At a Nov. 26 press conference in Bismarck, Sen. Byron Dorgan said he will re-introduce the Public Good IRA Rollover Act, S. 819, in January to enhance the ability of the nation's charitable community to help those hurt most by the economic downturn. 
 
"Now is a crucial time to expand a charitable giving tax incentive I helped establish in 2006," Dorgan said. The initiative allows eligible taxpayers to give money directly from their IRAs to charities without a tax penalty. 
 
Dorgan discussed the economic crisis and its significant impact on charitable nonprofits. The nonprofit sector has seen falling endowment values, lower or flat giving rates, and tremendous increases in requests for assistance with food, transportation and utility payments, among many others.
 
Tom Regan of the Missouri Slope Areawide United Way said that, while his organization is holding its own in raising funds this year, he has never seen more real need in the community. His comments echoed those of other nonprofit leaders about the struggle for North Dakota nonprofits to meet the increasing demands for services with extremely limited resources.
 
Gordon Binek with Bismarck State College spoke about the success they have had with the IRA rollover, raising more than $50,000 so far. He thanked Sen. Dorgan for his leadership on this important legislation to support charitable giving.
 
IRA Rollover
In October, as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 ($700 billion bailout bill), the IRA Charitable Rollover was extended through 2009. Don't forget to let your donors know about this giving opportunity this holiday season. Learn more.  
 
Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center
Earlier this month, the National Council of Nonprofits launched the Nonprofit Economic Vitality Center to help nonprofits and our allies better understand the situation and have ready access to strategies to help you navigate the economy so nonprofits can serve their communities more efficiently. NDANO encourages you to visit the site and to let us know how you are dealing with the economic crisis. Contact NDANO at 701-258-9101 or 888-396-3266.

Among the many challenges you will face in the coming year as a nonprofit leader is a significant revision of your primary reporting form, the Form 990. The IRS has completely overhauled the Form 990 effective for years begun after Dec. 31, 2007.

 

NDANO is pleased to bring the 990's Do Matter workshop to Bismarck on Jan. 27, 2009, from 1-4:30 p.m. to help nonprofits prepare for these changes.

 

Check out North Dakota nonprofit jobs at the NDANO online Job Center, including an executive director position with the Fargo-Moorhead Coalition for Homeless Persons. Search resumes for a potential match for your organization. Post job openings at your nonprofit. Click here to learn more. 

Have you had difficulty recruiting college talent because graduates find themselves burdened with student loans? Are you anxious to retain your college grad staff members who are finding it hard to live on nonprofit salaries? If so, read on.
 
Here's a benefit to help recruit college graduates who find it hard to work for nonprofits due to the financial burden of their college student loans. Last year, the National Council of Nonprofits lobbied Congress to include nonprofit staff in the loan forgiveness benefits of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA). The effort was successful!
 
The Department of Education recently issued regulations that clarify important aspects of the loan forgiveness benefit law. Nonprofits can now alert their job candidates and staff to this potential benefit.
 
Here is how it works: If a college graduate is facing more than 10 years of loan repayments, and if he/she works in "public service jobs," including working for a nonprofit, for 10 years while making monthly payments on the loan, he/she can ask to have the balance of the loans forgiven. Basically, 10 years of public service earns the dividend of canceling the rest of the college debt. 
 
Click here for more specific information on the CCRAA. This can be used as a notice for your staff and shown during the hiring process. It should not be viewed as legal advice, however, and questions from employees about specific application should be redirected to the Department of Education. The website, www.ibrinfo.org, may also be helpful.

The Dickinson Public School Foundation's mission is to provide opportunities for private financial support of unique, challenging, innovative projects and programs that will enhance education. Its main focus is its grant program, which has awarded over $156,000 in grants that "enrich and enhance" education since the Foundation was formed in 1989. The grant projects go "above and beyond" the school district's budget. The fund also helps sponsor students to attend national competitions, etc. and has a scholarship program. 
 
Developing alumni relations is one of the Foundation's future goals, and it recently hired a part-time alumni relations director, who is developing a Dickinson High School Alumni & Friends Network membership program and a newsletter. Other future goals include developing the website, adding online giving to the website, developing a planned giving program and working with the transfer of wealth. The Foundation's grant program impacted nearly 100 percent of the students in Dickinson Public Schools. 
 
Many of the programs and technology would not be available for students without the Foundation. One former student contacted the Foundation to say that the science equipment, purchased for Dickinson High School, helped influence her career choice to be a research scientist. Classroom amplification systems purchased by the Foundation make it easier to hear the teacher in the classroom.
 
The Foundation also helps sponsor students groups that attend national competitions, such as the National Technology Student Association Convention. One of its students placed first in the nation in the graphic design challenge this year. The Foundation is working to develop its alumni relations and indirectly helps promote Dickinson Public Schools through its newsletters, annual report and special events. Its scholarships help students further their education after high school.  The Foundation believes that "Education is the Foundation for the Future."
 
Learn more about the Dickinson Public School Foundation by contacting Karen Heidt at 701-456-0002.

If you are interested in having your nonprofit featured in an upcoming newsletter, e-mail NDANO. Requests are honored on a first-come, first-served basis. 

 

NDANO, through its membership in the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN), has established a partnership with Idealware to provide members with discounts on webinars that focus on nonprofits making informed decisions on technology solutions.

Idealware hosts three to four webinars a month, going in depth on topics such as choosing e-newsletter tools, online donation tools, constituent databases, website content management systems and more. NDANO members receive a 15 percent discount on webinars.

  

Visit the Idealware website to learn more.