Newsbytes

This issue’s “Newsbytes” spotlights a recent U.S. Supreme Court case striking down a California law requiring nonprofits to file a list of their large donors with the state and other states’ attempts to limit donor disclosure requirements. It reviews Amazon’s 2021 AWS Imagine Grant program to help nonprofits access its tools and explains how Charity Navigator’s website allows visitors to locate volunteer opportunities in their communities.

States move to block donor disclosure requirements

In June 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law requiring nonprofits to file a list of their large donors with the state. But some states didn’t wait to see how the Court would rule in the case. According to The NonProfit Times, at least 10 states have considered legislation that would limit donor disclosure requirements.

For example, South Dakota passed a law prohibiting the state’s executive branch from requiring “any annual filing or reporting of a nonprofit corporation or charitable trust that is more stringent, restrictive, or expansive than that required by state or federal law.” The state also banned requirements that nonprofits provide “personal affiliation information” on any supporter. Similarly, a North Carolina bill would declare the identity of nonprofit donors confidential. The provision would specifically apply to information in IRS filings, including Form 990.

How Amazon’s expanding its nonprofit grant program

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched its 2021 AWS Imagine Grant program to help nonprofits access its tools. The program recognizes that nonprofits often lack funding for foundational IT projects that may be viewed as overhead or administrative expenses.

This year, the program is expanding to offer two new award categories so more nonprofits can receive support based on their organizational goals and the stages they’re in on their “technology adoption journey.” The Momentum to Modernize award provides resources, including up to $30,000 in unrestricted funding, for foundational technology projects, such as migrating servers to the cloud and expanding infrastructure.

The Go Further, Faster award provides support for large-scale projects that leverage the cloud, with the potential to impact an entire industry or field. They include projects incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning. Awards include up to $150,000 in unrestricted cash support.

Need volunteers? Charity Navigator offers a new solution

The nonprofit evaluation website Charity Navigator has partnered with Golden, a volunteer management software company, to give site visitors a way to locate volunteer opportunities in their communities. Visitors can browse thousands of listings filtered by location, availability and targeted keywords, as well as view an organization’s Charity Navigator ratings.

Nonprofits can register for free access to Golden to post their open volunteer positions, receive signups, schedule volunteers and track productivity through the automated data collection of volunteer hours. Paid and custom memberships come with enhanced features.

For example, one plan includes access to comprehensive volunteer profiles, the ability to export data and priority email support. Another plan includes integration with specific customer relationship management software and priority support. Custom plans provide dashboards, a signup window for an organization’s own website and custom data points.