Each week we bring you a collection of links that highlight political news that impact nonprofits, helpful links for nonprofit professionals, the importance of sharing stories, and something positive to end your week.
Helpful Nonprofit Links
- Ariella Phillips from the Chronicle of Philanthropy shares how nonprofits prepare for a government shutdown.
- Nick Ellinger from the Agitator describes the behavioral science of fundraising metrics. This article is a fascinating look at how we structure outward communication and our internal metrics.
- Google announced that starting in July 2018, page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches. It may be time check your website for unnecessary plugins and large images that may be slowing you down.
- Speaking of tech company changes affected nonprofits, we’ve previously highlighted how Facebook’s recent changes to their news feed are going to affect nonprofits. Alex Kantrowitz from Buzzfeed reports about this and talks with nonprofits about how they’re approaching this change.
- Mark Light from NPQ uses shrimp to explain the importance of developing open systems within your nonprofit’s business structure.
- The CEO of BlackRock, one of the largest investment funds in the world, is writing a letter to business leaders that companies need to contribute to greater society. Andrew Ross Sorkin from the New York Times previews the letter.
“Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose,” he wrote in a draft of the letter that was shared with me. “To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”
Political News
- The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has dismissed several cases in the last few months involving discrimination against transgender students. Their explanation to students is that these issues do not fall under its jurisdiction. Rebecca Klein from Huffington Post shares details on this.
- Juliet Eilperin from the Washington Post explains why 10 (of 12) members of the National Park System Advisory Board have resigned due to the frustration that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke had refused to meet with them or convene a single meeting in 2017.
- Mustafa Ali, senior vice president of the Hip Hop Caucus, and former head of the environmental justice program at the Environmental Protection Agency joined KALW for a conversation about environmental and social justice.
- Andrew Cohen from the Marshall Project writes about why Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media companies can hand over their customers’ online content to cops and prosecutors but cannot share similar information with defense attorneys looking to help their clients.
- The Trump administration has ended the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, an evidence-based program that evaluates substance abuse and behavioral health problems. When communities need to create new policies to deal with a local issue, they would often turn to this program to view what has been successful in other locals and what had failed. Sharon Begley from STAT shares more about this.
- Avis Thomas-Lester from the Washington Post highlights a collaboration between schools and nonprofits organizations to create a curriculum that can teach social justice and equity through education.
“The premise is to show that by looking at how history is about people’s choices and actions, rather than emphasizing names and dates, students can better see the potential impact of their own actions and choices.”
Sharing Stories
- This week we wrote about the importance of storytelling and sharing immigrants’ experiences. PRI shares an amazing series called DACA Diaries. This series does a great job of highlighting the lives of DACA recipients and their lives.
- Frontline broadcast an episode focused on the sexual abuse of immigrant women who clean the malls where you shop, the banks where you do business and the offices where you work. It was a collaboration between Reveal, Investigative Reporting Program, KQED, and Univision.
Something Positive
- What a week. Need a pick-me-up? How about watching three professional soccer players vs 100 school children.
Nothing to see here. Just three Japanese internationals vs. 100 school children lining up in a 30-30-30-10 formation. pic.twitter.com/yz5zkovKIK
— Ball Street (@BallStreet) January 8, 2018