Comments on: Reformulating the 2009 Nonprofit Congress

By: Forgetting what’s important « Onward and Upward

Forgetting what’s important « Onward and Upward — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 01:44:58 +0000

[...] Alliance Summit, which will be held in New Orleans this year. And of course, it reminded me that up until two months ago, I was also coordinating a conference to be held in New Orleans this [...]

By: Elisa

Elisa — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:13:58 +0000

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!

By: Victoria

Victoria — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:02:31 +0000

I was wondering how educational institutions are working with the congress as well as organizations such as the American Society for Public Administration?

By: Ahmad Nawaz (Mr.)

Ahmad Nawaz (Mr.) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:32:35 +0000

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.

By: Brian Magee

Brian Magee — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:57:26 +0000

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.

By: Lisa Turner

Lisa Turner — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:50:44 +0000

Tim,
Sorry to call you “Dan” — I had Dan on the brain after reading his post!

By: Lisa Turner

Lisa Turner — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:06:36 +0000

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.

By: Tim Delaney

Tim Delaney — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:26:06 +0000

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.

By: Tim Delaney

Tim Delaney — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:02:21 +0000

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.

By: Tim Delaney

Tim Delaney — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:40:17 +0000

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!