Nonprofit Congress
Rick
Elizabeth
Ann
Audrey
Tim
bethaldrich
nationalcouncilvp
To Nonprofit Congress supporters:
In 2007 the National Council of Nonprofits decided to convene the national meeting portion of the 2009 Nonprofit Congress in New Orleans. Since then, our nation’s economy has collapsed, hurting nonprofits and the communities we serve. This brutal economic storm, and the opportunity for significant change that is before us, challenges us all to embark on new, high-impact strategies that are bold, smart, efficient, and effective.
Now is the time to reinforce our sector’s value to our elected officials. Therefore, we have strategically reformulated our approach for the 2009 Nonprofit Congress. In lieu of conducting a conference in New Orleans, we will convene a national gathering of state nonprofit associations coupled with a lobby day in Washington, DC, to seize the momentum of the new administration by carrying the vigorous, unified voice of community-based nonprofits to Capitol Hill. America needs to hear from us now, so through this strategic reformulation we will be strengthening and amplifying our entire sector’s presence and voice in order to secure a more robust future for all of America’s nonprofits.
As you know, the Nonprofit Congress is an entire movement, of which the national conference is but one element. In our restructuring, we are seeking to focus on efforts that we are confident will have a greater impact on the sector’s goals. Its year-round components, such as the Town Hall Meetings and Working Groups, are perfect for providing resources and discussion forums that nonprofits need. These components are grassroots-based and usually free of charge, which makes them even more valuable right now, especially in taking the pulse of what is happening among nonprofits. Through them, we will continue to unite the sector, reinforce it against the economic crisis, and lift the nonprofit voice in public policy discussions.
We invite you to join and provide your leadership to these important Nonprofit Congress activities, including spirited Town Hall Meetings in communities across the country, where nonprofits will gather to shape the loud message of the sector, and by issue-specific national working groups, exchanges on this blog, and other tools that have helped build the Nonprofit Congress movement. We need your continued guidance and support for the Nonprofit Congress movement. Please consider working with your State Association to host or co-host a Town Hall Meeting. Most importantly, continue your essential work in supporting your communities and yourselves through these difficult times.
We will be in touch soon with fresh ideas, exciting and valuable content, and even more ways for nonprofits to unite in expressing their voice. In the meantime, thanks for all you do for your local communities through your service with nonprofits.
Cordially,
Tim Delaney
President & CEO
National Council of Nonprofits
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: economy, leadership, meeting, Nonprofit Congress, town halls
The idea of getting together in DC (or other locations for that matter) as a collective group of non-profits sounds great, but who can afford the expense. We have a small overworked staff dedicated to focusing our funds on direct services and have no funds for this. Do you have scholarships to cover the travel and hotel?
Hi Tim,
Hope things are going well at your new position. It was a delight to see you take the helm after such a great person as Audrey. I felt there was going to be some changes with the congress due to the economy and it is totally understand. The Nonprofit Congress is one of the premier events for nonprofit across the country and I am hoping that it will be in grandeur fashion at some point in time. Please let me know if I may be of any assistance here in New Bern, NC. We have a great association and they represent the sector very well.
I applaud the National Council of Nonprofits on taking this initiative to keep the Congress movement alive. It lies in nonprofits across our country and remains engaged in the needs and actions of nonprofits locally, state-wide, and nationally.
Is there any way to connect the work of the Non profit sector with forums on Change.gov so that our collective voice might have an impact in the on-line forums the Obama administration is creating?
If enough people write articles and post ideas in Change.gov and on similar forums, using talking points created in the groups on the NonProfit Congress forums, or in similarly focused groups, perhaps we can attract the attention of leaders in DC more effectively than by spending thousands of dollars to be there for a few hours competing with a bunch of other self-interest groups.
This is a time for Nonprofits to link arms, find their strength in numbers and make their voices heard. This begins at home in Town Halls then billows on Capitol Hill with a firm message. That is what the Nonprofit Congress is all about. Change is happening and we must be at the center of it. Our communities need us. The new economy that evolves from these current troubles will need a strong community sector. When we made our appearance on the Hill last June, it was powerful! And energized nonprofit leaders. Let’s build upon that in 2009. To the Town Halls and DC we go!
Tim, Congratulations on your position as successor to Audrey.
I think that NCNA did a grave disservice when it abandoned the concept of “delegates’ to the Non-profit Congress after the successful first Non-Profit Congress. I was one of the voting delegates from Virginia, and why the “delegate” concept mattered was that I (and I know that at least some of the other Virginia delegates felt the same way) was that there was an obligation and duty to represent more than just the position of one’s particular non-profit. The Second Non-profit Congress become more of just another non-profit conference.
With the new energy and vigor being felt in Washington because of the new Administration, my recommendation is for NCNA to revisit the idea of having “delegates” and not just attendees at the 2009 Non-profit Congress.
Regards,
Bill Huddleston
BillHuddleston@verizon.net
Thanks for the information.We want to attend fron Bangladesh to the congress while occured.
Dear Pat:
Your observation about how this economy is straining America’s nonprofits was a major factor in our decision to gather in DC. Through a Lobby Day we collectively can explain to policy makers the pain being experienced by America’s community-based nonprofits. Few people understand that 83% of our nation’s nonprofits have income under half a million dollars. We need to get that and other information out.
Policymakers need to understand that this brutal economy is hurting not only mammoth financial insitutions, huge homebuilders, and big auto makers, but also the small and midsize nonprofits who meet local community needs every day and night.
Like you, we wish funds existed for scholarships to cover travel and hotel cost to travel to DC, but nothing has materialized yet. But not everything begins or ends in DC. Indeed, as Abraham Lincoln observed, ours is to be a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” so we are working on ways to provide people in nonprofits meaningful ways to share their dreams, frustrations, and expectations. One way is through the Town Halls, which the Nonprofit Congress has proven to be a powerful tool to bring nonprofit voices together. Another way is through technology. And Pat I am sure there are others ways, too. We invite you to help host or attend a local Town Hall, participate through technology, or help us creatively invent another way to bring nonprofits together to not only survive this economic crisis, but come out the other side stronger.
Dear Tharesa,:
Thanks for understanding … and for modeling the way by offering your assistance. I quickly accept!
The real key to the success of the Nonprofit Congress movement is the grassroots element: the ability of nonprofits to come together in their local communities. Through that simple yet irreplaceable act, nonprofits connect, inspire, and both discover and demonstrate our can-do spirit.
As you mentioned, you have a great association in North Carolina. By working with them to host a Town Hall in New Bern, then your leadership will help your local nonproifts — as well as the communities they serve.
Good luck!
Dear Dan:
I like your idea of using a two-step process of having the Nonprofit Congress (be it the disbursed Town Halls, central website, or other forms) serve as a incubator of key talking points to share with others in different technology-based forums. Part of our collective challenge in the nonprofit community is to get everyone — not just policymakers in DC or policymakers in state capitals but all Americans — more aware of this very public yet often invisible jewel known as nonprofits. By taking common messaging to different sites, be it change.gov or an energized Craigslist site focused on community service or someplace else, we can help tell our stories about how we serve individuals, help communities, promote values, and merit continued support.
You mentioned the Obama Administration, so here are some links to the recommendations the National Council of Nonprofits submitted when the Obama Transition Team asked us for our ideas: http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/?q=node/502 and http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/files/Transition%20Report%20–%20National%20Council%20of%20Nonprofits%20(Final).pdf .
If you (or others) see different ways for us to use technology in ways that bring nonprofits together or let our voices be heard more clearly, please let us know.
Dear Bill:
Thanks for your congratulatory words. As someone who attended the 2006 Nonprofit Congress as a delegate from Arizona, I can relate to your perspective. Nevertheless, I can’t fault those who made the switch in 2008, given that I understand their decision was driven in large part by their desire to be more inclusive, which certainly is a positive value. Promoting a sense of inclusiveness is even more important now, given the economic crisis in which our nation finds itself today, so people don’t feel as stranded and alone. We are keeping this in mind for the other Nonprofit Congress elements, such as the Town Halls and Working Groups, which make the movement accessible to more nonprofit leaders because they are either (in the case of the Town Halls) locally based, or (in the case of the Working Groups) convened via phone and email. In these ways, all nonprofit leaders wishing to represent their home states can participate in the movement without having to travel to a national meeting.
Dan,
Congratulations on your position. The decision to relocate the Congress to DC really shows the kind of flexibility and understanding of context that I wish some recipients of bailout dollars demonstrated. I would also like to volunteer. It is my hope that we will harness social media applications to amplify the gathering and drive participation. In that way, the severe financial contraints facing many in the sector will be addressed and perhaps result in an even bigger impact.
Tim,
Sorry to call you “Dan” — I had Dan on the brain after reading his post!
Tim -
We in Montana applaud the decision. With a troubling economy, a new administration, and a great deal of uncertainty – we can have a greater impact on the issues that are before us by bringing our collective voice to DC. I can tell you that the Nonprofit Congress movement is alive and well in Montana and the grassroots out here in Big Sky Country are energized. We’ll be hosting Town Halls in the late spring, so we’ll keep you posted on the outcomes. Let us know how we can help as the Nonprofit Congress moves forward in the future.
Dear Tim Delaney,
Congratulation on you position,
I really appreciate the work done by NCN, I am not living in USA, however, regular reader and receipt of information. As you ideas and messages are concern, the small organization like NGO or NCN are not to oppose the government ideas or policies. But main conconseration would be preapred ideas for policy, create awareness among the community members and prepare for future policy making. Other aspect is which may possible, give birth to catalysts, establish networking of catalysts and give more opportunities to grow catalysts.
Another important aspect, give weightage to all relegious around the world and try to work together by all these.
I was wondering how educational institutions are working with the congress as well as organizations such as the American Society for Public Administration?
Victoria,
The primary audience for the Nonprofit Congress is small and mid size nonprofits – most of the large universities have other forums through which they connect.
To my knowledge, we haven’t done much work with the American Society for Public Administration. if you have ideas or connections, let us know!
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