Nonprofit Congress Updates

Thank you! Your Leadership is still needed on the Serve America Act

elisam8 — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:33:22 -0600

We want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who picked up the phone over the last few days to encourage your Senators to support the Baucus-Grassley Nonprofit Capacity Building Amendment.

Your time and efforts have really made a difference. The amendment, attaching this important program to the Serve America Act, was also co-sponsored by Senators Kerry (MA) and Snowe (ME). Thanks to your efforts, last night the Senate adopted the Nonprofit Capacity Building Amendment by unanimous consent. This would not have happened without the tireless efforts of nonprofit leaders like you across the country. This is just the beginning of demonstrating what we can do as a sector when we come together. Thank you.

But our work is not done. The National Council of Nonprofits is part of the ServiceNation coalition striving to get the entire Serve America Act passed. Therefore, we ask you to renew your calls to your two Senators TODAY to get them to vote to pass the Serve America Act.

Take Action to Support Nonprofits and Volunteers TODAY!

elisam8 — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:13:24 -0600

Nonprofits: America Needs You

Now more than ever, America needs its nonprofits to be strong. But nonprofits cannot be healthy when demands for services are skyrocketing while resources are also nose-diving. Here is how YOU can help your nonprofit and others:

The U.S. Senate is debating TODAY whether to pass two measures that would help nonprofits and volunteers. Contact your Senators RIGHT NOW to deliver this simple two-part message:

1) The Senate should ADOPT the Baucus-Grassley Nonprofit Capacity Building amendment to the Serve America Act.

The Nonprofit Capacity Building amendment will help community-based nonprofits get needed training and assistance through an innovative matching grant program. (See our website for more details.)

2) The Senate should PASS the Serve America Act.

Build Awareness Through Better Storytelling

elisam8 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:52:46 -0700

For months, news coverage has revolved around the economy and the wounds it inflicts on everyone from factory workers to investment bankers. And for months, nonprofits have been digging deeper into their arsenals of creativity and resourcefulness to keep their communities afloat. Despite mountains of gloomy news, there are still good stories about nonprofits, focusing not on "charity work" or "the needy," but on connections and relationships-among individuals, families, volunteers, businesses, governments, and other points in a tightly woven web. These are not nonprofit stories, but community stories.

Storytelling emerged onto the nonprofit communications scene with a roar, drawing the attention and expertise of many specialists in the field. Unlike generalizations or statistics, it provides context, emotion, and an opportunity to relate to others.

Progress of the Public Awareness Working Group

elisam8 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:49:20 -0700

The Public Awareness Working Group, formed after the 2006 Nonprofit Congress, has rolled up its collective sleeves to take on not one, but two projects: one long-term and one short-term.

The long-term project explores the concept of "reframing" the nonprofit sector to escape from traditional-and confining-ways of talking about our work, from the term "charity" to the unbalanced coverage of nonprofit scandal and fluff. Currently group members are researching funding possibilities to work with the Frameworks Institute, pioneers in reframing, in a focused study of how the sector is described and perceived.
The short-term project is practical rather than theoretical-the compilation of a nonprofit awareness toolkit to help small and midsize organizations raise awareness of their work and their causes. The toolkit, to be released in 2009, will be structured around three goals: an awareness campaign, a fundraising campaign, and a public policy campaign.

Contact Elizabeth Clawson for more information about the Public Awareness Working Group and its projects.

Consider This

elisam8 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:48:09 -0700

Nonprofit Congress Blog | The Nonprofit Congress Blog has been busy in February with several new posts, including a roundup of awards and fellowships, posts from our Outreach and Communications interns on why they entered the sector, and a trio of tools for evaluating the effectiveness of your communications. Want to be a guest blogger? Contact Elisa Ortiz.

IssueLab: Bringing Nonprofit Research Into Focus | Each day nonprofits worldwide produce insightful and valuable research on complex social issues. IssueLab makes it easy to locate, access, and engage with this extensive and diverse body of knowledge. Learn more about IssueLab and check out the National Council of Nonprofits' posted research.

Resource of the Month

elisam8 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:42:18 -0700

Philanthropic Capacity Building Resources Database | This unique database contains more than 400 descriptions of capacity-building programs being carried out by U.S. foundations. You can browse through program profiles or search specifically for programs in a variety of categories. Learn more.

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Our Supporters

elisam8 — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:41:04 -0700

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Reformulating the 2009 Nonprofit Congress

elisam8 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:52:02 -0700

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.

To learn more about this reformulation, please read our full statement.

Leadership for the Country and the Sector

elisam8 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:05:13 -0700

Five days from now, Americans will look to a new leader for change and progress in our country. Leadership has long been a priority of the National Council of Nonprofits, and we are committed to providing resources of all kinds to help present and future nonprofit leaders strengthen the sector. Here is just a sample of how the National Council promotes leadership on the grassroots and federal levels:

Intergenerational Conversations from the Field

elisam8 — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:04:42 -0700

The Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO) has long been known for its outstanding training and capacity building programs. This year, LANO will build on that reputation by offering a series of training sessions around the state based on the National Council's publication Work With Me: Intergenerational Conversations for Nonprofit Leadership. In a unique collaborative partnership, LANO and the National Council worked together to develop a train-the-trainers session for LANO staff and on developing this statewide program. LANO will roll out these trainings to a select group of nonprofit leaders within the next several months. Keep your eyes open for more information on this program so you can learn how to become a better intergenerational leader.