United Way Gets New US President
United Way Worldwide has appointed Suzanne McCormick as the organization’s incoming United Way President. She will assume her new role on July 31. McCormick, who currently serves as President and CEO of United Way Suncoast in Tampa, Florida, will succeed outgoing U.S. President, Mary Sellers, who will return to Des Moines, Iowa, after serving in the role since 2017.
“Suzanne has deep understanding of our network, our transformation and has been instrumental in building the modern United Way on our digital platforms,” said United Way Worldwide President and CEO Brian Gallagher. “I am certain that her leadership will help our network advance the Modern United Way strategy. I’m looking forward to all that Suzanne will accomplish.”
Read the full press release HERE.
Giving USA Report Shows Charitable Giving Down in 2018
According to Giving USA’s latest annual report, people are giving less—and the 2017 tax reform law might be a big part of it. The report, which was released earlier this month, shows that with inflation accounted for, giving fell last year, despite a strong economy. Rick Dunham, Chair of the Giving USA Foundation, posits that challenging tax policies may be partly to blame, as the report highlights a sharp decline in itemized tax returns.
“The environment for giving in 2018 was far more complex than most years, with shifts in tax policy and the volatility of the stock market,” Dunham said in a news release. “This is particularly true for the wide range of households that comprise individual giving and provide over two-thirds of all giving.”
Despite these declines though, some subsectors experienced their second-best year for giving on record.
Read the full article in Associations Now HERE.
Nonprofit Relief Act of 2019 Introduced In Congress
On June 18th, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) introduced the Nonprofit Relief Act of 2019 to repeal provisions of the 2017 tax law that have had nonprofit leaders screaming since the law was passed. The legislation seeks changes to rules for Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT), the Paid Leave Tax Credit and Volunteer Mileage Reimbursement. The legislation would repeal the new tax that requires nonprofits to treat every unrelated business revenue stream as a separate “trade or business” that may not be aggregated with other profits and losses in calculating tax liabilities. The bill also extends the paid leave tax credit to tax-exempt organizations and changes the tax treatment of mileage reimbursements to volunteers, so they are not subject to federal and state income taxes.
“The Nonprofit Relief Act would fix new and longstanding tax law policies that hurt the ability of charitable nonprofits to advance their missions in communities throughout America,” said Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits. “We appreciate the respect that Congresswoman Maloney and Majority Whip Clyburn have for the work nonprofits perform daily in every congressional district.”
Read the full article in The Nonprofit Times HERE.
Liberty Lays Off a Dozen Divinity School Faculty
Liberty University offers the largest theological studies program in the country—by far. Its Rawlings School of Divinity enrolls several times as many students as longstanding seminaries, which have only recently begun to transition their degree programs online. But a new report in Inside Higher Ed describes the decision to cut a dozen divinity school faculty, its falling enrollment, and a new strategy to combat what it refers to as Liberty’s broader “struggles online and a shrinking applicant pool.” Top officials at the school dispute that the cuts have anything to do with a trajectory of decline, however.
“Really, it’s a sign of the times,” said David Nasser, senior vice president for spiritual development and campus chaplain at Liberty. “The landscape of the way churches are staffing is changing, the landscape of the way mission organizations are staffing is changing, and I think that’s why we’ve seen some decline in the school of divinity in that sense.”
Read the full story in Christianity Today HERE.
Cities of Service Announces Finalists for Engaged Cities Awards
Cities of Service, a nonprofit that supports public leaders in creating and replicating civic engagement strategies, is at the forefront of promoting a restored relationship between government and the public at a local level.
Last week, Cities of Service announced 10 finalists for the Engaged Cities Awards, a program dedicated to highlighting innovations in city government that actively engage citizens in solving a public problem. This year’s international group of nominees offer inspiration to nonprofits seeking solutions to engaging their constituencies in tackling complex social problems.
The nominees this year range from urban farming of vacant lots in Atlanta, to supporting resident-led sustainability efforts in Lakewood, Colorado, to a civic bridge program in San Francisco focused on engaging private sector volunteers to develop solutions for public challenges.
Read the full story in Nonprofit Quarterly and see a complete list of nominees HERE.
Creation Festival 2019 ‘Translates the Gospel’ by Crossing Cultural Lines
Creation Festival, sometimes dubbed “Creation Fest” and held annually in central Pennsylvania, is one of the most attended Christian music events in America.
This year, it continues to defy stereotypes with music from people of all different backgrounds and musical styles. The event will be held June 26-29 with performances from artists such as rock band Skillet, worship artists Elevation Worship, Crowder, Hillsong Worship, Kari Jobe, Tenth Avenue North and rapper Andy Mineo.
“This is our 41st year, the goal really hasn’t changed a whole lot. One of our themes of the festival is to bring tribute to our Creator,” Darpino, vice president and producer of Creation Fest, told The Christian Post in a recent interview.
When specifically discussing why they choose to invite ministers from all different varieties and styles of music and ministry, Darpino explained that it’s their way of reaching the next generation. “We love that the youth of this generation really resonate with those music styles. And it’s important for us to really be able to connect and offer them the opportunity to enjoy what we do at the festival and kind of translate the gospel, at some level, through those different styles of music, which is so important. They say music is a universal language.”
Read the full article in the Christian Post HERE.
