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Stand Up and Be Counted: Why the U.S. Census Matters to Nonprofits

OneStar Foundation — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:46:43 +0000

By now, you have probably seen several public service announcements about the importance of filling out your U.S. Census forms. You have probably received your Census forms in the mail as well.

But did you know that the Census is one of the most valuable tools available for federal, state and local government and planning officials? Data from the Census is utilized to create plans and distribute funds for schools, roads, government redistricting and more. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy article “Foundations Pour Millions Into Efforts to Improve the Census,” the Census count currently results in $1,415 in funds per person annually, adding up to $14,150 per person for the whole decade.

In addition, according to NonprofitsCount.org:

$4 trillion in federal funds will be distributed to states over the next decade based on Census data.
Texas received $23.1 billion in Census-based federal funds during 2007 alone.
Each Texan counted in the 2000 Census earned $968.36 in federal dollars for our state.

Part of those funds will come in the form of taxpayer dollars that go toward contracting with nonprofits to deliver services. Unfortunately, many of the people who rely on nonprofits for services—particularly people with young children, homeless people and people whose primary language is not English—are often underrepresented in the Census. Without everyone’s participation in the Census, communities cannot effectively plan to meet the true needs of all of their residents, and nonprofits may not receive enough funding to continue serving their clients effectively.

But your nonprofit organization can help ensure that everyone—especially those who might need help the most—can stand up and be counted in the Census! Your organization can:

Encourage your clients to fill out their Census forms.
Use the hotlines listed on NonprofitsCount.org to get your clients’ Census questions answered.
Refer your clients to a Census Questionnaire Assistance Center if they would like to get assistance in person.
Partner with other nonprofits in your area to get the word out about the importance of the Census, and how it affects residents. (Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations is Texas’ nonprofit partner with NonprofitsCount.org.)
Become an official 2010 Census Partner through the U.S. Census Bureau.
Help relieve people’s fears about how their information will be used; detailed information can be found on the U.S. Census 2010 Web site.

How is your organization promoting Census participation? Tell us in the Comments section!

Join us for our New Media Conference today to learn more about the Texas Social Innovation Initiative

OneStar Foundation — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:45:29 +0000

Join us for a new media streaming video conversation with leaders in the nonprofit sector, who will talk about their collaborative efforts to stimulate socially innovative activities in Texas. This exciting conversation will take place today at 10:30 a.m. CST. You can participate in the conversation in the following ways:

Watch live streaming video from bboomer at livestream.com

Nonprofit News: “The Worst Question to Ask About Charity”

OneStar Foundation — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:28:54 +0000

In his blog post “The Worst Question to Ask About Charity,” Dan Pallotta writes about the misconceptions behind measuring a nonprofit’s success through low overhead costs. He argues that judging a nonprofit simply on whether or not it has low administrative costs does not answer the larger, more important question: how much social impact is generated by the work of that organization? The public assumes that there is a direct correlation between low overhead costs and high social impact, says Pallotta, but the two can be mutually exclusive. He doesn’t want people to assume that organizations with miniscule administrative costs must, therefore, be making a difference. In fact, Pallotta states that “major studies on the relationship between organizational strength and impact find otherwise.”

What questions do you think donors and volunteers should ask nonprofit to determine whether or not they are successful? How does your organization measure its success? Join the discussion at Pallotta’s blog, or share your comments below.

Nonprofit News: “State Offices of Social Innovation?”

OneStar Foundation — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:12:56 +0000

Last Friday, Andrew Wolk of Root Cause wrote a blog post that discussed his recent Boston Business Journal article—an article in which he argued for the creation of a state social innovation office in Massachusetts. In his blog, he took his argument further, asking if a social innovation office that links federal and state activities can be created in every U.S. state.

OneStar: Texas Center for Social Impact was listed in his blog post as one example of a state social innovation office that, in his words, is organized “similar to the way state-based Service Commissions have been set up,” including being “connected to AmeriCorps and the CNCS at the federal-level.”

We want to thank Andrew for recognizing OneStar and for considering us to be an organizational model for social innovation offices!

Do you think that states should utilize social innovation offices? Do you think they are ready to implement such an office? Share your thoughts in the comments section of Andrew’s blog post, or in our comments section below.

Nonprofit News: “Nonprofit groups might find 6,300 is a crowd, study says”

OneStar Foundation — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:39:42 +0000

Earlier this week, The Austin-American Statesman published an article that raised questions about Austin’s large number of nonprofits. The article stemmed from a study done by Greenlights for Nonprofit Success, which revealed that the greater Austin area—Travis County and the four surrounding counties—has over 6,300 501(c)(3) organizations.

The article is receiving national coverage. On Wednesday, The Chronicle of Philanthropy mentioned it in their “Philanthropy Today” section. In addition, article author Andrea Ball wrote a blog post asking more questions about why so many charities are drawn to Austin. Is it because the city is the state’s capital? Or, as Andrea writes, is it because Austin is “an educated city with a high rate of volunteerism?”

What do you think of this study? Do you think 6,300 nonprofits are too many? Where should the line be drawn—or should it be drawn at all? Let us know in the comments section.