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Turning NIMBY into YIMBY! (YES in my Backyard!)
Organizations of all types, and especially those that provide direct social services, are frequently met with a lack of community support and even downright opposition. To counteract NIMBY attitudes, a two-step framework is presented for proactive community engagement that will build local support.
A Beginner’s Guide to Lobbying for Nonprofits
Many nonprofit leaders don’t know that lobbying is 100% legal for nonprofits. Here are four steps nonprofits can take now to get smarter about lobbying: accept the importance of lobbying, get the facts, meet with officials, and join a trade association.
Against the Current: Jose “Che” Ramirez
For close to 25 years, I worked in the basement of America’s largest homeless shelter, where we built D.C. Central Kitchen into the model program it is today. But no matter how efficient and impactful we were, we still operated amongst the chaos and co …
NextGen Nexus: Election Year Messages Nonprofits Can Use
As national elections drawn near, many are looking at data and wondering: what will it take to get Generation Z (Gen Z), young Americans born after 1996 just after the Millennials, into the voting booth? Research indicates they’re as excited to …
Political Polarization & Nonprofits: How Can You Bridge the Divide?
How does political polarization impact your nonprofit? This desire to do what is right is what binds us to each other.
Finding Your Voice As a Nonprofit
In these tumultuous political times, the nonprofit community has started asking important questions: What is our responsibility to speak out on behalf of our staff, clients, and community? How do we advocate for them without violating our 501(c)(3) sta …
The Gentrification Phenomenon: A Nonprofit Dilemma
A Saturday morning walk through the Lower West Side (“Pilsen”) community of Chicago may trick you into thinking you’ve accidentally stumbled across the southern U.S. border. The sidewalks are crowded with pop-up artisan markets, stands selling homemade …
Financial Focus: You Told Us
In our April issue, we asked you to offer your thoughts on how the current political landscape will affect your organization’s funding. Your answers weren’t surprising, but they weren’t optimistic either. That’s understandable. It’s tough …
Editor’s Note
Welcome to the latest Blue Avocado! As a longtime reader, I’m thrilled to be serving as guest editor. I know that I’ve often used Blue Avocado as a resource, a reminder, and a refuge during those stressful nonprofit emergencies, and I’m happy to presen …
Point-Counterpoint: Too Much Influence or Not Enough – Should Nonprofits Be Allowed to Support Political Candidates?
After signaling his intentions to do so at the National Prayer Breakfast in February, on May 4, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at weakening the Johnson Amendment, an act that has received mixed reaction from the nonprofit world. …
