The Nonprofit Issue, brought to you by the nonprofit Isthmus

When delivering the November issue of Isthmus to Colectivo on the Capitol Square Thursday morning, Brian Bates, a customer, above, asked for a copy. He said he and his wife had been in the city two weeks ago and the news rack was empty.

Aha! A teaching moment!

I explained how Isthmus now comes out in print monthly, rather than weekly, and that we are a nonprofit. I said my column in this month’s issue would fill him in on our journey of the last five years, including the fact that we are no longer privately owned. As if on cue, he said he remembered that Mark Tauscher, the former Green Bay Packers player, had been involved with the paper at some point. Yes! I exclaimed. I cover that in my column too!

Bates grew up in Baraboo but spent a lot of time in Madison. “Once I got my driver’s license in 1978, when I turned 16, I used to drive to Madison almost every Thursday to pick up the Isthmus and see movies,” he said.

He got his undergraduate degree at UW-Madison and lived for a time in Madison. He’s now a resident of Washington, D.C., but says he’s gone back and forth between the two cities “for decades.” One of his kids is now a student at UW-Madison.

Bates shared that he did wonder about the status of the paper when he found the racks empty last month, but said I had answered all his questions, "just two weeks later."

I hope my column answers questions for anyone else who might still be a bit unclear about our current status. Despite our best efforts, we know there are some people in Madison — even regular readers — who are not aware of the ways we are a very different organization from what we were 10, 20 and 30 years ago. I hope the column helps clear things up.

In content: The November edition is our second annual Nonprofit Issue. As we did last year, we chose five nonprofits to profile as part of a cover package. They are: Solace Home; Bikes for Kids Wisconsin; Own It; Literacy Network; and WorldWise Microfinance.

We also focused on the nonprofit sector in our news and arts sections. Intern Lauren Hafeman writes about the different ways arts groups are making live performances more accessible to people with disabilities. She also reports on a program at the Urban League of Greater Madison that helps entrepreneurs of color connect to resources and grow their business.

And in a timely piece, given the chaos around food assistance benefits due to the federal shutdown, associate editor Linda Falkenstein writes about the exciting new facility being built to house The River Food Pantry, Dane County’s busiest food pantry.

The Nonprofit Issue again includes the Volunteer Guide. It’s a little bigger this year, featuring 30 nonprofit groups rather than 26. Congrats to our sales team, Mark Clear and Barbara Bolan, and art director Tommy Washbush, for getting it over the finish line. We hope it proves a handy guide for people looking to match their skills and interests with nonprofit groups. Many thanks to presenting sponsor Park Bank and supporting sponsors Madison Community Foundation, United Way of Dane County, St. Vincent de Paul, Findorff, Madison Gas and Electric and Community Shares of Wisconsin.

This month’s cover illustration is by Milwaukee-based artist and illustrator Ric Stultz. He contacted Isthmus art director Tommy Washbush on Instagram out of the blue and Tommy was impressed with his work. What you see on the cover is a scan of an original painting by Stultz. Read more about the cover and artist here.

Thanksgiving is just weeks away and the holiday music has begun playing on the radio. The holiday markets are also in bloom, so to speak. Calendar editor Bob Koch has rounded up a number of local arts and crafts fairs and pop-ups happening over the next couple of months. Who needs Amazon?