Does your candidate have a plan to strengthen nonprofits in your community? If not, why?
Can you imagine electing a candidate that didn’t have a plan to partner with the business sector to strengthen their community?
Having a hard time envisioning that? Today we made a video to show you what it might look like…
Tell your friends. If enough of us ask, we just might get some answers.
Guest Post by Kimberly Caldwell of Greenlights.org
While watching an episode of Frontline on PBS a few months back, I felt my stomach drop and panic overtake my brain. I was overwhelmed by the lack of accountability that our national executive leadership had to the citizens of our country, and what a poor job the media was doing to make us aware of the abuses of power.
“How do we, as voters, in a country this size, hold our national leaders accountable to our interests?” I thought, “how do we break through the insulation of lobbyists and political contributions to get OUR issues on the table, protect our rights, and ensure that responsible decisions are made for the long-term success of our country.”
I don’t have all the answers. Yet. But as the election cycle played out, the attention to community engagement raised by Service Nation gave me hope that there would be real dialogue, at a national level, about the real needs of our cities and who does the work that keeps them sustainable. The V3 campaign started buzz about the power of the nonprofit sector and how it is up to US who work in it to show that power and hold some feet to the fire to make change in our government.
But it all comes back to accountability. We nonprofit folk know accountability better than anyone else. We are accountable to our funders, to our volunteers, to our clients and stakeholders, to the communities in which we serve—we can’t sneeze without reporting to someone about it. And while that may be more extreme than it needs to be, we know that the purpose of accountability is to make sure that when we invest our funds in doing good, we get good work done.
So where does that accountability come into our republican democracy? How does a local nonprofit consultant, or even a crazy credible, energetic, entrepreneurial nonprofit leader make a politician act in our best interest?
We elect people who get it. And while this is a super-nascent movement we have to keep it going if we want nonprofit values (which I would argue kick small town values any day of the week) to make it to the White House. We accept our power, which is totally against our consensus-driven mindset, and DO SOMETHING WITH IT.
Imagine a government that understands how community work is done and builds their metrics for grants around the way we do our most effective work, rather than just monitoring every 15 minutes of our time? Imagine a government that understands how it isn’t just about throwing money at a problem, or withholding money from an agency, it’s about understanding who will be most effective at helping people and investing resources there.
We won’t have that government until we work to elect it. Accountability may sound boring, but it’s one of the best values we’ve got.
After two years of being inundated campaign ads, mailers and 24-hour news cycles devoted to nothing but politics, the election is a little over a week away. It would be easy to assume that the new president will handle everything, but we would be misguided to do so. Our work is just getting started.’
Last week, Nonprofit Listening Post Project at Johns Hopkins released a study of nonprofit executives’ priorities for the next the next administration.
According to the study, 80 percent of the responding executives identified “reinstatement and expansion of tax incentives for individual charitable giving” as an ‘extremely useful” policy measure. An additional 17 percent claimed this idea was at least “somewhat useful.”
I agree with them on that one. Do you?
I do differ with the overwhelming majority of respondents on another point though. The report states that only 36 percent strongly favored the creation of a federal agency to represent and promote the interests of the nonprofit community. I don’t know where you come down on the issue, but I wholeheartedly disagree. I think that what is in the interest of the nonprofit community is in the interest of the everyday citizen. I want to find out what would happen if the best practices from the individual nonprofits were discussed in the halls of government.
Nonprofits effectively feed the hungry, house and clothe the poor, train the jobless and so often provide a voice to the forgotten citizens of our country. I don’t think that we have anything to fear from a federal agency that brings the best nonprofits have to offer into our government. No one understands “We the People” like nonprofit employees do. But that’s just my opinion. What’s yours?
The Chronicle of Philanthropy talked with Lester Salamon, an author of the report and discussed how the implications of Congress’ $700-billion rescue plan for banks might change the opinion of nonprofits on the urgency of changing government:
Lester M. Salamon, director of the Center for Civil Society Studies and one of the report’s authors, says nonprofit executives would probably have expressed even greater urgency in seeking changes in government policy if the survey had been conducted in the past two weeks.
“Nonprofits are going to be called upon to absorb enormous demands and they’re going to need help to do that,” Mr. Salamon says. “We need policies that recognize the role that they are going to play in the recovery.”
Regardless of where we agree or disagree, we all understand that there is a sense of urgency in the air. We will need to work together if we are going to implement any of the ideas featured in the Listening Post’s report. Let’s get to work!
To read the full report click here.
To read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s article on the report click here.
[Submitted by James Niemackl ]
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this important issue and taking the time to get involved in the political process. Those who hold public office are there to serve and it is important that their constituents keep in contact with them to ensure the people are being properly represented.
My involvement with nonprofit organizations has been very personal and very positive. Not only do I serve on an advisory board for a nonprofit organization, but I have received the generous help of a nonprofit organization when a local hospice program helped our family as we took care of a dying relative in our home. The assistance we received from hospice was exceptional and made a substantial impact in both our ability to care for a loved one and the comfort of my grandfather as he lived his final days.
As a political option I would try to get nonprofit and charitable organizations involved in community affairs as much as possible. Organizations that are dedicated to the wellbeing and improvement of society are far better suited to fill the needs of individuals who need help with their specific situations. This is far more personal and cost effective than government creating a large bureaucracy to offer a cookie cutter response to varied situations.
In addition to getting these organizations involved, I would work with them to develop a network so that organizations could share resources and meet the needs of the community. This would make contact with nonprofit organizations easier for people who are seeking help or looking for an opportunity to give their talent and treasure to a worthy cause.
The most important way to work with the nonprofit organizations is to listen. Those in the organizations know what can be done to improve their effectiveness and what government officials can do to help them as they work within the community. There are as many solutions as there are problems and we can work together to make our communities and our Country a better place for all Americans.
If you would like to discuss this issue in greater detail or have questions about any other issue, please contact me.
Thank you,
James Niemackl
612-963-6819
When writing the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, America’s founding fathers looked to the Virginia Declaration of Rights (written by George Mason) for guidance. When our country needed its first unifying leader we turned to a general from Virginia. We would turn to the commonwealth for seven subsequent commanders-in-chief. It only makes sense that when we are looking for evidence of the growing of importance of the nonprofit sector that we start in Old Dominion.
A study by the Nonprofit Resource Center of West Virginia of the economic impact of nonprofits in the Roanoke, Virginia region revealed many promising trends.
The respondents to the study employ 2,563 staff members full‐time and another 1,759 workers part‐time. The region benefits from the work of 32,000 volunteers (the equivalent of another 984 full‐time employees) According to the Resource Center, if these employees worked for a single nonprofit, it would be the fourth largest employer in the community. The 120 participants in the study raise and spend over $220 million annually. The report draws a comparison with the United Way of Roanoke Valley, which by their account distributes approximately $6 million per year.
A startling fact is that 50 percent of the funding of these nonprofits comes from beyond the Roanoke region. Meaning that the nonprofits in this community bring in $110 million dollars in outside money every year, a huge stimulus for the economy. The Commission says that that outside influx of money creates an economic impact of $183 million a year. What other industry is bringing in that kind of money?
The importance of the sector to the Virginia community is not limited to the Roanoke region. A joint report of the Johns Hopkins Nonprofit Economic Data Project, the Connect Network, and the Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia found the economic impact to be statewide. Some highlights:
• “With nearly 350,000 workers—including 211,000 paid workers and an additional 139,000 full-time equivalent volunteer workers—Virginia’s nonprofit sector is the second largest employer among Virginia industries.”
• “Generating $30.7 billion in revenues, expending over $27.4 billion, and holding over $66.7 billion in total assets in 2005, the Virginia nonprofit sector also has a substantial financial footprint in the state.”
• “Between 1995 and 2005, nonprofit employment in Virginia grew nearly three times faster than public employment and nearly twice as fast as for-profit employment.”
Believe it or not, according to the report Virginia’s thriving nonprofit sector is proportionally smaller than the national average. Meaning that the nonprofits are booming nationally. Doesn’t that afford us the right to demand a more influential say in what goes on in local, state and national politics? What do you think?
For more information:
Submitted by David Heinen, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.
This is an excerpt from a written interview with Lt. Governor Perdue from the NC Center for Nonprofits, for her answers to all the questions asked, visit the NC Nonprofits website here.
How have your priorities and policy positions been shaped by your personal experience with nonprofits as a board member, employee, volunteer, or donor?
Two of my early jobs were as a project administrator at a nonprofit hospital and with the health care nonprofit [foundation], the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It was these experiences, seeing firsthand the challenges facing families in the health care system, that led me to run for public office. I have served as a board member for a number of nonprofit organizations, such as the Healing Place of Wake County, the North Carolina Humanities Council, United Way and Leadership North Carolina, among others. I am a member of and donor to many nonprofits, such as the NAACP, Keep America Beautiful, and the Neuse River Foundation.
As the “third sector” between government bureaucracy and business, nonprofits help to provide a greater understanding of policy to elected officials and the public at large, providing a vital service to our state. Many public officials, including myself, often look to the nonprofit community to provide education and insight on the issues.
How would you and your administration work with nonprofits to achieve your goals as Governor?
As Governor, my staff and I will be open and accessible to working with nonprofits. I believe that some of the best knowledge on particular issues comes from the nonprofit community. I intend to continue using the knowledge base in the nonprofit community to help build a new and better North Carolina. As the“third sector” between government and business, nonprofits facilitate greater understanding of policy for lawmakers, the business community, and the general public.
Submitted by David Heinen, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.
This is an excerpt from Mayor McCrory’s answers given at the N.C. Center for Nonprofits’ Forum with Candidates for Governor during the 2008 Public Policy Forum. To see his answers to all the questions asked at the forum, visit the NC Nonprofits website here.
How have your priorities and policy positions been shaped by your personal experience with nonprofits as a board member, employee, volunteer, or donor?
They’ve been shaped a great deal by nonprofits. About 14 years ago, a police officer who was a school resource officer in Charlotte named Gene Griffin was shot and killed by three young teens. If we’d intervened in their lives much earlier, we could have saved the lives of those teens and the police officer. I thought of forming a new agency on mentoring, but I found out we had about 50 nonprofits doing mentoring in our area. So I gathered them all together and said, “How can we work better together?” That was the start of the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance, which is now in its 12 th year and has increased the number of mentors for young kids. I don’t miss a meeting, and I’ve personally mentored four young teens.
How would you and your administration work with nonprofits to achieve your goals as Governor?
I’d allow nonprofits to be at the table to plan how we’re going to get services closest to the people most effectively and efficiently. It has to be a joint cooperation between government, nonprofits, and the private sector if we’re going to have a successful plan in so many areas, from health care to criminal justice to education. Nonprofits have to be at the table not just for implementation, but in the planning stages. You are closest to what’s happening in our streets and towns and cities, and your input will be extremely important in strategic planning and setting a vision for North Carolina.
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