March passed with a flurry, and April is off to a roaring start. As Mark Twain once said …

Groups I follow have been rallying their colleagues in the face of uncertainty and challenges at the federal level. They are sharing their analyses and also helpful ideas for better managing the changes underway. Supportive calls and webinars to air concerns have provided some relief. Through these, I learned many nonprofit leaders share the same concerns nationally.

The nonprofit sector in America is actively addressing the challenges 2025 has foisted upon us. Thanks to organizations like the National Council of Nonprofits, our sector is on top of the issues. Sign up for regular communications via this link. You might also enjoy watching this in-depth, hour-long discussion.

Did you know? The nonprofit sector has a powerful impact on the American economy.

“Nonprofits employ 12.3 million people, with payrolls exceeding those of most other U.S. industries, including construction, transportation, and finance.

A substantial portion of the nearly $2 trillion nonprofits spend annually is the more than $826 billion they spend on salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes every year. Also, nonprofit staff members pay taxes on their salaries, as well as sales taxes on their purchases and property taxes on what they own.

Nonprofits also create work opportunities for millions of individuals above and beyond the millions they employ directly.”

Hence, in addition to providing essential services, nonprofit organizations pack an economic punch that should not be overlooked by our elected officials. #Respect

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On my social media platforms, you may have noticed I spoke to the Molly Goodnight Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution in Amarillo, Texas on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The research involved in creating my presentation has taken more than a year. While I was to speak about distinguished members of my own family going back 100 years, I realized that I did not know as much about their accomplishments as I thought.

Family members shared engaging stories and anecdotes with me over the decades, but Newspapers.com revealed the real story. What an amazing resource! What I learned about the civic and philanthropic activities of Mary Honeyman Ten Eyck Turner and her husband, railroad pioneer Avery Turner was eye-opening. To see my slide deck, follow the link to ISSUU, my digital reading page. You can also view a video version of the slides on YouTube @CarolynAppleton.

The National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution has more than “130 years of tradition, more than one million members admitted since its founding, a vast array of service work, a historic National Headquarters building with extraordinary collections and countless activities taking place locally, nationally and globally.” DAR as it is often abbreviated, was founded in 1890 with the mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. “These timeless, overarching principles keep the DAR strong and vitally relevant in this ever-changing world.”

My great grant aunt Mary Honeyman Ten Eyck Turner worked tirelessly locally in Amarillo and nationally, where for example she served as the Chair of the national Conservation Committee in the 1930s. Planting trees, flowers, advocating for national parks and the like suggest she was the precursor to our beloved Texas First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson.

If you follow the link to the website, you can watch as the volunteer hours of DAR members across America are documented and tallied, literally second by second. It is impressive! If you have an American Revolutionary ancestor and would like to join, genealogy support is available to you free of charge. DAR is diverse and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. I am a member of the Austin Colony Chapter, and an Associate of the Molly Goodnight TXDAR and Camp Middlebrook NJDAR Chapters.

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You may be aware that I have been a volunteer for nonpartisan Citizens’ Climate Lobby since 2017. I began as the curator of the Twitter/X feed, which evolved into the BlueSky feed. At the start of April, volunteers from across Texas convened in Austin to meet in person with elected officials at the Texas State Capitol, to advocate for helpful legislation that advances clean energy.

To read my detailed follow-up, follow the link to Voices of Austin, the website I created and manage for the chapter. Also, follow our new Bluesky feed @cclatx.bsky.social. In only a few months, we have more than 900 followers. I try to keep up with the latest news there. And if you would like to join our volunteers, follow this link. The Austin chapter is housed within the national conversation platform, and we would love to have you – or join another chapter wherever you live and work! This is a terrific nonprofit organization that is focused and again, nonpartisan.

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On May 6, 2025, I will be sharing my thoughts about YouTube and how nonprofits can and should make good use of video for TechSoup Connect Austin. To register for my free talk, follow this link.

I have had a YouTube channel for more than ten years. My early years involved experimenting with the platform (I do everything by hand, which is how I learn). But over time I became a more serious user. Today, I share my educational presentations as well as “shorts” of community activities I have attended across my region.

Social media has evolved so much over the past decade! In any case, I will share why I think YouTube is so important for nonprofits, and also, how I use it simply but effectively (as well as securely). Many hints will be shared that should help you get your channel moving.

Thank you for following Carolyn’s Nonprofit Blog! Keep up the good work, and if you have questions, use my blog’s secure contact form.

Photograph of the Texas Panhandle is courtesy of Adobe.