The Forbes Funds was joined today by special guest Anne Gingerich, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) who spoke about the nuts and bolts of advocacy for nonprofits. A recording of the community call can be found here.
Advocacy for nonprofits 101
In this brilliant talk, Anne Gingerich discussed how nonprofits of all sizes can engage with their local political representatives on all levels to build productive relationships and, more specifically, nonprofit advocacy day to be held on 14 October as part of the 2021 GPNP Summit.
She stressed basic but important information that nonprofit leaders should know, like their elected representative on all levels, from local to federal. This is important because it helps nonprofits with selected targeting and relationship building depending on the state of their agenda.
Anne emphasized that nonprofits need to understand the nuts and bolts of the political system from the number of sitting legislators to the fact that the federal and state-level legislative sessions are two years in length. This means that nonprofits have time to cultivate relationships with political leaders and shape the outcome or trajectory of bills. But why advocate in the first place?
Anne pointed out that in the latest ALICE data or “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.” This describes households who earn above the Federal Poverty Level but not enough for a household budget. This was brought home when she noted that a caseworker with an MA in Pennsylvania specifically Allegheny County makes only $19.4/hr but needs $25.13/hr in order to be stable. She also gave a practical example of how to frame “an ask” as a policy change.
Anne later gave a roadmap on how nonprofits should conduct themselves concerning political figures. It starts from collecting relevant data, getting important news coverage, collecting research on the elected official such as where they live and issues they are passionate about. It also includes having a prepared pitch (specific ask) and keep it short (one-pager), attend any meetings, a warm follow-up message, and finally share any media coverage such as photos from your social media.
During the Q and A, Anne noted that nonprofits are similar but not quite the same as businesses. She agrees that nonprofits could be more efficient but with some caveats such as different types of reporting requirements and funding streams.
2021 GPNP Summit
Colleen Young was pleased to announce that registration for the upcoming biennial GPNP Summit (October 13, 14, 15) is now live. She is emphasized that one of the conference days (14 October) will be shared with the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) and will center on public policy and advocacy.
She also noted that the event would be entirely virtual due to the Covid-19 Delta variant.
GPNP Updates with Collen Young
Student Loans
Colleen Young asked anyone who may qualify (i.e., themselves or someone they know) for student loan discharge to please check. For more information on how to qualify, please go here.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has created a new online portal to apply for loan forgiveness of 150,000 dollars. For more information on how to qualify and apply, please go here.
Banks and borrowers can opt out of the process to simplify the process. However, several big lenders, such as Bank of America, are not using the online portal.
Colleen noted that with borrowers struggling to pay back loans, the banks were incentivized to take PPP loans but had no incentive for pushing through forgiveness.
If GPNP members are having issues, they should reach out to The Forbes Funds.
Unemployment
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate has dropped to 6.6% in July but is still higher than the national rate, 5.4%.
Supplemental pay of 300$ a week ending on September 3rd.
Colleen noted that Pennsylvania has only gained 65% of jobs lost due to the ongoing pandemic.
Afghanistan
Colleen noted that several Pennsylvania charities would be participating in national resettlement efforts for Afghan refugees due to recent political events in Afghanistan.
Infrastructure
Senator Casey predicted that the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed in the Senate would become law by mid-October. He also supported the $3.5 trillion human infrastructure bill, which includes many human services initiatives. For example:
- $400 million would expand home and community care for the eldery and disabled
- 19,000 new home care jobs
- Boost wages for workers
- Provide services for more than 16,000 on waiting list to recieve care
Colleen noted that PA Democrats support the bill, but PA Republicans are worried about its cost.
Redistricting
The Pennsylvania Reapportionment Commission will hold public hearings to address redistricting. For access to recent public meetings, please go to this link.
Covid-19
The Pfizer vaccine has full FDA approval for those 16 and up.
Governor Tom Wolf has reinstituted a mask mandate for all state employees and contracted staff regardless of vaccination status beginning today.
There will be mandatory weekly testing or vaccines for state employees employed in high-risk settings.
Vaccination rates by age:
- 10-14: 18.12%
- 15-19: 38.3%
- 20-24: 40.7%
Vaccination rates by race:
- Overall: 54%
- W:46.2%
- AA: 33%
- AAPI: 23.6%
- NA: 12.6%
Updates and Announcements
The Wolf administration will hire 100 new contract tracers. It is estimated that Pennsylvania will need 1,954 based on population size and case counts.
Americans will get a booster shot starting September 20th or 8 months after the 2nd shot.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will encourage rural residents to get free Covid-19 vaccine at upcoming agricultural fairs and community events.
Pennsylvania Department of Education staff will visit local school districts to encourage students aged 12 and up to get vaccinated.
Healthcare Shortages
UPMC has advertised nearly 800 nurse openings and 150 in in-care patient support with sign-up bonuses of up to $15,000 depending on experience.
Colleen Young noted that this is a national problem and not a regional or local one because many have left the workforce.
Black Equity Coalition
Alissa Monette of the Black Equity Coalition (BEC) informed viewers that there is a critical blood shortage across Pennsylvania and the country. For more information on how to donate blood, please select this link.
Alissa was proud to announce that the BEC has begun publishing a newsletter with the UrbanKind Institute. To subscribe to the newsletter, please go here.
Please go here to sign up for a Community Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.
The BEC has a job opportunity for the position of community coordinator. For more information on how to apply. Apply here for the position to advance Black equity in Pennsylvania.
The BEC was prominently featured nationally on the RAND Blog for equitable data analysis around Covid-19.
You can follow the Black Equity Coalition on social media here:
tHRive
Brianna Stalder announced that tHRive, which helps senior leaders of small and medium nonprofits to enhance their HR practices, will be hosting a webinar on 30th August 2:00-3:30 ET. For more information on how to register, please go here.
Academy for Cause and Community Engagement Leadership (ACCEL) + Resilience Cohort
Dr. Hannah Karolak advertised the upcoming ACCEL Roundtable, which takes place on 21 September 2:00-3:15 pm ET. The event is useful for nonprofits interested in recruiting, involving, and engaging board members in relationship building and fundraising. For more information on how to register, please go here.
Dr. Hannah also announced that there are still spots open for the ACCEL Resilience Cohort. The Forbes Funds has partnered with Risk Alternatives LLC to design a program that builds resiliency (i.e., risk management) within nonprofits. The program runs from 15 September to 15 December. For more information, including how to register, please go here.
Future Events
Be sure to register for future Community Solutions Calls here. See you at the next Community Solutions Call or a number of our upcoming events here!
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