RBlog

Whether or not to return a gift seems more like an etiquette subject for a Miss Manners column, but a few headlines in nonprofit news over the past week have addressed situations where nonprofits are forced to consider whether or not to return a gift from a donor.

The domestic violence charges against Mel Gibson have some questioning whether or not Casa Myrna Vazquez should return the $25,000 donation the actor made to the Boston nonprofit when filming "Edge of Darkness" in 2008.  The nonprofit, which provides shelter and support services to victims of domestic violence, will not be returning the gift, and co-executive directors Nathalie Favre-Gilly and Deborah Collins-Gousby got it right in their Boston Globe op-ed  stating that they are grateful to Gibson for supporting their work 2 years ago and for making the case for their work today. Casa Myrna Vazquez has smartly inserted their organization into the dialogue and used this as an opportunity to raise awareness of their work and more importantly, the issue of domestic violence.

On April 23, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law a controversial bill that requires immigrants to carry identification confirming their status as citizens of the United States.  Under this new law, police have the authority to detain anyone suspected of entering the country illegally. It has inspired countless long, loud and contentious debates.

Tonight the issue will be taken to the streets when a vocal alliance of social justice organizations protests Arizona's landmark law at Fenway Park just prior to the Boston Red Sox facing off against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

But Arizona does not stand alone in its efforts to jumpstart immigration reform.

We wait all winter for the arrival of spring's warmer temperatures and with it the return of many seasonal treats.  More hours of daylight, dinner off the grill, and the now sanctioned obsolescence of pantyhose. I know the men reading this cannot fully comprehend just how much of a treat it really is for a woman to free herself from the constriction of pantyhose, or the stress of anticipating exactly when the tear, the run, the hole will appear.  It's inevitable.

Jonathan Hiskes recent Grist post is an excellent exploration of a schism in the environmental community over the long awaited American Power Act (i.e. the Kerry/Lieberman and one time Graham bill.) Earlier this month, I took a day off from my day job at Rasky Baerlein, put on my private citizen hat and joined the NRDC in Washington, DC for a day of lobbying in support of the bill. 

The night before the bill was released Senator Kerry joined us for dinner. He made it clear that the bill would contain compromises, like some limited provisions on off-shore drilling or a pathway for coal, but appealed to NRDC to support the bill because politically, the window to put a price on carbon was rapidly closing. Although I cannot speak for NRDC, I think it would be fair to say that the consensus in the room was that, despite strong opposition to specific pieces of the bill, it was more important to get something done.

Hiskes does an excellent job of explaining the fine-line that environmental organizations are walking on climate legislation and for me, I'm convinced that in this case, a bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Jim Cabot is Senior Vice President and manages Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications' energy and environment practice.