Who will you meet at CalNonprofits Convention: Nonprofits Standing Up for California?

Join 300 nonprofit leaders from around California for panels and conversations about nonprofits and policy in this new political and social reality on October 18th in Los Angeles.  We will engage in thought-provoking discussions, get a behind-the-scenes peek at how policies get made in Sacramento, and learn from each other and experts in our field.
Check out the speakers we’re excited to hear from and register online for the convention.

Vu Le (“voo lay”) is a writer, speaker, vegan, Pisces, and the Executive Director of Rainier Valley Corps, a nonprofit in Seattle that promotes social justice by developing leaders of color. Vu gets rave reviews from nonprofit audiences, who appreciate his no-BS approach, and irreverent sense of humor. Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work, where he learned that we should take the work seriously, but not ourselves. Vu has been featured in dozens, if not hundreds, of his own blog posts at NonprofitAF.com.



Ditas Katague is Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 for the State of California -- an important effort with large and lasting impacts on California. Previously, Ditas served as the Director of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Census 2010 project. In 2000, as Chief Deputy Campaign Director for the Governor’s Census 2000 California Complete Count campaign, she led a groundbreaking multi-lingual, multi-media outreach effort that resulted in a mail-in return rate that outpaced the entire nation.


Tania Ibañez is the Senior Assistant Attorney General in charge of Charities. As the Section head, Tania leads a team of lawyers and auditors in Los Angeles and San Francisco who investigate and bring appropriate legal actions against fundraisers, trusts, and organizations to protect the public from fraudulent or misleading solicitations, and to recover the loss of charitable assets. As Senior Assistant, Tania also oversees the publication of training and educational guides, including the recently released Attorney General's Guide for Charities. Tania also serves on the board of directors of the National Association of State Charity Officials.

Gene Takagi is the managing attorney for the NEO Law Group and author for the Nonprofit Law Blog. At NEO, Gene has represented over 600 nonprofit organizations on corporate, tax, and charitable trust law matters. He has been published by the New York Times, Nonprofit Quarterly, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and more. Gene is a recipient of multiple awards for his work, including Outstanding Nonprofit Lawyer (American Bar Association, 2016), and Northern California Super Lawyer (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

2018 Policy Convention: Nonprofits Standing Up for California

And don't miss the sweetest networking event of the year!

Join us for an ice cream social at the end of the day and enjoy a delicious treat while you chat with new connections and catch up with long time friends.

CalNonprofits board announces positions on ballot propositions

“‘Advocate for sufficient public investment in our communities,’ is the very first principle in our Policy Framework,” comments CalNonprofits Policy Chair Cindy Duenas. “This election we are focusing our attention on two propositions that set important precedents for public funding.”

Proposition 2: No Place Like Home Act of 2018 

CalNonprofits position: VOTE YES

In 2004, seeing a desperate need to fund mental health services, California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) (Prop 63). Nicknamed the “Millionaire’s Tax,” this law added 1% in taxes on incomes of $1 million or greater per year, generating $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion per year for mental health. Now in 2018, Proposition 2 affirms that up to $140 million in MHSA funds each year can be used to finance supportive housing for those with mental illness.

CalNonprofits spoke with nonprofits in mental health about Prop 2, asking for their input, with many of them explaining that they were supporting Prop 2 because connecting people to mental health services and housing is more effective in meeting their mental health service needs. CalNonprofits urges you to vote YES on Proposition 2 to make sure these funds can be used to help address the housing needs of people suffering from mental illness.

See also:

• State Legislative Analyst Office’s analysis
• BallotPedia’s summary, including supporters, opposition, and campaign spending 

Proposition 5: Changes Requirements for Certain Property Owners to Transfer Their Property Tax Base to Replacement Property.

CalNonprofits position: VOTE NO

Under Proposition 13 (passed in 1978), older and disabled individual homeowners can keep their longstanding property tax rate if they downsize to a less expensive house. Prop 5 would allow them to keep their property tax rate even if they buy a more expensive home. This measure would decrease state revenue by $100 million per year at first, growing to $1 billion per year. The Legislative Analyst’s Office notes that most of this funding currently goes to schools and local government, meaning the state would likely need to replace these lost funds with comparable amounts. This measure would not create the new housing we sorely need, and it would benefit a very small group of people to the serious detriment of local governments and schools — both of which are important funders and partners to the nonprofit community. Proposition 5 would hurt the missions of nearly all California nonprofits. We cannot afford to allow such a limited benefit to wreak such widespread damage.

See also:

• State Legislative Analyst Office’s analysis
• BallotPedia’s summary, including supporters, opposition, and campaign spending

Is your nonprofit Voting with Your Mission? We can help!

Join our free Vote with Your Mission webinar next Tuesday, Sept. 25th at 11AM.

During this fast-paced presentation, Jan Masaoka and Nancy Berlin will talk through easy-to-implement strategies at your nonprofit to engage your colleagues, volunteers, board, and community in voting.

Want to help spread the word about your nonprofit engaging in voting?
Check out our free materials you can download, including our new guide: 12 Quick Tips for Helping People Vote, “I Work at a Nonprofit and I vote” stickers, a poster you can put up at your office reminding people to vote, and much more.

Think about it: If everyone who worked or volunteered in the environment voted, we’d have better environmental policies. If everyone who worked or volunteered in the arts voted, we’d have better arts funding. Nonprofits: which ballot propositions would support your mission and which would create obstacles to your mission? Let your employees, board members, volunteers and constituents know!

There's a new wave of CEOs at foundations -- with new ways of thinking about grantmaking. Join us for the opening plenary of the 2018 Convention to hear a panel of foundation leaders from both urban and rural areas discuss foundation-nonprofit relationships, the future of philanthropy, and changes they want to see in the sector.

Shane Murphy Goldsmith is President and CEO of Liberty Hill Foundation, a leading social justice foundation. She sits on the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, and she is the co-chair of the California Executive Alliance for Boys and Men of Color SoCal Region. Her standing and influence is reflected in her membership on the Southern California Grantmakers Board of Directors and both the Advisory Committee for the Black Equity Initiative of the JIB Fund and the board of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH).


Marian Kaanon is President and CEO of the Stanislaus Community Foundation, based in Modesto. The Foundation supports two large-scale initiatives to boost the ‘cradle to career’ education pipeline: Stanislaus READS! and Stanislaus Futures. In 2006, Marian was named by The Modesto Bee as one of ’20 Under 40’ young civic leaders to watch, and in 2015 she was named an Outstanding Woman for Stanislaus County.




Marcos Vargas is the Executive Director at the Fund for Santa Barbara, leading the organization in ongoing efforts to drive economic, environmental, political, and social change throughout the region. Marcos’ experience includes serving as the founding Executive Director of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE). Marcos is a Sundancer in the Lakota and Mechica traditions, and is actively involved in efforts to expand the knowledge and application of Native American indigenous teachings.


Terence Mulligan is President and CEO of the Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF), which distributes between $3 million and $5 million annually to nonprofits in Napa County. Terence was a noted leader in organizing private and public resources to help people affected by the fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Prior to joining the staff of NVCF, he served in development at the Peninsula Community Foundation in Silicon Valley, and has held jobs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Institute for International Economics, and Accenture. Terence is Board Treasurer of CalNonprofits, and a board member of the California Wellness Foundation.

2018 Policy Convention: Nonprofits Standing Up for California
Thursday, October 18 Los Angeles
Registration: $175 Members / $195 Not-yet-members
discounts available for multiple staff from same organization

What else will you find at the 2018 Policy Convention?
Vu Le, nonprofit rockstar and author of NonprofitAF.com
Panel of experts discussing 2020 Census
Jan Masaoka on key issues facing California nonprofits
Debate on Donor Advised Funds
Ice cream social networking hour and much more!

Thank you to our sponsors!