Author Archives for Nabil Abdulkadir
While the pandemic has shaken us to our core in 2020 – affecting who we see, where we go, and how we gather — it didn’t stop us from having the most powerful Upswell ever – virtually – with an up-close and sometimes uncomfortable examination of the two challenges gripping our nation – COVID-19 and racism.
Our dynamic speakers represented the breadth of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. They engaged and challenged us to collectively take up our responsibility to advance the systemic change required to end racism, and address the “pre-existing conditions” that have caused Black and Native people, and other communities of color, to suffer disproportionately from the pandemic.
More than 2,000 changemakers nationwide gathered in an online space, charged with the electricity of thought-provoking engagement and innovative approaches, inspiring us to truly move the needle toward systemic change that creates a more just and equitable society where all can thrive.
Get a full summary of what you may have missed through these daily recaps:
Check Upswell.org for more On Demand content and future Upswell events.
After more than 80 nominations, a rigorous review of the submissions by IS staff and our Selection Committee, and careful deliberation – it’s our pleasure to announce that Terence Lester is the winner of the 2020 American Express NGen Leadership Award!
Terence Lester, founder and executive director of Love Beyond Walls, is a speaker, activist, author, and thought leader in the realm of systemic poverty. He’s known for nationwide campaigns that bring awareness to issues surrounding homelessness, poverty, and economic inequality. As winner, Terence will receive an honorarium intended to support his work and/or further his leadership development. All of the award finalists will be featured during the Upswell Summit, October 14-16, and Terence will be featured on Thursday, October 15 at 2:00 pm ET during the Main Stage 2020 Leadership Awards.
Terence joins the ranks of exceptional changemakers age 40 and under to be honored with the American Express NGen Leadership Award, presented by Independent Sector annually to an emerging leader whose creative and collaborative work is accelerating transformative social change to an intractable community issue.
Founded by Terence in 2013, Love Beyond Walls is a nonprofit that provides dignity to the homeless and poor by offering a voice, visibility, shelter, community, and grooming and support services to achieve self-sufficiency in Atlanta and beyond. In 2019 Terence also launched Dignity Museum, the first traveling museum in the U.S. that represents homelessness out of a shipping container, using interactive technology, research, storytelling, exhibits, and thought-provoking questions that help visitors confront their ideas of homelessness and challenges of escaping it.
In addition to Terence, the group of award finalists included:
Founder of Love Beyond Walls uses storytelling and digital media to provide voice for people experiencing homelessness and systemic poverty
(WASHINGTON, October 7, 2020) – Independent Sector announced today that Terence Lester, founder and executive director of Love Beyond Walls, is the recipient of the 2020 American Express NGen Leadership Award.
The American Express NGen Leadership Award honors an accomplished charitable community leader age 40 or under who has demonstrated significant impact in addressing society’s critical needs. For 10 years, Independent Sector has presented this prestigious award to one emerging leader whose creative and collaborative leadership is helping to solve an intractable community challenge.
“Terence Lester’s commitment to social justice and efforts to continually raise awareness about issues regarding homelessness, poverty, health, and economic equality are in perfect accord with our Upswell Summit’s focus on anti-racism and COVID-19 recovery,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “His work to address systemic poverty, mobilize thousands of people to serve those that are vulnerable and forgotten, and create solutions to help individuals rebuild their lives is an admirable illustration of how collaborative leadership can accelerate transformative social change. We are proud to honor him as the winner of the 2020 American Express NGen Leadership Award.”
Lester is a speaker, activist, author, and thought leader in the realm of systemic poverty. He’s known for nationwide campaigns that bring awareness to issues surrounding homelessness, poverty, and economic inequality. His unique approach combines storytelling and digital media to help illustrate social justice issues with practical approaches to solving these challenges.
In 2013, Terence founded Love Beyond Walls, a nonprofit that provides dignity to the homeless and poor by providing a voice, visibility, shelter, community, and grooming and support services to achieve self-sufficiency in the city of Atlanta and beyond. The organization has helped hundreds of individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty rebuild their lives. Additionally, in 2019 he launched the first museum in the U.S. that represents homelessness out of a shipping container called, Dignity Museum, using interactive technology, research, storytelling, exhibits, and thought-provoking questions that enable visitors to confront their ideas of homelessness and what it takes to escape it.
In addition to supporting the NGen Leadership Award since 2010, American Express has partnered with Independent Sector to offer the NGen Fellows Program, part of the American Express Leadership Academy that provides training, networking opportunities, and skills-building resources to social purpose leaders.
“Terence’s mission to raise awareness about the homeless, creatively find ways to get others to walk in their shoes, and develop solutions to help them transition out of homelessness exemplifies the amazing work underway by emerging changemakers across the nation,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. “We are pleased to recognize his extraordinary efforts with this award.”
Terence was among a pool of more than 80 nominees considered by IS staff and our Selection Committee. In addition to Terence, the group of finalists included:
All of the American Express NGen Award finalists will be featured in sessions during the Upswell Summit, October 14-16. Terence Lester, the award winner, will be featured on Thursday, October 15 at 2:00 pm ET during the Main Stage 2020 Leadership Awards.
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Independent Sector is the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers at nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs working to ensure all people in the United States thrive. Learn more at independentsector.org.
About American Express’ Leadership Initiatives
One of American Express’ three philanthropic platforms is Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow. Under this giving initiative, which recognizes the significance of strong leadership in the nonprofit and social purpose sectors, American Express makes grants focused on training high potential emerging leaders to tackle important issues in the 21st century. More than 125,000 emerging nonprofit and social sector leaders worldwide have benefitted from American Express leadership programs, including the American Express Leadership Academy. For leadership journey stories and additional resources, visit LeaderStories.org.
The news over the last few days has been paralyzing. Truly, I am stunned at just how much has happened in our country since I wrote to you just one week ago. It is tough not to stare at your phone with every alert or stay tuned in to cable news, but we also know we all have critical work that needs to be done right now, despite the chaos around us.
One thing that we have received many questions about in the last two weeks is the President’s “Executive Order (EO) on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” – an order that, among other things, bans the use of terms like “critical race theory,” “white privilege,” “intersectionality,” “systemic racism,” and “unconscious bias” in any training or materials used by institutions receiving federal funding of any kind. The EO states that the Administration wants to “combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.”
At its core, this EO is a challenge to the public reckoning, especially in 2020, of the systemic injustices that have plagued our country since its founding. It is meant to deny the truth, sow paranoia and distrust (the Administration has even set up a hotline to report offenders), and deny Black, Native, and other people of color the ability to live, work, and learn in safe and equitable spaces.
We have talked to many colleagues who understand the legal and historical precedent around such things, and one thing is true: This EO is intended to create fear and uncertainty in institutions at a time when leaders cannot afford to pause on equity trainings, or risk losing much needed federal funding.
We also understand that the placement of these restrictions on what language can and cannot be used in the course of these trainings is surely unconstitutional. We know of several litigation strategies already in development and will keep you apprised as they move forward. It is also extremely important to remember that we are in a campaign season when explosive rhetoric and thinly veiled “dog whistles” are routinely being used to galvanize a segment of the electorate. This is one of those moments, and we want to be sure not to bring unwarranted attention toward that “dog whistle.”
One thing you can all do to help us understand how this will impact your organization is to let us know if you hear of any emerging litigation, or if you start to see new language consistent with the intent of this EO appearing in federal contracts or grants to your organization. As sector leaders, we want to be in close contact about what is happening in your organizations and networks, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly at danc@independentsector.org. Independent Sector is also talking with several legal firms to determine how, in partnership with them, we might make legal insights broadly available to our network. More on that to come.
For a more succinct breakdown of what is in the EO, we thought this resource by the National Law Review was helpful.
I know sharing this information with you is likely not going to diminish the anxiety that some of us are feeling. And while you might feel stuck right now in a constant loop of bad news, we hope that our programming at Upswell 2020 next week helps you pause, take stock of what we do have in the sector, and ground yourself in your missions and values to push yourself forward. In addition to 50+ sessions, moments for reflective practice and healing, and small group discussions, we have an inspirational set of main stage speakers lined up, including Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be an Antiracist), Isabel Wilkerson (Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents), Rev. Dr. William Barber II (Repairers of the Breach), Fatima Goss Graves (National Women’s Law Center), Rev. Samuel Rodriguez (National Hispanic Christian Leadership Council), and Stacy Palmer (Chronicle of Philanthropy).
We are excited to share this experience with you and we hope you’ll join us.
Each month Independent Sector collects research with broad sector relevance to share with you. August’s research contains important insights into the impacts of COVID-19 on philanthropy and increased demand for healthcare services.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid: Philanthropy and COVID-19 in the First Half of 2020
In this report, Candid and the Center for Disaster Philanthropy explore the trends in philanthropic giving as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. The data’s message is clear: More funding and support are needed, not only in response to the health challenges presented by COVID-19, but beyond, as recovery will take more than a vaccine. COVID-19 is a social, economic, and health-related disaster – a complex humanitarian emergency that is affecting the entire world.
The National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics: New Data Shows Surge in Demand for Healthcare Services Amid COVID-19
With nearly 50 million Americans currently unemployed, many are consequently left without health insurance. As a result, new survey findings from The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) show a surge in new patients seeking no/low-cost medical care. NAFC, a privately funded 501c3 nonprofit organization, supports the 1,400 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies nationwide that provide a safety net for the uninsured. The group’s recent survey results demonstrate the evolving needs of at-risk populations during the pandemic.
More on the study: New Data Shows Surge in Demand for Healthcare Services Amid COVID-19
Add Your Voice
The research summaries above are by no means an exhaustive list of the newest information out there to help us better understand the nonprofit landscape. Did we miss a report you think we should know about and share? Let us know by leaving a comment!
In a Deep South state where voter suppression has soared since the 2013 gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the top priority of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia is to protect and expand the right to vote for historically disenfranchised communities. And with elections systems across our country facing unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus, and with federal emergency funding at a premium, the recruitment and placement of skilled, highly competent poll workers is one of the most impactful responses to ensure access to the ballot.
The ACLU of Georgia has responded with its Poll Worker Recruitment Program, targeting highly qualified workers with relevant expertise. This means younger poll workers, less susceptible to COVID-19-related complications; those with IT experience who can easily troubleshoot equipment issues; and lawyers with the legal training to prevent procedural errors, such as improper use of provisional ballots, failure to legally cancel absentee ballots for in-person voters, and early closures of polling locations. Poll workers who understand the equipment and procedures can make the difference between scores of voters either successfully casting their ballots or being deprived of their vote.
“So many of the Election Day blind spots, whether they be procedural or technical, that disenfranchise Georgians can be resolved at the level of personnel,” said Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia. “If our state’s poll workers are equipped with the expertise, the sensitivity, and the training to do their jobs well, the process is streamlined and no voter is turned away because of preventable error.”
“The ACLU of Georgia is committed to supporting our poll workers through the whole process: application, placement, and training by their local county,” said Christopher Bruce, political director of the ACLU of Georgia. “We’re investing in our poll workers’ preparedness and safety, and ensuring they have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively come Election Day.”
In partnership with civic organizations, bar associations, local businesses, and county officials, our Poll Worker Recruitment Program is a community-based ‘adopt-a-poll’ solution to Election Day staffing issues. When members of established organizations and those with legal expertise step up to serve as poll workers, trust in our elections system increases, and that, in turn, increases the likelihood that voters will overcome hurdles getting to the ballot box. And through a formal program for recruiting, placing, and supporting poll workers—providing educational resources, holding information sessions, and liaising with the counties to improve training and placement procedures—the ACLU of Georgia is preparing poll workers to deal competently with the challenges of what will certainly be a record voter turnout, along with new voting machines and the coronavirus.
“We work closely with counties to prioritize the placement of the workers we recruit, as their expertise will prove invaluable,” said Vasu Abhiraman, policy counsel of the ACLU of Georgia. “We also hope to help counties meet their needs when it comes to processing absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications. That’ll be the way many Georgians vote this year, and our workers can help the process run smoothly.”
“I felt compelled to serve my community and be a part of the solution, and so I signed up to be a poll worker. With the guidance of the ACLU of Georgia, I feel prepared to do my job and help my neighbors cast their ballots,” said Sahar Rajput, volunteer poll worker with the ACLU of Georgia.
Andrea Young is Executive Director; Christopher Bruce is Political Director; and Vasu Abhiraman is Policy Counsel with the ACLU of Georgia. The ACLU of Georgia enhances and defends the civil liberties and rights of all Georgians through legal action, legislative and community advocacy, and civic education and engagement. The ACLU of Georgia is an inclusive, nonpartisan, and statewide organization powered by our members, donors and active volunteers.
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, has a distinguished track record working across a broad set of issues central to women’s lives, including income security, health and reproductive rights, education access, and workplace fairness. During the Upswell Summit, October 14-16, Independent Sector will honor Goss Graves with the 2020 John W. Gardner Leadership Award in recognition of her groundbreaking work to advance the rights of women and girls.
Goss Graves has served in numerous roles at NWLC for more than a decade. She is also among the co-founders of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, an initiative that aims to help workers connect with lawyers and bring cases of workplace sexual harassment and related retaliation — regardless of industry, rank, or role.
Since 1985, Independent Sector has presented the John W. Gardner Leadership Award annually to a visionary who exemplifies the leadership and ideals of John W. Gardner (1912-2002), American statesman, educator, author, and IS founder. The award honors an extraordinary social sector champion whose collective work has transformed the nonprofit community and mobilized and unified people, institutions, or causes to positively impact the ability of all Americans to thrive.
“Fatima Goss Graves’ life’s work has focused on calling out and eliminating barriers to gender equity for women and girls,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “As our country and our sector confronts the devastating impact of gender inequity and systemic racism, I can think of no better person to honor at this time for her unflagging commitment to advancing justice and the issues that are vital to the lives of women and girls, particularly Black, Native, and women and girls of color.”
Prior to becoming president, Goss Graves served as the Center’s senior vice president for program, where she led the organization’s broad program agenda to advance progress and eliminate barriers in employment, education, health and reproductive rights and lift women and families out of poverty. Prior to that, she led the Center’s anti-discrimination initiatives, including work to promote equal pay, combat harassment and sexual assault at work and at school, and advance equal access to education programs, with a particular focus on outcomes for women and girls of color.
Goss Graves has authored many articles, including A Victory for Women’s Health Advocates, National Law Journal (2016) and We Must Deal with K-12 Sexual Assault, National Law Journal (2015), and reports, including Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity (2014), Reality Check: Seventeen Million Reasons Low-Wage Workers Need Strong Protections from Harassment (2014), and 50 Years and Counting: The Unfinished Business of Achieving Fair Pay (2013).
She began her career as a litigator at the law firm of Mayer Brown LLP after clerking for the Honorable Diane P. Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. She currently serves as an advisor on the American Law Institute Project on Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct on Campus and was on the EEOC Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace and a Ford Foundation Public Voices Fellow.
She is widely recognized for her effectiveness in the complex public policy arena at both the state and federal levels, regularly testifies before Congress and federal agencies, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and other public education forums. Goss Graves appears often in print and on air as a legal expert on issues core to women’s lives, including in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, AP, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR.
Goss Graves will accept the Gardner Award this October at Upswell, an annual gathering of changemakers pursuing an extraordinary opportunity to propose — and collectively engineer — a future that doesn’t just help our communities survive, but instead reimagines society so that every person can thrive. Learn more at upswell.org.
Each year, Independent Sector and Upswell proudly honor a group of leaders who have each created a career’s worth of transformative change – all by the by the age of 40.
These leaders are models for action and innovation, and you’ll have a chance to engage with the finalists for the American Express NGen Leadership Award – and the winner — throughout Upswell 2020.
But before then, we hope you’ll join us for an interactive Twitter Town Hall tomorrow — Wednesday, September 23 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm ET. You’ll have the opportunity to ask them about their work, their inspirations, and how they’ve been able to have such big impact so quickly.
To join the Town Hall, just follow @IndSector on Twitter on the 23rd.
This year’s finalists are:
- Brandon Anderson, founder and executive director of Raheem, an independent service for reporting police violence in the United States.
- Chanel Hampton, founder and chief executive officer of Strategic Community Partners (SCP), a Detroit-based firm focused on working with local and national organizations rooted in education, equity, and justice.
- Laxmi Parthasarathy, chief operating officer of Global Press, an international news organization that trains and employs female reporters in the world’s least-covered media markets.
- Niya White, principal at Congress Heights Campus of Center City Public Charter Schools, where she has transformed her school from low-performing to one of Washington, DC’s highest performing schools.
- Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss, founder of Tribal Adaptive, does outreach to Native Americans with Disabilities and provides access to sports equipment and opportunities to improve their health, success, and personal sense of well-being.
- Terence Lester, founder and executive director of Love Beyond Walls, which provides dignity to the homeless and poor by providing a voice, visibility, shelter, community, and grooming and support services to achieve self-sufficiency.
Our country faces mounting public health, economic, and educational crises, as well as a nationwide reckoning on racial injustice — challenges that require thoughtful solutions to move the country forward. When it comes to addressing these critical issues, there are few solutions that have both bipartisan support and can be a true antidote in helping to rebuild in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a proud member of the Nonprofit Infrastructure Investment Advocacy Group (NIIAG), convened by Independent Sector and KABOOM!, Service Year Alliance is thrilled to see NIIAG lifting up national service as a way to strengthen our country’s civic infrastructure.
As we determine how best to address each of these individual challenges, we also must confront the growing lack of trust in our institutions and the hyperpolarization that threaten the civic fabric of American society. If we are to truly tackle these issues, it will require a solution that unites Americans around a common cause in order to knit our communities back together.
Service Year Alliance is proud to be working with NIIAG and our partners to prioritize robust and reliable federal funding for an expanded vision of national service in America. NIIAG’s vision for national service — from lifting up the work of the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service, to ensuring people of all backgrounds and abilities are able to serve, and allowing nonprofits of all types access to national service corps members — reflects many of the same goals of the Serve America Together campaign’s policy platform, which lays out our vision for making national service part of growing up in America.
America’s civic infrastructure is the foundation on which our country was built. Nonprofit organizations are the institutions driving change in local communities. Specifically, they are on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response supporting public health workers, they are providing much-needed human capital and volunteers in response to the growing number of natural disasters taking place across the country, and they are the engines running our food banks and providing extra support to our schools and teachers during unprecedented and challenging times. They are also the ones that fuel our culture through the arts, education, and community building, keeping Americans uplifted in these difficult times. 
In order to be successful, nonprofits need strong, sustained capacity. Rigorous independent evaluations have demonstrated that national service programs help nonprofits build their capacity in different areas, including volunteer management, leadership, fiscal management and fund development, evaluation and learning capacity, collaboration, communications, and technology. National service corps members power nonprofits in local communities across the country and improve an organization’s ability to deliver on their mission and achieve their desired impact.
Investing in national service, as proposed by NIIAG, can build upon a strong, existing national service infrastructure and ensure that nonprofits — critical components of America’s civic infrastructure — have the support and human power they need to be successful.
But in order to meet this moment in American history, we must consider how best to expand national service so that people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to serve. We must do more than just create additional national service positions — we must make these positions more accessible, particularly among young people, by increasing the living allowance and other benefits so that this is a more equitable opportunity for all. This will help us to develop a generation of future leaders who represent a more diverse and culturally competent America.
Finally, to best strengthen our civic infrastructure, we need to ensure that nonprofit organizations of all types have access to national service corps members. NIIAG proposes a fellowship model that Service Year Alliance has long supported — the creation of “fellowship programs within the federally funded service programs to make service at any type of vetted nonprofit, including community-based and culturally-based organizations, possible.” Fellowships have the potential to swiftly deploy corps members across the country, give people choice in where they serve, connect national service more directly to local and state needs, and to provide additional support to organizations in order to help address the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and meet other community needs. NIIAG is also proposing that when we think about expanding national service, we think “big tent” and incorporate all corners of the sector through programs like Artist Corps.
National service has the potential to rebuild America’s civic infrastructure at a time when our country is dependent on our nation’s nonprofits and community organizations to quickly and effectively address critical crises that are resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. We are honored to be a part of NIIAG’s efforts to strengthen America’s civic bonds and build a better, more equitable nation.
Jesse Colvin is the CEO of Service Year Alliance, an organization relentlessly pursuing a bold vision — making a year of service a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans as a way to tackle important challenges while transforming their own lives.
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s Passage While Continuing to Fight for Its Promise
In recognition of Women’s Equality Day, Independent Sector hosted a Centennial Celebration webinar to promote efforts that institute inclusive remedies and dismantle structural inequality. For many, the 19th amendment marks a pivotal era that commemorates the evolution of American voting rights. Others recognize this landmark legislation as a deliberate act of preclusion that established patterns of disenfranchisement for generations to come. The anniversary of its passage serves as a critical reminder that we live in a history-driven present and that the fight for equity is not the sole responsibility of a single party, race, gender, or organization. A century following the enactment of the 19th amendment, women are more engaged in electoral politics than ever before, occupying 127 seats in the United States Congress to date. Despite encompassing nearly 51 percent of the total U.S. population and being disproportionately affected across every policy area, women have remained marginalized in elective office at every level of government, comprising a mere 23.7 percent of the 535 Congressional members with only 48 members identifying as women of color.
Award-winning impact strategist and founder of ABA Consulting Group, Adjoa B. Asamoah underscored the importance of equal access and representation, “Black women have to ensure that we are at the table. We are not equitably represented at all whether it be at the state legislatures, in Congress, as mayors, etc. We have to ensure that we are constantly pushing the needle forward to ensure that there is true inclusion so that the reality of the 19th amendment that some people are celebrating becomes a reality for all so that the concept of democracy that didn’t include us actually does.” This retrospective not only acknowledges historical wrongs but seeks to right such wrongs by addressing the array of barriers that disempower populations who are often excluded from the democratic process. League of Women Voters’ Programs and Outreach Director, Maggie Bush reiterated the importance of challenging efforts and tactics that threaten democracy, “While we are celebrating our 100th year as an organization, we’re fully and publicly owning the fact that neither the movement nor our organization were inclusive in its founding days — something that’s on all of our minds as we’re moving forward and trying to best serve voters this year in spite of unprecedented challenges.”
Ms. Asamoah reminded viewers that the lessons of history can help to avoid making policy mistakes, which even if inadvertent can have devastating consequences, “This year many women nationwide have been and will undoubtedly continue to celebrate. 1920 doesn’t represent the same thing for Black women. The hypocrisy of it becomes painfully obvious against the backdrop of a pandemic that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown women and underscores the reality of injustice when we consider the fact that Breonna Taylor is no longer with us and that her killers are still free. It’s a reminder that although Black women, being the pragmatic activists that we are, understood the concept of intersectionality before the term was even coined. The sacrifice that we made for the concept of democracy that didn’t even include us should certainly be noted.”
By examining the relationship of intersectionality, nonprofits can promote greater collaboration among scholars, practitioners, and sector leaders to establish a more equitable society where all people thrive. Christy Felling, Director of Media and Public Affairs for Share Our Strength, illustrated how longstanding barriers to voter participation intersect across and between nonprofit missions, “We’re not a democracy organization, we’re an anti-childhood hunger organization. We’re doing this because we don’t have the luxury not to. One of the reasons we engage in Get Out the Vote — beyond being the right and moral thing to build a greater society, is because this is where the news and public attention is going to be for the next few weeks. We’re not only getting out the vote when we engage the people we serve; we’re also keeping our issue front and center for new leaders and elected officials down the road.”
Research indicates that electoral candidates and incumbents engage communities with high voter turnout rates. Encouraging voter participation in communities served by nonprofits ensures that elected officials are accountable to nonprofit organizations and constituents alike once elected into office. As the third largest employer, nonprofits interface with the nation’s most diverse communities and possess the capacity to mobilize 12.3 million employees across 1.5 million organizations of donors, volunteers, and residents to increase voter engagement. This unparalleled reach, coupled with our natural engagement assets, make nonprofits a well-suited partner and impartial source to stakeholders and voters. League of Women Voters’ Maggie Bush emphasized how the sector is unequivocally adept to equip underserved communities with tools and resources to encourage active civic participation, “Nonprofits are critical to building access within our democracy and ensuring that our electorate actually looks like our community, in terms of the diversity of voices who are taking part. Research tells us that voters who are engaged by nonprofit organizations turnout as much as 11 percent higher. It shows that nonprofits, as trusted originations, are critical to turning out the vote and reaching voters who don’t tend to have access to information about how voting works or how it’s changed in their community.”
Webinar panelists also discussed the sector’s role in safeguarding the 2020 election cycle through nonprofit advocacy, grassroots organizing, and public education campaigns. Government Relation experts Heather Meade and Jessica Cameron of Washington Council Ernst & Young outlined strategies to effectively integrate voter engagement activities into nonprofit services, “All politics are local. Think about where your footprint is in terms of the communities that you serve and where you have offices. Those elected officials are more likely to listen to your stories because you’re the constituents that they really want to hear from. While engaging members, you want to consider language that is inviting to everyone. Members and staff are still using Zoom to have meetings. Think about who you’re serving — bring them to tell your story and invite more people from your organization to join the meeting. Nonprofits may be able to bring a better view of who they are and can create a pretty compelling opportunity to engage with that member and their staff even though it’s a different format.” Christy Felling presented an approach to overcome capacity challenges, “We don’t have all the answers, we have the answers that work for us. My advice for nonprofits, especially those who have not done voter engagement in the past, is not to be daunted or discouraged by all the options available, start small and pick two or three things. Before you know it, your efforts will grow, and you will see how it helps lift up the work itself.”
National Voter Registration Day is quickly approaching. It is critically important for nonprofits to raise their collective voices to educate the public, voters, candidates, and policymakers. Visit the Independent Sector website to view the full recording of the webinar and to learn how your organization can serve on the front lines of democracy. Additional voter engagement resources can be accessed in our Election Center.
