your sample ballot, links to nonpartisan voter guides, voter assistance and much more!

We encourage you to share this information with your board members, employees, and other networks to spread the word about Tuesday’s Primary Election. See you at the polls on August 5!

Submitted by Tiffany Aurora

Every year, MNA hosts Michigan’s Nonprofit Day, a one-day conference focused on the public policy conversations currently affecting the nonprofit sector.

2008 is an election year, and the nonprofit community in Michigan accounts for 18% of the state’s GDP. We’re an economic and social power in communities across the state, yet very few of the local, state and federal candidates are talking about the nonprofit sector and the issues we care about. Nonprofit Day 2008 will focus on the need for nonprofit community to collectively raise its voice regarding the value of Michigan nonprofits to the overall quality of life in the state.

Nonprofit Day attracts nonprofit leaders from across Michigan who wish to be an audible voice to policymakers on behalf of the people they serve. Join us in Lansing on September 24 for this important discussion! The full conference agenda is available online at www.mnaonline.org/nonprofit08.asp. Check out the program today and register to attend! Registration is $40 for MNA members, $55 for non-members and $25 for full-time students.

Submitted by Tiffany Aurora

www.michparticipationproject.org

MNA’s Michigan Participation Project (MPP), a nonpartisan, nonprofit initiative designed to help 501(c)(3) nonprofits integrate voter registration, voter education, and voter mobilization work into their ongoing activities, has launched its new website in preparation for the 2008 election season!
A few highlights of the new site include:

- Quick links on Registering to Vote, Requesting an Absentee Ballot, Finding Your Polling Location, and What’s On the Ballot;
- A listing of Candidate Forums across the state;
- Information on available Nonpartisan Voter Guides;
- Details about and Registration for Free Voter Engagement Trainings for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits;
- Easy access for Downloading Resources such as A Nonprofit’s Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum and a legal primer on permissible 501(c)(3) election year activity;
- And much more!

Visit the new Michigan Participation Project website today at www.michparticipationproject.org!

Submitted by Tiffany Aurora

In June, Allison shared an opportunity to vote for the best nonprofit taglines through www.gettingattention.org. Well, the votes are in! 12 award winners were chosen by 3,062 nonprofit professionals who voted in the 2008 Nonprofit Tagline Award Competition online poll. Full survey findings will be featured in The Nonprofit Tagline Report, expected for publication in September, but you can view the list of winners now. Click here to see the 12 winners and to learn more about the award competition. Here’s a sampling of who won:

• Arts & Culture: Where Actors Find Their Space —NYC Theatre Spaces/This clearinghouse for NYC rehearsal and performance spaces uses a double entendre to go beyond a description of its services and highlight the value of its work.
• Civic Benefit: Stand Up for a Child —CASA of Southwest Missouri/CASA’s tagline provokes anger, compassion and a desire to help, in just five words.
• Education: Stay Close…Go Far. —East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania/This simple yet distinctive tagline from East Stroudsburg cuts through the clutter. Its straightforward character mirrors that of the school.

View all 12 winners

Submitted by Lisa Sommer

Our sector often touts and celebrates its diversity as one of the key characteristics of its work. But what do we really know about our own make up—our diversity?

A recently study released by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, takes a look at the diversity of foundations and found some interesting results (see: http://rockpa.org/pdfs/Philanthropy_in_a_Changing_Society_full.pdf)

First, the diversity of program officers, those staff closest to the work of nonprofit organizations was at or better than the average of the U.S. Population overall (35% and 33.8% respectively). However, the further away from that level one goes, or the higher up in the foundations’ leadership, the less diverse the population, with one unique exception. The CEO diversity rate was only 5.8% while the staff was 23.2%. This examines only a sample of the foundation community, but is the rest of the nonprofit community all that different?

In addition we have a number of other questions now before us:
1. Does diversity lead to better decision making?
2. If we believe that it does, what do these numbers really mean and how are the decisions of hiring and recruitment impacting these figures?
3. What should we, especially leadership, be doing to impact these figures?

These questions become even more important as we look at the coming demographic shifts where by 2050, it is projected that whites will be the new minority. When that happens, what should we as a society look like, and what should be our leadership make up?

Submitted by Kyle Caldwell