March 7: Happy Birthday to Poet and Activist Amanda Gorman!

[Nonprofits Need Gift Acceptance Policies]

March 7, 2025 Born on this day in 1998, Amanda Gorman was just 22 years-old when she became the youngest U.S. inaugural poet at the 2021 swearing-in of President Joe Biden. She has said that she drew inspiration for her poem, “The…

On March 6, 1945, Iowan George Nissen patents the trampoline

Iowa Nonprofits Need to Jump Into Adopting and Implementing a Flexible-But-Firm Document Retention Policy

March 6, 2025 Iowa native George Nissen built his first "tumbling device" in 1934 out of angle iron, canvas, and rubber springs. He perfected the contraption, renamed it the "trampoline," after the Spanish word for springboard. On March 6,…

March 5, 1770: The Boston Massacre

And, The “Must-Have” Conflict of Interest Policy in Nonprofit Governance

March 5, 2025 On March 5, 1770, a group of American colonists gathered outside Boston's Custom House on King Street and began taunting the British private who was guarding it. The soldier sent word to his regiment that he needed backup,…

March Fourth (Forth)!

Your Fave Iowa Nonprofits MUST Adopt These Ten (10) Policies

March 4, 2025 I. INTRODUCTION The date that is also a command: MARCH FOURTH! Your fave Iowa Nonprofit MUST Adopt these Ten (10) “must-have” polices. II. IRS FORM 990 Every nonprofit, every year, must complete and file a version of Form…

With Lots of Help From My Friends:

On March 3, 1887, Helen Keller Meets Her Teacher Anne Sullivan

Teach Your Nonprofit to Adopt Ten (10) Policies

March 3, 2025 On this date in 1887, Anne Sullivan began teaching six (6) year-old Helen Keller, who lost both her sight and hearing after a severe illness as an infant. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, including her pioneering “touch teaching”…

In Honor of the Birthday of Dr. Seuss

A Special Rhyme for Iowa Nonprofits About the Importance of a Compensation Policy

March 2, 2025 The nonprofit didn't plan. It had no policy for pay. So folks never knew What might happen one day. And then it arrived! A plan for the pay! And not just a plan, a policy — hooray! It was clear! It was fair! It…