Non-profit angst

As a member of an all-volunteer non-profit board, I keep an eye on news about other non-profits and charities. While there are mission differences between general non-profits and actual "charities", there are great similarities in the issues dealt with by all of them.

According to an article in the Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), Seattle and Portland both struggle with the financial health of their charities.

Seattle ranked near the bottom of a list ranking the health of charities in the nation's largest cities, according to a recent study.

According to Charity Navigator's ratings of the financial health of charities in the 30 largest U.S. cities, Seattle's overall rank was No. 25, above only Detroit, Indianapolis, Baltimore, Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Ore. Miami, San Diego and Houston were the top three cities in the New Jersey-based charity evaluator's rankings.

The rankings are created by Charity Evaluator by evaluating the financial health of 5,300 U.S. charities. The criteria include: performance, fundraising efficiency, fundraising expenses, program expenses, administrative expenses, primary revenue growth, program expenses growth, and working capital ratio.

Seattle ranked No. 28 in fundraising efficiency and program expenses, with Charity Evaluator writing: "High fundraising costs continue to damper Seattle's overall ranking ... The less efficient allocation of expenses demonstrated by charities in Seattle as compared to those in other cities causes this market's overall ranking to stay among the bottom 10."

I subscribe to the Charity Evaluator, the largest such organization in the country, and most used.

Managing a non-profit (volunteer or otherwise) is a fairly intimidating task. There is a tremendous feeling of responsibility that comes (it better come!) with making decisions about money that comes from the community. There are alot of expectations from that community, and taking on the above-mentioned responsibility means finding the best and most beneficial ways to fulfill those expectations.

When I look at things like the quoted article, I wonder what puts Portland so far down the list. The article is about Seattle's low ranking, but note that Portland is even further behind in the financial strength and operation of its charities. Again, although we are a non-profit and not a direct charity, I know our organization is reaching the stage where we have to evaluate where we are going in the future, and how best to get there. We have alot of options opening up for us that weren't there before, and deciding how best to take advantage of that, continue strengthening the organization, and hopefully become the resource to the community that we have the potential to be, is a serious undertaking. It's really exciting to be a part of that, but it's really scary too.
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Funny but True

Ok I had to have this one (Thanks Diane!)

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NOAA Climate Report

Can ya'll tell I'm caught up on my other work yet?

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has released a report from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research.

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research today released a scientific assessment that provides the first comprehensive analysis of observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes in North America and U.S. territories. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change previously evaluated extreme weather and climate events on a global basis in this same context. However, there has not been a specific assessment across North America prior to this report.

Among the major findings reported in this assessment are that droughts, heavy downpours, excessive heat, and intense hurricanes are likely to become more commonplace as humans continue to increase the atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.The report is based on scientific evidence that a warming world will be accompanied by changes in the intensity, duration, frequency, and geographic extent of weather and climate extremes.

"This report addresses one of the most frequently asked questions about global warming: what will happen to weather and climate extremes? This synthesis and assessment product examines this question across North America and concludes that we are now witnessing and will increasingly experience more extreme weather and climate events," said report co-chair Tom Karl, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.




High resolution (Credit: NOAA)
"We will continue to see some of the biggest impacts of global warming coming from changes in weather and climate extremes,” said report co-chair Gerry Meehl, Ph.D., of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. "This report focuses for the first time on changes of extremes specifically over North America."

The full CCSP 3.3 report, Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate, and a summary FAQ brochure are available online.

Global warming of the past 50 years is due primarily to human-induced increases in heat-trapping gases, according to the report. Many types of extreme weather and climate event changes have been observed during this time period and continued changes are projected for this century. Specific future projections include:

• Abnormally hot days and nights, along with heat waves, are very likely to become more common.
• Cold nights are very likely to become less common.
• Sea ice extent is expected to continue to decrease and may even disappear in the Arctic Ocean in summer in coming decades.
• Precipitation, on average, is likely to be less frequent but more intense.
• Droughts are likely to become more frequent and severe in some regions.
• Hurricanes will likely have increased precipitation and wind.
• The strongest cold-season storms in the Atlantic and Pacific are likely to produce stronger winds and higher extreme wave heights.

There is obviously alot more to the report.
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A message from Chris Dodd

The news may not be paying enough attention, but Chris still is.


For the last nine months, when retroactive immunity has surfaced, we have been able to delay its passage.


We were able to stop it in December because I had an army behind me.

Two months later, it stalled again -- this time in the House.

And last week, we managed to delay action one last time.


But when the Senate returns from the July 4th recess, we will vote on FISA legislation that includes retroactive immunity for telecom companies that may have illegally helped the Bush administration spy without warrant.

It's a bad bill and we need action to stop retroactive immunity from becoming law.

I've introduced an amendment with Senator Feingold to strip immunity from the bill.

This amendment has the support of Majority Leader Reid and Senator Obama, but it needs 51 votes to pass.

Will you sign on as a citizen co-sponsor of our amendment?

Sign on now!

Together, we can prevent this assault on our Constitution.

Let's do it one more time. With your help, we can stop the further erosion of the rule of law.

We'll be in touch soon.

Chris Dodd
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Merkley at the Mult. Co. GLBT Caucus

On Monday July 7th Jeff Merkley will be at the monthly meeting of the Multnomah County Democrats GLBT Caucus. It will be a great opportunity for you to personally meet Jeff and to speak with him.

Where:
Democratic Party of Oregon Headquarters (The Donkey Stable)
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland OR 97232

When:
Monday July 7, 2008
7:30pm

***Email multnomah.chair@stonewalloregon.org if you plan to attend (We would definitely need to know how many folks to expect so the space can handle it!)

This is my caucus and I'm glad he will be there. Months ago, when I had some concerns, his campaign invited me to come and address my questions directly to him. I was really intimidated and probably didn't come across as all that well-put-together (!), but I did get the answers that I needed. I've always appreciated that.
If you can, I highly recommend making this meeting, whether to speak to Merkley or learn more about the caucus. It is a really active, devoted group of people that I feel really proud to know. And here is the rest of it.

Feingold on FISA

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