At least one National Hockey League team with a Russian player on its roster has decided against wearing special warmup jerseys to commemorate Pride Night because of a Russian law that expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ rights.

The Chicago Blackhawks will not wear Pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday’s Pride Night game against Vancouver, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press, because of security concerns involving the law that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in December.

The decision was made by the NHL organization following discussions with security officials within and outside the franchise, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the move.

The decision comes at at time when Russian players have walked a careful line since the invasion of Ukraine, with some cautiously speaking out against the war even with family members still living in Russia. Last year, Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov ran into several roadblocks in his attempt to travel back to the U.S., raising concerns about his safety.

Chicago defenseman Nikita Zaitsev is a Moscow native, and there are other players with family in Russia or other connections to the country.

The Blackhawks have previously worn Pride warmup jerseys and donned special warmup jerseys on some other themed nights this season. There had been ongoing conversations with players about Pride jerseys prior to the decision, according to the person who talked to the AP.

The Florida Panthers — whose star goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, is Russian — planned to go forward with plans to wear the jerseys Thursday night before their home game against Toronto.

The jerseys are just one part of many initiatives Florida built into its annual event. The Panthers will also auction off the jerseys, then match whatever money is raised and donate to nonprofits that work with the LGBTQ community.

“As an organization, we’ve decided, and rightfully so, to move forward with it and support it and celebrate it,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “Teams around the league and players around the league, they’ve got the right to their opinion, and we’ve got the right to ours. But I’ve seen the sweaters. They’re great looking, and it should be a great night tonight.”

Earlier this season, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take part in warmups with Pride-themed jerseys, but both cited religious beliefs, not the Russian law. Russians Nikolai Knyzhov and Alexander Barabanov wore the Pride-themed jerseys for the Sharks on Saturday.

The New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night in January despite previously advertising that plan.

While Chicago will go without Pride warmup jerseys this year, the team has planned a variety of activities in conjunction with Sunday’s game. DJs from the LGBTQ community will play before the game and during an intermission, and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus is slated to perform. There also are plans to highlight a couple of area businesses with ties to the LGBTQ community.

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AP Sports Writers Josh Dubow and Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving will provide 250 $1 million unrestricted operating gifts to small nonprofits. The application process is now open, with awardees expected to be announced early next year. Scott will also provide $500 gifts through her donor-advised fund for each eligible applicant that satisfactorily completes the required peer-review step of the process.

Acknowledging the disproportionate amount of giving going to larger organizations, Scott’s open call, announced this week, aims to reach smaller nonprofits with the greatest need and access to the fewest foundational resources and opportunities. 

Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that has influenced more than $1 billion in grants to 145 organizations, is managing the effort.

“This Open Call is designed to empower and strengthen communities across the United States that are often overlooked,” Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change, said in a statement. “We are looking for organizations that are making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. The awards will recognize teams that demonstrate the potential to make progress toward reducing disparities in health, education, economic outcomes, and other critical issues.”

This is the first time Scott is seeking direct input from nonprofits. Her team previously researched potential nonprofit awardees quietly. Her gifts were only made public when nonprofits announced them — that is until she released a database to improve transparency around her giving, which has totaled more than $14 billion since 2020. 

The internal research on Scott’s end was done, in part, to limit the burden on the organizations she sought to fund. While the open call application is required to be considered for her upcoming round of $1 million unrestricted gifts, there is no financial or narrative reporting required after receiving the award. Scott has become known to do her due diligence up front and then trust the organization to make the best decision for how the money is spent. 

“We are excited to be partnering with Lever for Change to create this new pathway to support for organizations making positive change in their communities,” Scott said in a statement. “Teams on the front lines of challenges have insights no one else can offer, so there are three big headlines here in my heart: Community changemakers can nominate themselves. Community changemakers get feedback from their peers. Community changemakers have a powerful role in funding decisions.”

Open Call Eligibility and Guidelines

U.S. nonprofits and territories with an annual operating budget ranging from $1 million to $5 million in at least two of the past four fiscal years are eligible to apply. However, organizations, as well as affiliates of those organizations, that previously received gifts from Scott are not eligible. Organizations also must have been in existence for at least three years and do 90% of their work within the U.S. and its territories.

Organizations will be judged based on a predetermined scoring process that aims to reduce assessment bias. The scoring rubric focuses on equity, track record, community leadership and team capacity. 

Scott is aiming to benefit organizations whose mission aids in improving individuals, families and communities by providing access to healthcare, affordable housing, education, job training and employment, asset ownership or civic engagement. Those in need may include people who are:

• From marginalized, historically oppressed racial and ethnic groups.
• Immigrants and migrants.
• Affected by justice system involvement.
• Survivors of crime, abuse, conflict, war and/or disasters.
• LGBTQ.
• From marginalized gender identities.
• Disabled.
• Income-constrained.
• Experiencing poverty in areas with low economic mobility and access to supporting resources.

In its frequently asked questions, Yield Giving cautioned that the strongest applicants will be organizations providing its constituents with services, resources and opportunities that allow them to substantially improve their well-being.

“Organizations that work primarily to meet community members’ basic needs, including providing food, clothing, short-term emergency relief, and/or temporary shelter are unlikely to be a good fit for this Open Call,” according to Yield Giving. 

Open Call Timeline

May 5, 2023. Interested nonprofits must complete a short, approximately 15-minute registration process by May 5 at 4 p.m. CDT.

June 12, 2023. Interested nonprofits must submit an application, which Yield Giving estimates could take 10 hours or more, by June 12 at 4 p.m. CDT. The application includes succinct descriptions of the nonprofit’s work; community; approach; team; community involvement; diversity, equity and inclusion; impact projection; and more. It also requires a 90-second or shorter video and a financial picture, including an audited financial statement.

June to July 2023. Submitted applications will be reviewed to confirm eligibility.

July to August 2023. Other applicants will be required to score five fellow applicants, but for each organization satisfactorily completing those assessments, Scott will recommend a $500 donor-advised fund contribution.

September to October 2023. An external evaluation panel consisting of consultants, educators, foundation staff, among others, will evaluate the top 1,000 peer-reviewed finalists this fall. Each application will receive at least five assessments.

November to February 2024. Scott and her team will select up to 250 awardees from among the highest rated. 

March 2024. The awards will be announced.

Find Yield Giving’s Open Call registration and application here.

The Jewish World recently wrapped up JDAIM, Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, which has been marked each February since 2009 to raise awareness about the need for all Jews to be accepted and included in all aspects of Jewish communal life. Leading two Taglit Birthright Israel trips in two months has provided an interesting window in to just how far we have mostly come in the United States and in Israel in attitudes and policies towards people with disabilities.

First, it is important to note that Birthright has been including people with developmental, intellectual and sensory disabilities and such medical issues as inflammatory bowel disease for over a decade (see.) Our recent December Autism Spectrum Disorder trip (formerly known as the Birthright Asperger’s trip) even included two young Israeli men on the autism spectrum who are currently doing their National Service. Their participation helped fulfil the Birthright requirement of ‘mifgash,’ the integral part of every Birthright trip where Americans get to know Israelis through their full participation in a 10-day period. These young men fit in so well that they asked to participate a second time on a future Birthright trip.

This tech savvy group particularly enjoyed our visit to Mobileye, the Jerusalem-based company developing autonomous driving technologies. Our group interacted with young Israeli adults their age on the spectrum who use their exceptional visual perceptual abilities review, tag and label video clips of traffic signs, animals and other things on the road, which drivers might encounter. Israeli society continues to learn what we are learning in America — that some people with autism provide the “Autism Advantage” to employers and are better at some tasks and are often more reliable employees than  non-disabled workers.

I do not think our December group encountered any negative attitudes toward people with disabilities from the moment they gathered in Newark Liberty Airport until they returned home.

In February, I led 23 participants with intellectual, developmental and sensory disabilities (blindness) on the Tikvah Ramah Birthright trip. Trip participants are affiliated with Tikvah programs at our Ramah camps in the U.S. and Canada where people with disabilities have been included in camp and vocational programs since 1970.  

On this trip, we similarly encountered mostly positive, welcoming attitudes toward people with disabilities. For me, the trip started a few days before take-off when I joined a participant, her family and friends to celebrate her aliyah to the torah and a prayer for safe travel to Israel. Debbie M had asked her rabbi for the honor and it was seamless. In fact, Rabbi Woodward at BEKI congregation in New Haven, Ct., spoke of her involvement in the shul and her job at the local JCC; he did not once mention her disability or that February is JDAIM.  BEKI naturally includes everyone everyday — at BEKI, there is no need for a special month devoted to disability inclusion.

As we gathered our participants near the Welcome Center at Newark Liberty Airport, we requested not so well known Sunflower Lanyards for all participants. This colorful lanyard is a subtle, silent way to let airport employees know that a passenger has a hidden (or visible) disability and may need extra support while traveling. It didn’t necessarily expedite things with El Al security or with our pre-boarding, but we were shown kindness, respect and mostly patience throughout. (Caveat: we are still not sure why one participant’s Mr. Potato Head was taken from his knapsack and thoroughly inspected!) On the plane to Israel, as I walked the aisles on several occasions to distribute medication or to assure allergy-sensitive kosher meals were delivered properly, passengers kindly offered to help seatmates. 

Our time in Israel was perhaps the best indicator of how far we have come in terms of attitudes towards people with disabilities. The ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv has been working hard to make the museum more accessible and easier to navigate for people with a wide range of disabilities.  Israel has very progressive laws and policies “mandating” that the elderly and people with disabilities “cut the line” in stores and elsewhere (ptur min hatur — exempt from the line) and companies are required to hire a percentage of workers with disabilities based on the size of the company. The 130 Korean tourists in our Jerusalem hotel were mostly fine with our entering the line in front of them in the crowded dining room.

Our group frequently attracted attention from hotel guests.  Guests peeked in to our Shabbat tefillot (prayers) and to our post dinner oneg featuring singing and dancing. They wanted to know where this spirited singing was coming from! They often engaged us in conversation, told us they did not know Birthright offered such trips, and told us of a grandchild or child — in Israel, France or the United States — with disabilities.  

We also encountered well-meaning comments, which were reminiscent of attitudes toward people with disabilities from an earlier time. “Yasher koach” (“Congratulations” or “good job”) shouted a carload of people as our group slowly crossed Hayarkon Street on the way to pray Shabbat morning under a gazebo at one of many accessible beach access points. “This is a mitzvah gedolah” (a big mitzvah) we heard from well-intentioned people as they left the plane ahead of us when we touched down at Newark. We do not think of our work with people with disabilities as a “mitzvah” — a good deed or religious obligation.

We smiled and thanked them for appreciating our hard work and dedication to making sure people with disabilities have an inclusive, immersive Israel experience.  We didn’t tell them that we were still recovering from the shock of two passengers in different areas of the plane who asked the flight attendant if they could have their seats so they didn’t have to sit next to members of our group with Down Syndrome.  

On second thought, maybe we still need JDAIM for the time being.

Howard Blas is the director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network. He is a social worker and special education teacher and writer. Blas has been affiliated with the Tikvah program at Camp Ramah since 1984 and was a 2013 recipient of the Covenant Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. 

Health and happiness advertising agency Common Good has been granted B Corp status — a private certification of for-profit companies of social and environmental performance — by nonprofit B Lab. The shop creates advertising and transforms business for brands on a mission to change the world.

Common Good has learned that doing what’s right can impact its own success. More importantly, it strengthens the community, minimizes impact on the planet, and gives its staff a sense of purpose.

B Lab certifies companies based on how they create value for non-shareholding stakeholders, such as their employees, the local community, and the environment. Certified B Corporations meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to use the power of markets to address social and environmental problems. B Corps become certified through rigorous verification by B Lab and must meet strict standards to join a global community of leaders using business as a force for good.

“Becoming a certified B Corp shows the world that we actually walk the walk when it comes to using business to better the world,” said Kelly Reedy, CEO at Common Good. “We’re excited to join a movement of peer companies that think in the same way, and proud to further the conversation of what purpose a business should serve.”

B Corporations were first certified in 2007, and today, there are more than 6,000 in 80 countries. Any company—regardless of size, legal structure, or industry—can become a B Corporation. However, most are privately held small- and medium-sized businesses. It took Common Good two years to complete the thorough application and amendment process.

Being certified is just one more way to demonstrate that a company is using business as a source for doing good—and to show proof that they are accountable.

Source: Common Good 

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.

U.S. futures rose modestly Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate while hinting that the end may be near for its economy-chilling policies.

Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.5% before the bell, while the Dow Jones industrials edged up 0.2%.

The Fed raised its key overnight rate by a quarter of a percentage point Wednesday, the same size as its last increase, in its campaign to drive down inflation. That effort has been complicated by turmoil in the banking sector, with investors worried that more banks might fail after Silicon Valley Bank’s recent collapse.

The Fed’s move was exactly what Wall Street was expecting. The bigger question was where the Fed is heading next. There, the Fed gave a hint it may not hike rates much more as it assesses the fallout from the banking industry crisis.

Instead of repeating its statement that “ongoing increases will be appropriate,” the Fed said Wednesday that it now only sees “some additional policy firming may be appropriate.” Chair Jerome Powell emphasized the shift to ”may” from “will.”

The Fed also released the latest set of projections from its policy makers on where rates are heading in upcoming years. The median forecast had the federal funds rate sitting at 5.1% at the end of this year, up only a smidge from where it currently sits, in a range of 4.75% to 5%.

The yield on the two-year Treasury, which tends to track expectations for the Fed, tumbled to 3.46% from 4.13% just before the projections were released. It was back up to 3.98% early Thursday. It was above 5% earlier this month.

Powell said Wednesday the Fed is still focused on getting inflation down to its 2% goal and is not envisioning any rate cuts this year. He also said the Fed could begin raising rates again if high inflation makes that necessary.

The Fed was stuck with a difficult decision as it balanced whether to keep hiking rates or ease off the increases given the pain felt by banks. The second- and third-largest U.S. bank failures in history have both occurred in the last two weeks.

A worry is that too much pressure on the banking system, particularly among the smaller and mid-sized banks at the center of investors’ crosshairs, would mean fewer loans made to businesses across the country. That in turn could mean less hiring and less economic activity, pushing the risk of recession still higher.

Shares of Coinbase fell 11% before the bell Thursday after the cryptocurrency trading platform said it had been warned by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it could face securities charges.

In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 dipped 0.9% at midday, while Germany’s DAX fell 0.6%. France’s CAC 40 lost 0.5% in early trading.

Investors are awaiting an interest rate decision by the Bank of England. Many economists had expected the central bank to keep rates on hold, until the unwelcome news this week that soaring prices for vegetables helped push inflation to 10.4% in February.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.2% to finish at 27,419.61. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.7% to 6,968.60. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.3% to 2,424.48.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 2.3% to 20,049.64 after China Evergrande Group, a real estate developer whose struggle to manage more than $300 billion in debt rattled global financial markets, announced a long-awaited plan to restructure what it owes to foreign bondholders.

The Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to 3,286.65. Shares fell in India but rose in Taiwan.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell 51 cents to $70.39 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard lost 37 cents to $76.32 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 131.31 Japanese yen from 131.39 yen. The euro cost $1.0878, up from $1.0857.

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Kageyama reported from Tokyo; Ott reported from Silver Spring, Md.

Copyright
© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Have you ever thought about how much of a difference it makes when people share a JustGiving fundraising page on Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, via text, or other networks? 

Spoiler: it could make a £151 million difference. 

Fundraisers love to share the amazing work they do with family, friends, colleagues, and everyone else. And with the 15 sharing options on every JustGiving fundraising page, people can share their page in a snap! 

But just how valuable is this feature for charities? 

Well, we tested everything. In 2022, nearly two million people shared their fundraising pages, resulting in tens of millions of clicks on shared links and millions of donations to good causes. We analysed how these shared pages performed over the entire year, and the results were incredible! 

Read on to learn how you can use this information to inform your fundraising strategy, plan your campaigns, and engage with your supporters. 

How social sharing works on JustGiving 

First, let’s talk about how the sharing process works on JustGiving. 

If you’ve run a successful fundraising campaign before, you likely know the importance of sharing. 

One of the reasons people come to JustGiving is to create a fundraising page to raise money for charity. But what if they don’t share their page after that? Their network won’t see it, click it, donate, or share it further. 

Which means the page’s impact (and your charity’s donations) will be greatly reduced. 

For this reason, we make it as easy as possible for people to share their pages. 

With one click on a fundraiser’s page, look how easy it is to share to so many different changes! 

What we tested and our key findings 

What we tested 

We took a deep dive into our data from 1 January 2022 – 25th December 2022, giving us a huge sample size to work with: 
 

• Nearly 2 million fundraiser clicks on Share icons 
  When fundraisers click to share their own page on social media using one of JustGiving’s Share options 
   
• Over 22 million page visits from Share links 
  When someone else in the fundraiser’s network clicks on the link that the original fundraiser shared 
   
• Nearly 3 million donations from Share links 
  When someone who clicked on the fundraiser’s shared link went on to make a donation 

So, what did we find? The impact of social shares is far greater than what you might expect. 

Key findings 

Shared fundraising pages resulted in… 

• A staggering £151 million in donation value 
• An average of 12 visits to their page per share 
• An average of 1.5 donations for every shared page that’s clicked 
• An average of £47 donated to charity for every share click 
• WhatsApp is the most popular share option clicked 
• Facebook sent the most traffic to shared fundraising page links 
• Shares via SMS text resulted in the most money donated 

In addition, share clicks are trending upwards: 23% more people shared their pages in 2022 than 2021! 

What can charities learn from this? 

It’s clear: sharing is essential for the success of fundraising pages, and in turn, the success of your charity’s fundraising.  

We’re always reminding fundraisers to share their amazing pages in our automated email journeys, support pages, top tips, and more! 

Here’s how your charity can continue the momentum: 

Encourage your fundraisers to share their pages 

Share the potential impact with your supporters using the stats in this post to let them know what a difference it can make! 

Post a message via email or on your social channels asking your supporters to share so more people can give to your cause. 

Check out our complete guide to helping fundraisers make the most share-worthy pages possible to boost donations and reach their goal even faster. 

Prioritise Facebook, WhatsApp, and SMS (text) 

WhatsApp was the most popular option for sharing. Facebook sent the most traffic. And sharing via text message had the highest donation value. The best part is that you can optimise for these options on your own website too. 

If you have a dedicated Donate page on your website like (charity name, charity name, or charity name), include a message about how important these networks are. 

Implement fun strategies to increase shares 

People love challenges, and sharing is a good way to get a fun challenge going. Encourage supporters to share their pages by hosting a giveaway or having an incentive! How about whoever shares their page the most times gets a gift voucher or a special prize? Encourage your supporters to spread the word – get more eyes on your cause, and more donations for your charity. 

Innovation is happening at JustGiving! 

Check out our webinar about our latest research, newest innovations, and exciting new capabilities to help your charity raise more money: 

Learn about our improved email stewardship, event registration integration, contactless donations, cryptocurrency donations, new ways to track fundraising pages, and more. 

Watch the webinar: https://just.ly/3lECdJL