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The Independent Sector released a report yesterday with a break down of how each of the House and Senates plans would affect the nonprofit sector. Read the Economic Recovery Spending Comparison for details.  After looking at the breakdown it is becoming increasingly obvious that community benefit organizations are going to have to look to their local and state representatives to receive any benefit for their organization from the stimulus package.

As Heather Carpenter, PhD student and author of Nonprofit Leadership 601, says “Now is the time for nonprofits to come together.”  It is up to organizations locally to combine efforts with other nonprofit organizations and their state association to talk with their state congress and local representatives about how much community benefit organizations need stimulus dollars.

Paul Schmitz, CEO of Public Allies, reiterated the need to talk about the issues locally on a conference call with the Nonprofit Sector Workforce Coalition last week.  Schmitz has been working as part of President Obama’s transition team as a representative of the Nonprofit Sector.  He mentioned, that although there are two bills currently in congress to benefit the sector (Serve Act in the Senate & Give Act in the House), congress has yet to realize that community benefit organizations are at the lowest donation levels ever, and are going to need help too.  Schmitz says, we need to have “bold vision and immediacy of action” from everyone in the sector.

So, what can you do now?  Carpenter mentions many ways in her blog.  I also suggest talking with other community benefit organizations in your community to see what they are doing, and look for partnership opportunities.  Partnerships are going to be important when talking with local public officials.   I also want to echo what Carpenter says about c0nnection with your state association, many state associations have their own policy agendas.  In Michigan, you can check out the Public Policy department at the Michigan Nonprofit Association.

What are you doing now to ensure the nonprofit sector gets a piece of the pie?

During a YNPN of Greater Grand Rapids event one of the presenters, Mark Hoffman, asked the question, “Do all nonprofits have to be green?”.

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation just built a new building they are hoping becomes Leed certified.  Grand Valley State University is committed to building all it’s new buildings with Leed certification.  The Grand Rapids Art Museum is the first Leed certified art museum in the country.  These are just three organizations in my small town that are tackling environmental issues, although their missions do not speak directly to their efforts.

But Hoffman wasn’t just talking about organizations that take on environmental issues when supporting other missions.  He was talking about nonprofit organizations serving any effort other than their mission, just because it’s good for the community.

During hard economic times, we see many nonprofits moving towards specifically serving only their missions and nothing else, a good practice in any sense, but more prevalent now.  But why are so many than choosing to bring recycling bins into the office, use recycled paper, and ask employees to car pool, when it may cost them extra money, taking away from their mission.

Okay, the answer is easy, nonprofit employees have long standing values of community benefit.  It makes sense for them to desire to be green, and to encourage people to vote.  It just makes sense now, during this time of great possibility for change to examine the way nonprofits do their work, whether it’s for their mission or extras.

Personally, I think more organizations should become green or encourage voting or take on any other community benefit outside their normal mission, as long as they are supporting and promoting another nonprofit.

What do you think?  Do you think nonprofits need to cut back on any extras?  Do you think promoting this type of collaboration among nonprofits is a good thing?