Whatcom Council of Nonprofits

Building relationships, sharing resources, and communicating the vital roles of nonprofit organizations in Whatcom County

WCN's Upcoming Events

WCN eNEWS UPDATE
WCN eNEWs will be produced once every two weeks through August 2nd.  We will be taking a break in August and return on September 13th, so no eNews will be sent during August. (Posted 6/21/10)


WASHINGTON NONPROFITS SURVEY

Until recently, Washington state was one of only 11 states without a statewide nonprofit association. Other state's associations have been successful in helping nonprofits garner federal grants, in changing state laws to benefit nonprofits, offering stable cost health care plans, and many other services that make nonprofits stronger. We now have a nonprofit state association in Washington! The association, Washington Nonprofits, has been supported in early planning by modest foundation grants. The planning team is composed of individuals from across the state.

Please have ONE PERSON in your organization take 5-7 minutes to complete this survey which will help the new state association provide services that matter to organizations you care about. The information will help create a plan for action grounded in sustainability and service to members. This survey is anonymous; no responses will be identified with an individual. Please complete the survey by Friday, July 30, 2010. Thank you prizes! Enter the random drawing at the end of the survey for a chance to win! Survey link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7GYJSK


WCN Web 2.0 Roundtable

3:00 p.m. Second Tuesday of the month
at the Public Market seating area, 1530 Cornwall, Bellingham 
Are you utilizing Web 2.0 platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote your organization and engage with the community? A monthly special-interest gathering of nonprofit Web 2.0 experimentialists. Converse with other nonprofits using these tools, share best practices, discuss strategies and more. Bring your laptops, smartphones and any other gadget you can't live without. Free wifi; handicap accessible. (Posted 6/10/2010)

News & Views

MORE about these News and Views...

Washington Nonprofits Formed (Posted 2-2010) A new state association has been formed in 2010 that will provide Washington’s 50,000+ nonprofits with representation in state and federal policy decisions.

December 2009 Report on Nonprofit Capacity (Posted 3-2010) Philanthropy Northwest recently released a report on nonprofit capacity building and needs in Washington State, including Whatcom County data.

LOSS OF TAX EXEMPT STATUS (Posted 5/12/2010) May 15 Deadline.... are you on the endangered list? According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are 7,663 organizations in Washington State that are at risk of losing their tax-exempt status if they don't file a Form 990 (or request an extension) by May 15 of this year. This is the new consequence of not filing a Form 990 with the IRS for the last 3 years. LOCAL FUNDERS SPEARHEAD SURVEY OF

LOCAL NEEDS (Posted 5/12/2010) This month the Whatcom Community Foundation, United Way of Whatcom County, and the St. Luke's Foundation and other members of the Whatcom Funders Alliance will conduct a survey of local nonprofit organizations gathering information on the effects the economic downturn is having on the nonprofit community and the people they serve.

Sponsors

The Whatcom Coalition for Healthy Communities
The Mary Redman Foundation
Whatcom Community Foundation
Bellingham Public Library

Nonprofit Highlight

Amy's Place

Serving 124 different youth since the beginning of 2010.
Amy's Place is a drop in center for street involved youth. Most of the youth attending the Center are chemically dependent and/or have a mental illness. These youth and children are in dire need.


Imagine your nonprofit featured here and on WhatcomCounts.org!

We can highlight your organization as the Nonprofit Highlight of the Week on the WCN website AND on WhatcomCounts.org. All you have to do is respond to this short survey at 
Get to Know a Local Resource. When the next available slot is open, it will be your organization's time to shine!