Battered Nonprofits Seek to Tap Nest Eggs

The state's repeal effort is being led by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, whose endowment lost 28% in 2008, ending the year at $85 million. More than a third of the 265 gift funds that make up the endowment can't be tapped for spending. The conservation group, the largest in New England, has furloughed naturalists at its sanctuaries and science centers.