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JANUARY 2021

In Memoriam: Trula Nicholas

Shared by: John Korsmo

It is with sorrow that I relate the news of the passing of dear friend and colleague, Dr. Trula Nicholas. Trula passed away on Sunday, Nov. 8, after complications associated with a stroke suffered two weeks prior. She is survived by Tom, her husband of 40 years; her daughter, Amelia; and four siblings.

Whether you knew Trula in her role as a professor in the Human Services Program at Western or through her committed engagement in our nonprofit community, you no doubt were influenced by her contagious booming laughter, her high spirit, and her championing of human rights and dignity. She had a passionate and undying commitment to the pursuit of social justice and to the building of community through collaboration with others that was sparked and sustained by her early years.

Trula was born on June 23^rd, 1955, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where her father was attending college. After he graduated, the family moved to her mother’s home town of Louisville, where her father began working for the YMCA. Every four years or so, her dad would accept a position at another YMCA, so Trula grew up in a succession of cities—first, Louisville; then Camden, New Jersey; then Detroit; and finally Seattle. Trula often reflected that she literally grew up in the Y and frequently discussed her early years watching her parents’ commitment to the communities they lived and the nonprofit sector’s roles in each of those locations as foundational to her own academic and career aspirations.

In 1973, Trula enrolled at WWU, ultimately earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in psychology. She and her husband, Tom enjoyed travel and exploration, and lived for various lengths of time in San Francisco, Avignon, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where her father had grown up and where her daughter, Amelia was born. In 1983 they returned to Bellingham, where Trula and Tom became house parents in a group home. That was the first of a series of human services jobs that Trula held in the Bellingham area before being asked to teach part-time in the Human Services Program at Western in the fall of 1993. She became a full-time faculty member the following year and later went on to earn her EdD from Nova Southeastern University, where she focused on her interests in systems thinking and Chaos Theory.

Trula touched thousands of lives through her tireless advocacy and leadership on issues of dignity and equity throughout our region for decades. Trula was also a founding board member of Washington Nonprofits where she shared her wisdom, compassion & dedication to nonprofits throughout Washington State. Her students, colleagues, and the greater community will dearly miss the impact she had in creating positive community change. But most of all perhaps, I personally miss her warmth, her smile, her compassion, her incredible dedication to her students, and her fervent desire to make our communities better. Better for all of us, but especially for our most marginalized communities.

You are invited to the virtual Igniting Philanthropy Nonprofit Sector Social!

Thursday, January 28, 2021 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm on Zoom

This annual event is a networking reception for nonprofit staff, board members, and volunteers learn about upcoming 2021 Igniting Philanthropy programs and to connect with, learn from, and commiserate with colleagues who are facing the same challenges you are.

This will be a fun and low-key event with a goal of sustaining and improving the effectiveness and impact of our organizations. There will also be time to hear your ideas about topics and people to bring to Igniting Philanthropy programs in 2021.

The event is free and open to the public.

Register Here

The Whatcom Community Foundation Youth Philanthropy Fund for Environment now Accepting Grant Applications

The Youth Philanthropy Project helps high school students develop personal and professional skills needed by the next generation of community leaders. Students form a leadership committee, volunteer, research, visit with local nonprofit organizations, solicit grant proposals and make funding decisions. They learn about local needs and distribute grants up to $2500 from the Community Foundation to benefit the environment.

Grant applications are due by Tuesday, February 16, at 4pm.

Click here to apply!

The WWU SBDC is offering assistance in applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to nonprofits in Whatcom County

The PPP has been a lifeblood for many local businesses and we are excited to be able to connect our nonprofit sector to this great opportunity for pandemic financial relief. PPP applicants may contact the WWU SBDC office at (360) 778-1762 or sbdc@wwu.edu to arrange a free and confidential appointment with a certified business advisor. Please let the program specialist know you are calling from a nonprofit or put 'Nonprofit' in the subject line of your email.

Neighborhood Funders Group
Power Building and Equity: Rural Electric Cooperatives.
January 25, 2021
9:00am - 10:00am PST

Join Neighborhood’s Funders Group Integrated Rural Strategies Group in partnership with Clean Energy Works to learn how rural communities of color are using democratic participation strategies to drive Rural Electric Coops (RECs) toward more equitable leadership and inclusive investment. The implications for RECs and their power-building potential are many, encompassing climate justice, democracy, and equitable access to health, education, and quality employment.

Register Here

Join Washington Nonprofits for the kickoff event of their monthly campaign to connect Washington Legislators with nonprofits from across the state!

Our state legislators and Congressional delegation need to hear from nonprofits. Join in as they work to organize 100 visits between nonprofits and their elected officials during the month of February. Washington Nonprofits provides support, a script and everything you need to have a successful visit. Your participation ensures that your representatives hear your story and know how they can act to keep the nonprofit sector healthy.

Nonprofit Voices Kickoff Event
Monday, February 1, 2021
12:00PM - 1:00PM (Pacific Time)
Online via Washington Nonprofits

WECU Offers Education First Grants

Whether it’s supporting a good cause or providing financial education resources where they are needed, WECU is deeply committed to its mission of making a meaningful difference in the lives of our members and the communities we serve. Currently, the letter of intent deadline for the Education First grant program is January 31, 2020.

Please visit wecu.com/educationfirst to download the 2021 RFP and submit a virtual letter of intent.

Learn more About Donor Acknowledgements at a Free Lunch and Learn with Madchen Petrie of Larson Gross

Feb 2, 2021 | 12 - 1pm

Join Madchen Petrie, Larson Gross CPA and Nonprofit specialist as she discusses rules for donors including acknowledgments, memberships and special events.

Now that 2020 is (finally) behind us, it’s time to acknowledge our donors and make sure they are able to take tax deductions for their generous donations. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy for a nonprofit to navigate what their responsibilities are for communicating to donors, what’s deductible and what isn’t, or when deductions can and cannot be taken.

Madchen will be going over these questions, as well as a few tricky accounting areas such as memberships and special events, which often can have a contribution component.
More information available here.

Insurgency, Nonprofits, and Democracy

Charitable nonprofits are champions of democracy at home and abroad, typically serving as safe havens for people to gather away from toxic partisanship and engage in addressing community needs. Thus, it was fitting and proper for nonprofits to denounce the politically sanctioned insurrection seen in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, a day that will live in ignominy. The National Council of Nonprofits issued the following statement that day:

“America’s charitable organizations are united in opposition to the actions of the mob that stormed the ultimate symbol of democracy, the U.S. Capitol. The First Amendment protects the right to peaceably assemble and to petition government for a redress of grievances. It does not protect those who planned, participated, and incited a mob to act with violence rather than act peacefully and delivered insurrection instead of petitions. As we all take a step back and call for calm, we should also resolve to hold violators accountable for their unlawful actions to prevent further outbreaks. In a democracy, disagreement is natural. Debate is healthy. But violence and mob rule are unacceptable.”

A Nonprofit Agenda for Additional COVID Relief

Incoming President Biden and congressional Democratic leaders have made clear they intend to move quickly to enact additional COVID legislation to provide relief to individuals and to help stimulate the economy. The National Council of Nonprofits continues to promote the following nonprofit priorities that are based on the Nonprofit Community Letter signed by more than 4,100 nonprofits from all 50 states and additional communications.

Provide Full Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Increase the federal unemployment insurance reimbursement for reimbursing (self-insured) nonprofits to 100% of costs and extend relief through at least the third quarter of 2021.
Expand Nonprofit Access to PPP Loans: Expand the Paycheck Protection Program to provide forgivable loans to nonprofits with more than 500 employees and revise the nonprofit eligibility criteria for PPP Second Draw loans to eliminate the requirement that these organizations serving their communities must suffer a 25% decline in gross receipts.
Strengthen Charitable Giving Incentives: Increase and make permanent the above-the-line or universal charitable deduction in the new COVID relief law.
State and Local Aid: Nonprofits recognize the need and endorse providing substantial federal aid to state and local governments to help cover lost revenues during the pandemic and avoid layoffs and cuts to essential programs and services.
Liability Protections: Charitable organizations recognize the need for stringent standards for operating safely and believe that entities that take all reasonable steps to reopen safely should receive protections from litigation.

The Equity Learning Collective is excited to announce registration for their winter session! They will focus on identifying strengths and weaknesses as leaders for equity with the goal of identifying specific areas that we can each develop using the “Critical Skills for Inclusion Partners” checklist by Kathy Obear.

This series is open to the larger non-profit and higher education community. Each quarter is focused on a particular “change for equity” resource, which participants analyze through collective conversation about how the concepts intersect with our work and our lives. Meetings are online through zoom.

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Visit whatcomabc.org/crn to view past newsletters.