Nonprofit Congress

A priority of the nonprofit sector is to advocate for the sector at large and engage our constituents to solve problems at the grassroots level.

Town Hall Meetings are one of the signature elements of the Nonprofit Congress. In 2006, Town Halls helped establish the values and priorities of the nonprofit sector. Since then, over 200 Town Halls have been held around the country to share resources, foster collaboration, and plan for future activity.

To find out more about the spirit of these gatherings, read our "What is a Town Hall?" page.

Download the complete Town Hall Toolkit or any of its parts (in PDF unless otherwise indicated):

• Introduction and Core Town Hall
• Priority Piece: Organizational Effectiveness
• Priority Piece: Advocacy & Grassroots Community Activities
• Priority Piece: Public Awareness & Support of the Sector
• Follow-up and Report Back
• Sample Invitation (Word)
• Sample Town Hall Summary (Word)

If you have questions, need more information on the Town Hall Toolkit, or plan to host a Town Hall in your area, contact Elizabeth Clawson.

For background on past Town Halls, check out the following links:

• Summaries from the 2007-2008 Town Halls
• 2006 Town Halls

Before You Host a Town Hall

1. Please contact us and let us know you are interested in hosting a Town Hall meeting. We can connect you with your State Coordinator as well as other organizations in your state that are involved in Nonprofit Congress activities.
2. Download the Toolkit above.
3. Once you've scheduled your event, post it to the Nonprofit Congress event calendar.

After You Host a Town Hall

Please post your results, ideas, and resources. We look forward to hearing your voice!

Resources for Facilitating a Meeting

People come together and meet for a variety of reasons and when they do they want to be effective. The basic assumption underlying meetings is that two (or more) heads are better than one, and better decisions can be made if there is more input. However, to assure that better decisions are made, the meeting often needs to be facilitated. In fact, a well-facilitated team meeting generally is both more effective and more efficient. Here are three resources that provide valuable information and tips for facilitating an effective meeting.

• Basic Facilitation Guide
• The Secrets of Successful Facilitators
• Guidelines to Meeting Roles

The Original Town Halls

In 2006, the momentum for the Nonprofit Congress began with over 100 Town Halls that took place across the country. Those Town Hall meetings provided the basis for the Priorities voted on at the 2006 National Meeting. Browse this excerpt from the Briefing Book (PDF) for more information about the results of the meetings, methodology for analyzing the information, and a partial list of town hall meetings.