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October 20, 2026 |
Tips, ideas, stories and grants for nonprofit leaders.
A 5-minute read
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Nov 3Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, two weeks from today. A 501(c)(3) can run a nonpartisan voter registration or get-out-the-vote drive, but it can't support or oppose any candidate, directly or indirectly. The IRS on campaign activity
Donors 70½ or older can give up to $111,000 in 2026 straight from an IRA to a charity, and the gift generally isn't taxed as income. For a donor who must take a required minimum distribution, it can count toward it. IRS Notice 2025-67
A gift from an IRA needs the same written acknowledgment as any other gift. Send one even though the money came from the IRA, not the donor's checking account. IRS Publication 590-B
Dec 17Holiday cards going First-Class Mail should be in the mail by Thursday, December 17, for expected delivery before December 25, according to the Postal Service's 2026 holiday dates. USPS holiday shipping dates
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Volunteer hours are about to count for Medicaid
Starting no later than January 1, 2027, adults ages 19 to 64 who get Medicaid through the expansion will have to show at least 80 hours a month of work, community service or other qualifying activity to keep their coverage, unless an exception applies. Volunteering with your organization can count.
The federal rule puts a condition on you, not only on the volunteer. Community service counts when the organization oversees the work and has "a process in place to track the community service completed by individuals, including the type of community service activity, dates and hours the community service is completed, and a point of contact who can confirm the hours completed." The work also can't serve a partisan purpose.
When a state asks for proof, the documentation the rule describes includes your organization's name and address, a description of the work, the dates and hours, and the name and phone number or email of someone who can confirm them.
States can start earlier, and a state granted an exemption can start later, so check your own state's date. People already enrolled are checked at their first renewal after their state begins, and that is when the requests will reach you.
What to do this week: name the person who will confirm volunteer hours, and make sure your sign-in sheet or system records each volunteer's dates, hours and what they did. Then try printing one volunteer's month. If that takes more than a few minutes, fix it before the first request arrives.
The federal rule
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The Awesome Foundation: $1,000, no strings
Local chapters give $1,000 grants, usually every month, "on a no-strings-attached basis to people and groups working on awesome projects." Anyone is eligible, "individuals, groups, and organizations alike." Have three short answers ready: what the project is, how you'll use the money, and a little about yourself. It generally passes on existing efforts that a small grant wouldn't change much. Pick the chapter nearest you on the form.
Apply
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Always open: Canva Nonprofits gives registered 501(c)(3)s "all Canva Pro premium features, plus team collaboration tools," free for up to 50 users. How to apply
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A free closet that will buy the coat in your size
In November 2024, Jodi Fleurie-Wohlleb opened the Re-Treasured Community Closet in her hometown of Groton, Vermont. It gives away clothing and household goods and stocks food, including meat and fresh produce, with room to sit, drink coffee and have a free snack.
Many of the goods are donated. When someone asks for something specific, like a winter coat in a certain size, the nonprofit will buy it. It also partners with the Vermont Foodbank for free or discounted items.
"We're really committed to ensuring that our community is well taken care of in a very geographically isolated place," she told Seven Days.
The lesson for a director: a donated-goods program gives out what it happened to receive. A small budget for specific requests lets it give people what they asked for.
Seven Days' report
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Turn on auto-renew for your web address
If your domain name expires, the website and email that run on it stop working. ICANN requires your registrar to send two renewal reminders, about a month and a week before expiration, so make sure they reach someone who still works with you. Log in to your registrar, turn on auto-renew, and check the card on file. Let a name lapse long enough and it can be released for anyone to register.
ICANN's renewal FAQ
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