National Council of Nonprofits

Programs: Public policy/advocacy - the national council of nonprofits helps charitable nonprofits advance their missions by building their capacity to engage in everyday advocacy, assisting them in shaping a positive policy environment, and defending against attempts by state and local governments to take resources away from nonprofit missions which harm the individuals and communities that nonprofits serve. Public policy/advocacy - the national council of nonprofits helps charitable nonprofits advance their missions by building their capacity to engage in everyday advocacy, assisting them in shaping a positive policy environment, and defending against attempts by state and local governments to take resources away from nonprofit missions which ultimately harm the individuals and communities that nonprofits serve. Governments depend on nonprofits to deliver services to the public, as shown by the fact that the nonprofit sector as a whole earns more than a third of its revenue by delivering services for governments. Therefore, we continued our reform work to repair the broken "system" of government-nonprofit contracting, because if our network's advocacy can improve the efficiency of governments' long-ignored "systems" by just one percent, then the resulting savings can help taxpayers and be used for services to help communities and improve lives. In 2014, the council of nonprofits focused our reform work in two broad categories. First, we worked with the federal office of management and budget as it released the historic reform in its "uniform guidance," including the mandate requiring any local, state, tribal, or federal government agency or nonprofit using federal funds to reimburse nonprofits it hires for the indirect costs they incur for governments. This advancement in federal policy can now be used to debunk the "overhead myth" that fuels the nonprofit starvation cycle. Second, we worked on state-level reforms with our member state associations of nonprofits, and published "toward common sense contracting: what taxpayers deserve" (examining the causes and consequences of five recurring problem areas that involve billions of dollars and identifying 16 proven solutions). In addition, the council of nonprofits connected policy dots across state lines to identify threats, emerging trends, and solutions (most policy issues that threaten the work of charitable nonprofits and those they serve emerge at the state rather than federal level; e. G. , in 2014, congress passed only 224 bills, while state legislatures passed more than 28,500). By facilitating the rapid exchange of information across state lines among our member state associations of nonprofits and 25,000+ nonprofit members and galvanizing broader coalitions, we helped nonprofits defeat policy proposals in numerous states that would have harmed the work of nonprofits in the local communities they serve. For example, working through our nationwide network, the council of nonprofits successfully helped nonprofits in multiple states resist efforts to take away or limit charitable giving incentives. We also engaged in ongoing efforts to protect the charitable giving incentive at the federal level. The council of nonprofits continued to promote nonprofit advocacy in a variety of ways, including collaborating with other organizations to launch a campaign encouraging nonprofit board members to embrace advocacy - the "stand for your mission" campaign.

network support - the national council of nonprofits is a trusted resource and advocate for america's charitable nonprofits. Our mission is to advance the vital role, capacity, and voice of charitable nonprofit organizations. We do so primarily through our network of state associations of nonprofits that has 25,000-plus nonprofit members. By tracking trends, sharing knowledge, and serving as a central coordinator and mobilizer, we build connections, leverage capacity, and amplify voices to achieve greater collective impact in local communities across the country. Network support - the national council of nonprofits is a trusted resource and advocate for america's charitable nonprofits. Our mission is to advance the vital role, capacity, and voice of charitable nonprofit organizations. We do so primarily through our networks, comprised of state associations of nonprofits, their members, and our other members, that together create the largest network of nonprofits in the country. Many others turn to us as well: in 2014 more than 1 million unique visitors came to our website for information about the operations and "best practices" of charitable nonprofits. Network support refers to our role coordinating many common activities of the state association network as well as identifying emerging trends, sharing proven practices, and promoting solutions that benefit all charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve. We convened our core network more than 25 times throughout the year, in person, and via teleconferences and webinars, to educate and inform the state association network about public policies and promising practices for their own capacity building work in their states. We also hosted a national webinar on costs and the importance of nonprofits "owning their own costs" for effectiveness, financial sustainability, and transparency purposes. We promote "best practices" because without prudent and ethical operations, nonprofits won't be either sustainable or credible and trusted partners for investments by government, philanthropy, or private donors. We also promote fair and effective state and federal regulations, and enforcement of those regulations, to ensure that nonprofits earn and continue deserving the public's trust. In 2014 we expanded our network to include the west virginia nonprofit association and the florida nonprofit alliance and mobilized our network to protect charitable nonprofit missions and promote sustainable practices, such as succession planning and understanding indirect costs. We wrote extensively about the "overhead myth" and hosted a national webinar to promote transparency and help nonprofits recognize and account for their full costs.

communications - all of the strategic initiatives of the national council of nonprofits strive to increase the public's understanding of nonprofits. We work to raise public awareness about nonprofits and their role: what they are, what they do, and how their actions as problem solvers benefit individuals and communities. The national council of nonprofits utilizes multiple communications vehicles to spread trusted information about nonprofits. For instance, through our website that is updated daily, we reached more than 1 million unique visitors who turned to us in 2014 for information. Through our bi-weekly enewsletter "nonprofit advocacy matters" and our monthly capacity building enewsletter "nonprofit knowledge matters," the council of nonprofits keeps nonprofit staff members, board members, attorneys, consultants, cpas, academics, journalists, and elected officials informed about nonprofit issues and solutions from across the country. The 36 editions of the two newsletters help to spread knowledge, gather information, provide insight, and offer perspective. National council of nonprofits staff members also wrote numerous articles, op-eds, and other pieces that were published in mainstream and nonprofit publications, and responded to frequent requests from reporters for information and quotes. Additionally, council of nonprofits staff members delivered speeches, presentations, and webinars on a wide variety of topics - from advocacy and policy to ethics and leadership.

legislative/lobbying activities - the national council of nonprofits exercises the first amendment and statutory rights enjoyed by charitable nonprofits to petition governments by engaging in direct and grassroots lobbying to promote legislation that supports the work of the nonprofit community and oppose proposals that would hinder the ability of nonprofits to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. The national council of nonprofits has elected to apply the cost-expenditure standards available under section 501(h) of the internal revenue code because that section provides charitable nonprofit organizations with clear and objective guidelines for ensuring full compliance with the law and their rights and obligations to pursue their missions through advocacy. The national council of nonprofits and its staff comply in all respects with federal lobbying disclosure laws.