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SELP
Annual Conference: Registration opens week of
July 27!
New Report:
Building Power through Grasstops Development
coming July 27!
Webinar: Grasstops Development,
August 13, 1pm CST. Watch your inbox for sign-up
info.
Website Review: We've
spent many hours assessing your websites. Look for our
results
mid-August.... | |
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Whether you're facing a state budget crisis or your
organization's own internal budget challenges, this is
the perfect time to be creative and innovative with
your solutions.
In the former case, we're pleased to see that some
of you have found ways to improve environmental policy
within your state budgets despite the current climate.
For example, NYPIRG scored a landmark environmental
victory this spring with passage of legislation known as
the Bigger Better Bottle Bill as part of the 2009-2010
state budget. This marks the first comprehensive
update of New York's 5-cent deposit law (known as the
Bottle Bill) since it was created in 1982, and caps a
7-year campaign spearheaded by NYPIRG. Click here for
the full story.
In the latter case, we have been inspired to hear
about many of you who have managed to keep your own
organizations afloat despite the many obstacles. Keeping
this in mind, we want to remind you of the networking
opportunities that SELP provides, whether it's simply
via the listserve ( executiveselp@lists.onenw.org) or the
annual conference (which is right around the corner!).
And at the very least, if at any point you're in need of
some inspiration or advice, remember that we're only a
phone call away! P.S. - THANK YOU to our SELP interns! Marissa and
Brian were our Spring interns and Tom and Rachel are
doing great as part of the team this
summer. |
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 Congratulations to Tom
Fitzgerald of Kentucky Resources Council for
becoming the 14th recipient of the Heinz
Environmental Award! The Heinz Awards,
administered by the Heinz Family Philanthropies,
recognize outstanding individuals for their
contributions in the areas of: Arts and Humanities, the
Environment, the Human Condition, Public Policy,
Technology, the Economy and Employment. Please
join us in congratulating Fitz for his outstanding work
in advocating for sound state and federal environmental
policy. Great work, Fitz!
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| Public
Support Test: Why You Should Pay Attention
With giving from
foundations and individuals down for many groups,
sources of support are becoming increasingly
concentrated. Some organizations (or more likely their
funders) are beginning to wonder whether they continue
to pass the public support test. To learn more about the
IRS' public support test and whether your organization
may be in danger of losing its "Publicly Supported"
status, read more
here. |
| New
Feature: Ask a Nonprofit Lawyer
Looking for some free guidance
on a legal question? In this new feature of the
 SELP quarterly newsletter we invite
you to send in your nonprofit legal questions to be
answered by nonprofit law whiz, Melissa Scholz
of Scholz Nonprofit Law. Melissa unites her
expertise in nonprofit law with her experiences as a
community leader, organizer and fundraiser in the
founding of Scholz Nonprofit Law and she is providing
her legal expertise to SELP members through this new Ask
a Nonprofit Lawyer series. Please send your
questions to emiota@selp.org. |
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Power Assessment
Training in Iowa
The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC)
recently invited SELP to help them undergo a power
assessment process in order to focus and strengthen
their power building efforts. IEC collected data on
their membership, activists, legislative scorecards and
districts represented by key leaders in the legislature.
SELP compiled the data and created color-coded maps to
easily identify where IEC had power and where they were
lacking. After a full morning of analysis and
discussion, IEC staff identified the three most critical
districts to focus on in their power building efforts.
One staff member noted, "In the
past we've listed all the possible people to try to
influence, which is too broad and an overwhelming goal.
We were not focused on the ultimate goal of influencing
legislators." Another staff member said that she
appreciated the "rapid transition from abstract to
concrete" and knowing how to actually use all of the
information they've gathered in the training. When asked
if she would recommend this training to other groups,
Marian Riggs Gelb, Executive Director said, "Yes-in
times of economic instability we need to use resources
as effectively as possible." By assessing an
organization's current power and comparing it to what it
would take to achieve their goals, it will help them
strategically allocate time and resources and ultimately
lead to legislative victories!
If your
organization is interested in a power assessment
training, please contact Hilary Carroll at hcarroll@selp.org for more
information. | |
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