Funded Partner Profile: Supporting Nonprofits in a Time of Fundamental Change
The Guilford Nonprofit Consortium is in high demand these days. With an increase in requests for support and more need for resources, the membership organization, made up of 357 nonprofits in Guilford County, is working to help its member organizations navigate the rapidly changing dynamics of the nonprofit sector.
The Consortium and its member organizations are dedicated to making Guilford County a great place to live, work, learn, and play through capacity building. They have a long history of working with the Foundation for a Healthy High Point to further these efforts. “We make sure all our resources at the Consortium are available to all of the Foundation partners and at all levels of leadership,” said Mary Herbenick, Consortium director. The Foundation is part of a funders’ collaborative, that allows the Consortium and the Foundation to gain insight about the needs in the community and the issues local nonprofits are facing. Both organizations share the goal of building and fostering a strong nonprofit sector.
The current environment is creating significant challenges to furthering this goal. The Consortium is focusing on the best approach to defending programs that are essential to the health and well-being of the community. “Every single person who lives in Guilford County or steps foot in Guilford County is served by a nonprofit in some way, shape or form,” said Herbenick. “We are essential to upholding democracy.”
Funding is a critical issue, with severe reductions at the federal level. The situation is often compared to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. But there is a critical difference: COVID saw an infusion of resources to address the crisis. This is a removal of resources at every level. “We are seeing a suctioning out of every system designed to support people. Think about education – our mentoring programs, our tutoring programs, anything that affects kids. Animals, foster care, voting. Every single policy that’s coming down is going to affect a nonprofit,” Herbenick shared.
Nonprofits are responding in a variety of ways to these changes. “It depends on the organization and their focus,” said Herbenick. “There’s a lot of fear right now, and looking for direction about how to advocate well.” Some organizations have had to change their name or the language on their websites due to funding prohibitions for initiatives that are perceived to be related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Others have had to furlough employees and make hard decisions about what programming to continue. And the uncertainty in the economy is exacerbating funding challenges. One of the greatest obstacles is that things are changing so fast that it’s hard to know what to worry about next.
Organizations are also being targeted based on their mission, particularly with the focus at the federal level on eliminating any efforts perceived to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Consortium is focused on finding ways to continue the work to build more equitable systems under the current circumstances.
To that end, the Consortium is leveraging the convening role it plays in the community, bringing organizations from different parts of the sector together for collaboration and strategy. “Convening is our superpower. We have a broad reach, and we can also galvanize people directionally,” said Herbenick. “The Consortium was founded on a philosophy of ‘give what you can and take what you need,’ allowing organizations to come together and share time, talent, and resources. Our strength lies in bringing people together for a common purpose.”
The Consortium recently hosted a collective action strategy session with nonprofits and advocacy groups to address these challenges and discuss the next steps. David Heineman of the NC Center for Nonprofits and Stephen Sills, a consultant in the nonprofit space, shared sobering news. The federal funding cuts and a flood of policy changes are causing chaos for North Carolina nonprofits as they struggle to respond to rapidly increasing needs with reduced resources. The impact on North Carolina’s economy is significant: nonprofits employ about 324,000 workers in the state, paying more than $20 billion in wages, and contribute more than $1.1 billion per year in state taxes and fees. Attendees then came together in small groups to discuss strategy and next steps.
Now is the time to elevate the conversation in the nonprofit space, not just about policy but also about advocacy. The Consortium is putting some structure in place toward that end. Advocacy is a relatively new initiative for the Consortium, and they are again focusing on their convening role by establishing small teams, creating additional training opportunities, and working with a lawyer who can help guide advocacy efforts within the legal framework that governs nonprofits and in a highly divisive environment. One of their new initiatives, One Sector, One Voice Triad, is focused on aligning voices and sharing resources to defend the core programs and values of the sector, advocating for policies that positively impact the community and the organizations serving it, and building a public understanding of the impact of the nonprofit sector. And for those organizations whose work is centered on equity, there will be conversations around the best way to move forward. “So much of public health, so much of the social determinants of health, is really about building a more just society,” Herbenick said. “And those organizations are being targeted right now.”
A critical aspect of protecting the sector is education about the importance of nonprofits and what they do in our communities. Nonprofits are responsible for so many initiatives that touch the public, from community festivals and art initiatives to food pantries and public health clinics. Understanding that impact is key to public support. Herbenick added, “We also need to address the fact that volunteerism is down. We need everyday folk to get involved in something that they care about. We need people to jump in and help these nonprofits continue to deliver even when resources are getting tighter.”
There is also a need to educate public officials about the role and impact of nonprofits, as more support will need to come from the local level. Increasing civic engagement and voter turnout will be crucial, encouraging those who care about nonprofits to participate in every election and ensure that elected officials reflect the community’s values.
In spite of the challenges, Herbenick feels there is reason for hope and that some good things can come out of it. Organizations will collaborate and support each other to continue their missions. And no one will have to do it alone. One of the things the Consortium is good at is creating a sense of belonging, and the nonprofit sector can do that like no other. “We’re going to show up for what we believe in and what we hold dear, and we’re going to take care of our neighbors.”