A Complaint Free World

These days, it can be quite easy to grouse about how difficult things are.  It makes me recall the Noah principle:  Instead of whining about how much it is raining, let’s go about the business of building boats.

Getting to Noah’s point of view can be difficult and that’s where Will Bowen, a Kansas City minister, comes in.  He came up with the concept of the complaint free world.

His idea is a sort of game.  Wear a purple bracelet.  Each time you complain, switch wrists.  Tim Ferris modified these rules to switching wrists each time you describe an event or person negatively without indicating next steps to fix the problem. Plus, switch wrists each time you use a four-letter word.  The goal is to reach twenty-one days without having to change wrists.

With foul weather today, which in fact includes rain, I am going to be about building boats.  I have a purple bracelet on my left wrist and started a quest to twenty-one days.

I have nine more bracelets waiting for people ready to join me in this challenge.  Put your request in the comment section if you want to give it a shot, and I will figure out how to get you your own bracelet.

Follow the blog and I will keep you posted on my progress.  I am interested in your progress, too.  Hopefully with complaint-free minds, we will invent the solutions that will make the world have less to complain about.

Smaller government means larger role for local Nonprofit Organizations

Washington’s Governor Chris Gregoire released her proposed budget December 15, 2010.  In the opening Message from the Governor, she states:

The safety net will be stretched thin in some places and eliminated entirely in other places.  For the functions that government no longer will be able to provide, we must turn to neighbors, private charities, faith-based organizations and other local programs.  Our communities, more than ever, will be asked to step up.

Gov. Gregoire’s forecast is a reality the Foundation is already seeing in area communities.  With reductions or eliminations in cash and medical assistance from Department of Human and Social Services to expiration of long-term unemployment benefits, more people are looking for help from local charities.

So, what is the best way for our community to help people stay on their feet?  Comments welcome.

Which version of the 990 does my organization need to file?

Do you know which Form 990-series return you are required to file for the 2010 tax year?  The 990 filing thresholds for the year 2010 and later (filed in 2011 and later) will change as follows for all organizations required to file a 990-series return:

  • Organizations with gross receipts normally < $50,000 must file Form 990-N (but may choose to file a complete Form 990 or Form 990-EZ).  In prior years only organizations with gross receipts normally < $25,000 could file the Form 990-N (“e-postcard”).
  • Organizations with gross receipts > $50,000 and  < $200,000 and total assets < $500,000 must file Form 990-EZ or a complete Form 990.
  • Organizations with gross receipts > $200,000 or total assets > $500,000 must file Form 990.
  • Private foundations must file Form 990-PF.

BMCF Donors Establish the “Golden Onion Award” to Recognize Educator Excellence

Mike and Sue Gillespie established the Gillespie Teacher Development Fund recently as a way to recognize and support outstanding area teachers. Read the Walla Walla Public Schools article for the touching story of Sue Gillespie’s tribute to her husband and to their forty-five year marriage.

Are you Ready for Strategic Planning? Free Consulting Services for WW Valley NonProfits!

The Walla Walla Community College’s NonProfit Learning Center is partnering with consultant, Jan McGowan, in offering assistance to non-profit directors as they prepare for the strategic planning process. Applications must be submitted by Friday, December 3rd. Questions? Call Jan at (541) 549-1971 or (503) 709-1148, or email her at jan@janmcgowan.com. Happy planning!