NPAction Update
Vol 2, Issue 10
05/11//2004

Welcome to this week's edition of the NPAction Update.

You are receiving this newsletter as requested during your registration with NPAction.org. To unsubscribe, send an email to npaction@npaction.org.


In this issue:
*What's New*
*Current Poll*
*Featured Article*
*Featured Forum*
*Featured Resource Links*


*What's New*

The N-TEN Forecast has published an interesting article about technology and privacy rights in the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits increasingly engage in activities that can compromise privacy (selling items on their websites, collecting data on users, etc) in the absence of any legal privacy guidelines. This lack of regulation, the authors argue, will eventually be called on by lawmakers, so it is wise for the sector to self-regulate immediately, especially as the public becomes more aware of the privacy issues that technology brings.

"Privacy: More Access and Information Equals More Responsibility"
http://nten.typepad.com/forecast/2004/03/privacy_more_ac.html



*Current Poll*

As everyone gears up for election season, we ask if your organization has ever engaged in any election-related activities. Vote on this week's poll, continuously displayed on the right hand side of the site (just don't try to vote twice!!)

The results from last issue's poll are in, and 100% of respondents say they use email to contact policymakers.


Here's your chance to ask a question you've wanted to ask other nonprofits, but couldn't figure out how. Send your idea for a poll to npaction@npaction.org.

Past Poll Results
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/207



*Featured Article*

This issue's featured article focuses on the Federal Volunteer Protection act, passed in 1997. The intent of the law is to provide some legal protection for nonprofit volunteers (including board members and trustees) for acts performed in the course of their volunteer duties to the nonprofit. The article gives a brief overview of the law and explains ways for organizations to maximize its benefits.

"The Federal Volunteer Protection Act"
http://www.npaction.org/article/articleview/420/1/153/


Remember that you can rate and comment on most NPAction articles by clicking the "New Comment" button at the end of an article.



*Featured Forum*

Is the US headed towards tyranny? Michael Gilbert of the Nonprofit Online News thinks so, and he says that the nonprofit sector has a duty to stand up for the rights of their clients, and the rights of the People. Citing such things as the PATRIOT Act, an increasingly secretive administration, the infiltration of community groups by local police, and the push for zero-accountability electronic voting, Gilbert sees a steady march toward autocratic rule. He also states that the nonprofit sector is in a unique position to be keepers of the civil and democratic framework of our form of government.

Whether or not you agree that the country is on its way to tyranny, the article raises some very thought-provoking ideas about the role of the nonprofit sector as the keeper of democracy's torch.

Are we marching toward tyranny? Can the nonprofit sector stop it? Is the nonprofit sector a vital balance to government power?

Discuss in the forums!

Tyranny and the Nonprofit Sector:
http://www.npaction.org/forum/message/134/

All NPAction Forums
http://www.npaction.org/forum/categorylist



*Featured Resource Links*

The NPAction Resource Links Directory is a human-edited compendium of tools and references, contributed by nonprofits for nonprofits.

One of the most difficult things an organization can find itself having to do is hiring an executive director. This .pdf document presents a step by step process for evaluating an organization's needs, and then finding the director that fits those needs.

"Hiring a Director for a Nonprofit Agency: A Step-by-Step Guide"
http://www.iog.unc.edu/pubs/electronicversions/pg/pgsum00/article4.pdf

More Nonprofit Management Links:
http://www.npaction.org/link/category/196/


Our second link is a organization dedicated to providing criticism, praise, and analysis of the Department of Justice's actions. The Department of Justice plays a major role in not only enforcing, but also shaping, the nation's policies, through litigation, investigation and enforcement of our laws, but is not often recognized as a power-broker in its own right.

"Watching Justice
http://www.watchingjustice.org/


Suggest a Resource Link
http://www.npaction.org/link/suggestlink



*"Steal This Code": Put NPAction on Your Site*

NPAction invites organizations to share our tools on their websites. Choose a logo that best meets your needs, whether you want to link to our site, incorporate our search engine with results from a range of nonprofit sources, add the ability to connect to federal lawmakers and national media, or state-level policymakers and media. Just copy the HTML code from our site, and you're ready to go (but when you steal the code, just let us know!).

"Steal the Code" today
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/208


*NPAction Update Archives*
http://www.npaction.org/article/archive/210/


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NPAction, an online resource hosted by OMB Watch, provides access to tools and information for nonprofit advocacy from a wide range of organizational partners and sources in order to encourage greater participation by nonprofits in the policy arena. Funding for this project was provided by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

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