Keeping Communities Afloat

Keeping Communities Afloat the afternoon. Chaminade Professor Richard Kido discussed board governance and responsibility and Linda Axtell-Thompson, principal of Axtell Consulting LLC and adjunct faculty member at Chaminade, followed later in the afternoon with a presentation on governance ethics. CLOSE TO 200 COMMUNITY LEADERS The lunchtime session featured Thomas Kelly, GATHERED ONLINE FOR CHAMINADE’S Jr., an expert in nonprofit program evaluation who joined the Hawaii Community Foundation as vice 17TH ANNUAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZA- president for knowledge, evaluation and learning TIONS SEMINAR ON AUGUST 14. in 2012, after spending 13 years managing evaluations at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. Kelly walked participants through how While the event has become an annual staple to evaluate program impacts, and then how to of Chaminade’s School of Business and use those impacts to communicate successes to Communication, this year’s seminar felt even constituents and donors. more timely and served as a testament to the “Donors are interested to know how well a incredible work that nonprofits across the state nonprofit is performing, how much progress it’s do to protect the most vulnerable communities making and whether it’s contributing positively during times of need. to the community,” explained Kelly. “If a nonprofit

“It is a challenging time right now for actually spends the time to report out its impact nonprofits,” says Dr. Bill Rhey, the new dean and measures of progress and success, then it can of the School of Business and Communication actually influence donors to invest in them.” at Chaminade University. Under the leadership This message was particularly relevant today, of the seminar’s board, the school waived this as the fundraising landscape for nonprofits looks year’s registration fee and offered the seminar vastly different than it did a year ago. In 2019, free of charge. “With all of the uncertainty the U.S. was the most charitable country in the around COVID-19, many nonprofits are world, with 175 million Americans donating to stretched thin—they’re working longer, harder charities. Nonprofits accounted for $2.5 trillion in hours with fewer resources and more risks to revenue and employed nearly 12 million people. keep their communities afloat. This event was But according to a recent poll by LendingTree, our way of telling the community that we see 15 percent of donors have paused donations due you, we hear you and we’re here to support you.” to income loss, and five percent have decreased

The all-day event called on well-known the amount they contribute. And a March survey speakers from across the state to help nonprofit by QuickBooks found that 47 percent of donors leaders stay abreast of new changes and were giving less than they were a month ago. develop new skills and techniques for running Stories about nonprofit layoffs and furloughs due their organizations. The morning focused on to revenue loss are plenty. Yet, at the same time, relevant financial updates for organizations. many nonprofits are seeing an increase in demand Trever K. Asam, partner at Cades Schutte, followed for resources and programs as communities the tradition of seminars past in presenting struggle to navigate the economic downturn. his annual IRS Federal Tax Update and helped “As a Marianist institution, it is our listeners understand recent developments for responsibility to serve our community,” says tax-exempt and nonprofit organizations. He was Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade followed by Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax University. “Right now our community is facing a Foundation of Hawaii, who explained how to tremendous economic crisis with no foreseeable apply and respond to new tax laws. end. We are forever grateful to the nonprofit

The technical sessions of the morning were leaders and workers who are serving on the followed by more high-level conversations front lines during this crisis, and it is our duty to around governance and program evaluation in support them during this time of need.”