The Foundation will show NCEW the way forward.(NCEW FOUNDATION)

There's plenty of woe in the world of non-profit profit organizations these days, and the NCEW Foundation is no exception. Our corpus is down and contributions are as well. That's no different than the situation at virtually every nonprofit I'm familiar with here in Delaware, where I serve on a couple of boards.

Our foundation is dry and we've been able to continue supporting The Masthead and Minority Writers Seminar.

And soon we will publish the second edition of Beyond Argument, A Handbook for Opinion Writers and Editors. It has been updated with new chapters that reflect the reality of our business in the 21st century and carefully edited by Barbara Mantz Drake and Maura Casey.

We continue to look for support from others and private donors, but the picture isn't a rosy one. And, frankly, our members have never supported the NCEW Foundation at a high level. With our colleagues losing their jobs and going on furloughs, a lot fewer people have the wherewithal to make donations.

And yet, I remain steadfast in my belief that it will be through the NCEW Foundation that our profession of opinion writers and editors will survive and thrive. We have been supporting the "Opinion Pool" research project and other ventures into the digital world we all must face. The Foundation still has resources which, if carefully managed and wisely spent, can help our members to emerge better prepared to do their work.

It's up to NCEW and its Foundation to forge a path forward, but the leaders of these two organizations can't do it without help. The Foundation can't continue to support research and professional development without resources.

Please try to find a way to support the NCEW Foundation. Our future depends on it. Thanks.

John H. Taylor Jr. is executive director of the Delaware Public Policy Institute and president of the NCEW Foundation. Email jtaylor@dscc.com

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