Idaho Nonprofit Center

  • Donate
  • Idaho Gives
  • Events & Programs
    • Calendar
    • Regional Conferences
    • DEI Webinar Series
    • Leadership Development
    • Executive Director Network
    • Registration & Refunds
  • Membership
    • Member Portal
    • Join the Center
    • Benefits & Pricing
    • Submit RFPs
    • Nonprofit Directory
    • Business Affiliate Directory
  • Resources
    • Starting a Nonprofit
    • Resource Library
    • Blog
    • Recorded Webinars
    • Regional Networks
    • Grant Opportunities
    • Job Board
    • findhelpidaho.org
  • Policy & Advocacy
    • Legislative Watch
    • Public Policy Program
    • Advocacy Tools
    • Sector Research >
      • State of the Sector Report
    • ALICE Report
    • National Council of Nonprofits
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Supporters
    • Friends of the Center
    • Privacy and Email Policy
    • Contact
    • Donate
  • Donate
  • Idaho Gives
  • Events & Programs
    • Calendar
    • Regional Conferences
    • DEI Webinar Series
    • Leadership Development
    • Executive Director Network
    • Registration & Refunds
  • Membership
    • Member Portal
    • Join the Center
    • Benefits & Pricing
    • Submit RFPs
    • Nonprofit Directory
    • Business Affiliate Directory
  • Resources
    • Starting a Nonprofit
    • Resource Library
    • Blog
    • Recorded Webinars
    • Regional Networks
    • Grant Opportunities
    • Job Board
    • findhelpidaho.org
  • Policy & Advocacy
    • Legislative Watch
    • Public Policy Program
    • Advocacy Tools
    • Sector Research >
      • State of the Sector Report
    • ALICE Report
    • National Council of Nonprofits
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Supporters
    • Friends of the Center
    • Privacy and Email Policy
    • Contact
    • Donate

H.B. 46 and the Blessings it Provides

6/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
I never profess to have all the answers to all the questions. I am humbly aware that, even a year into my job leading the Idaho Nonprofit Center, I will always be learning. Every day I swear I learn something new and valuable that I can put in my toolkit for future use.

I am also aware, now more than ever, that one of the most important aspects of our work at the Center is policy and advocacy. The second is to elevate and champion our work. The third is to provide the resources and training to help our nonprofit sector grow and become sustainable organizations. To that end, the INC also has a great responsibility of sharing what we learn with our nonprofit friends.

​Our policy focus is on the broader nonprofit sector. We will advocate for things that could impact our sector as a whole. We will approach policy & advocacy in terms of how it impacts our nonprofits but we don’t often get a window seat view of how policy can impact one of our subsectors and the people that it serves.

This Idaho Gives, we did get the rare opportunity to see the democratic process in action and what a blessing that is to us all. While the Idaho State legislature had already adjourned weeks before Idaho Gives, a piece of legislation passed in March that has, and will continue, a great impact on our organization and our sector as a whole for the good of us all.

Before I begin my short story, let me say that this legislation enhanced and enriched our Idaho Gives experience in ways I can never fully express. If you are not familiar with House Bill No. 46, passed March 20, 2017, I will share our experience and what I know about this legislation. 

​A few weeks before Idaho Gives, Stefanie Saltern, Secretary of the Idaho Association for the Deaf reached out to us and expressed an interest in attending our local festivities on Idaho Gives, including our ribbon cutting and mayoral proclamation. She requested a sign language interpreter for herself and another individual from their organization.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Having never had such a request, but delighted that we did, we asked for resources on how we could provide someone. We were given great resources fairly quickly, Stefanie was fast to respond. What we found out is that the interpretation services would be expensive for us. Like all nonprofits, we try to manage our expenses as best as we can for all programs and events. An unbudgeted expense can be tricky!  

One of our staff members has friends in a Sign Language Interpretation program and we asked if we could use those volunteers. While we have always been required by the law to provide these services, the new legislation (House Bill 46) now specifies the appropriate interpretation services that are acceptable under the law. I won’t go into great details about what you can and cannot do because I’m not the expert, but I will tell you that we did end up with appropriate interpretation services for Idaho Gives. I do hope for a future article from an expert to guide us all!

Just a couple of weeks later we paid to have close captioning of our membership orientation so that Stefanie and her team could learn more about the Idaho Nonprofit Membership program. We anticipate that they will join us for Conference and we will again be able to provide them with interpretive services that meet their needs.

In the bigger picture, I’m telling you this story because it’s important for us all to be aware of this law and what it means for us. What I want to highlight is not that we are required to provide such support, I want to tell you it’s actually a blessing - and a gift. It was truly a beautiful thing to both speak at the event, listen to others, and watch the interpreters translate our words into something meaningful for our friends at the Idaho Association for the Deaf. 

From time to time this may be a little extra expense for the Center, it’s a pleasure for us to have them involved and at the table, working with us to constantly support and improve our sector. And we will always budget for it going forward.

​Amy Little, President / CEO
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Welcome!

    We hope you find these resources beneficial. We welcome suggestions on how we can improve this section. Contact us at
    info@idahononprofits.org with ideas and recommendations.

    Categories

    All
    Board Member
    Business Affiliate Highlight
    CenterView
    COVID 19
    Diversity
    Events And Training
    Idaho Gives Corner
    Leadership
    Legislation
    Member Highlight
    Navigator
    OSHA

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016

    RSS Feed

© Idaho Nonprofit Center 2023. All rights reserved.
5257 W Fairview Ave, Suite 260, Boise, ID 83706
(208) 424-2229 | info@idahononprofits.org | Site Map
NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP