Each week we bring you a collection of links that highlight political news that impact nonprofits, helpful links for nonprofit professionals, and something positive to end your week.
Helpful Nonprofit Links
- Jay Love of Bloomerang shares the image above regarding donor retention rates and an explanation of what it means.
- Classy reviewed data from Giving Tuesday and saw that it helps organizations access new donors. Ben Cipollini dives into the data in this blog post.
- As you prepare for your Giving Tuesday and year-end messages, please read this article from Mary Cahalane. To succeed your communication needs to be personal and specific. Messages catered to “somebody” aren’t going to be effective.
- Ruth McCambridge of NPQ shares an awful fundraising mailer from Smile Train that equates children with cleft lips and cleft palates to Halloween.
Political News
- Adriene Hill of Marketplace explains why the GOP tax bill could hurt charities.
- Robert Mercer is Breitbart’s co-owner and major funder. Mercer is the co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, or “RenTech,” a quantitative hedge fund that uses computer algorithms to make investment decisions. Renaissance Technologies manages $45 billion in assets, and outside investors pay to access the Renaissance fund. Judd Legum of Think Progress provides details about this and explains that by using RenTech, individuals, companies, and organizations are indirectly funding the Mercer family and the work they do to support and fund organizations affiliated with white nationalists and the “alt-right.” Organizations that use RenTech include The Public Schools Employee Retirement System of Missouri, Columbia University, Michigan State University, The Employee Retirement System of the City of Providence, Los Angeles Water & Power Employees Retirement Plan, National Academy of Sciences, Baltimore Fire and Police Employees’ Retirement System, The William Penn Foundation, American Physical Society, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Michigan State University issued a public statement in regards to this subject.
- The appointment of federal judges is an area that presidential administrations wield tremendous influence. Eleanor Sheehan of Splinter shares information about Jeff Mateer, President Trump’s nominee to the federal bench in Texas. Mateer has made many public statements that indicate potential bias against LGBTQ individuals. Spurred by Mateer’s apparent disdain for LGBTQ rights and people, a group of 36 LGBTQ advocacy groups sent a letter on Monday demanding his nomination be revoked.
“Mr. Mateer’s appointment to the bench would cause grave harm to the LGBT community, as well as many other communities who rely on the federal judiciary to administer fair and impartial justice,” the letter reads. “His record of vicious and hateful statements combined with his portfolio of extreme anti-LGBT advocacy make Mr. Mateer uniquely and demonstrably unfit for a job as a federal judge.”
- Alexis Okeowo of the New Yorker writes about the recent truck bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia that killed an estimated 300 individuals and injured hundreds more. Okeowo’s article discusses the attack and the difference in media coverage and social awareness afterward. If you would like to support the victims of this attack, this LaunchGood campaign is benefitting Eva Organization for Women.
- A nice story about how chef José Andrés said his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, have prepared and delivered one million hot meals to Puerto Rico residents. Tim Carmon of the Washington Post explains how and why.
Something Positive
- In this space, we usually feature cutes dogs or kids. Or cute dogs with kids. But this week it’s a news article that touches on politics and nonprofits. Thanks to a $2.25 million grant from the JPB Foundation, New York City Libraries are amnestying the penalties currently associated with locked accounts of young people. As Kelly Faircloth of Jezebel explains, a fee of $15 will freeze your card in New York City and 160,000 kids are affected by this.
Photo Credit: Bloomerang