While the clock ticks toward the transfer of power from one administration to another, and we hold our collective breath as a nation – not knowing whether additional assaults on our democratic institutions might come, there is comfort in knowing that the work of moving forward does move forward.
The particular work I have in mind is captured in this fact sheet, requested by – and just delivered by Independent Sector to – the Biden transition team.
In a meeting between the Biden team and Independent Sector in December – before the passage of the latest round of COVID-19 relief legislation – IS was asked what impact we expected the package would have on nonprofits. While we did not know the final details of the legislation, we expected there to be critical needs of nonprofits left unaddressed. The Biden team asked us, once final details were clear, to offer a quick assessment of where the bill fell short and what would need attention in a future package from the new administration. Biden team members offered to place that feedback into the right hands within the transition “system.”
Of course, we were grateful for that opportunity.
Many of you took the time to complete a survey over the holidays to help us build out this picture with snapshots of what is happening in your organizations. Thank you for taking that time. A more complete overview of those findings, gathered from more than 800 nonprofits from across the nation of all sizes, will be shared shortly. But, in the meantime, we wanted to let you know what we provided to the Biden team, including in another recent conversation.
Independent Sector’s policy agenda remains clear. We need COVID-19 relief legislation that meets the needs of all nonprofits, not just some, and ensures they can continue operations in 2021. We need civic and community infrastructure investments that speed recovery, especially in the Black, Native, Latinx, and other communities of color decimated by this pandemic. Finally, we need representation for nonprofits in this new administration, recognizing what we all know to be true – nonprofits are essential to building our way out of these crises and like the business community, should have a steady voice and permanent presence in the conversations that determine the policies that impact our organizations and, more importantly, the hundreds of millions of people in communities we serve in our nation’s cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
So, while we wait out the clock and flip back and forth to the news feed, it is good to know that the wheels keep turning. There is much work to do, and we need you alongside. Thank you, and please have a safe and healthy 2021.
Update: Independent Sector posted this blog on January 15 about top-line data about what nonprofits need from the U.S. government.
