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

March 26th, 2010 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

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!

Tags: Census·Communities·Government·Nonprofit Organizations·OneStar Foundation·Resources

Tweeting for Impact

December 23rd, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - 8 Comments

We’ve found Twitter to be a great way to stay informed about what’s going on in the nonprofit sector. We use it to chat with our colleagues, learn about new programs and meet new contacts doing great things for the people of Texas.

Because Twitter has been such a valuable resource for us in 2009, we wanted to start 2010 off right and share with our colleagues a few lists of Twitter feeds that we find especially informative and interesting.

This list was compiled using the Texas nonprofit organizations, Texas nonprofit employees and Texas/national nonprofit stakeholders we are following on Twitter. However, it is not a complete list of all nonprofit organizations, employees and stakeholders who tweet.

Do you follow a Texas nonprofit organization, Texas nonprofit employee or Texas/national nonprofit stakeholder on Twitter who is not on any of these lists? If so, feel free to add them in the Comments section!

Texas Nonprofit Employees who Tweet

@pastelmagick –Emily Babb, Database Manager, Capital Area Food Bank
@jberetta – Jacqueline Beretta, CEO, TexasNonprofits (San Antonio)
@SCaldwell – Stacy Caldwell, Executive Director, Dallas Social Venture Partners
@Karlacantu – Karla Cantu, Agency Relations Director, Capital Area Food Bank
@rjcarreon – RJ Carreon, Executive Director of Teach For America (Rio Grande Valley)
@acolehour – Alese Colehour, Story Bank VISTA, Capital Area Food Bank
@juliacuba – Julia Cuba, Executive Director, GENaustin
@Ddavenport – David Davenport, President and CEO, Capital Area Food Bank
@LaylaFry – Layla Fry, Communications Director, Southwest Key Programs (Austin)
@lisa_goddard – Lisa Goddard, Advocacy and Online Media Director, Capital Area Food Bank
@jeremygregg – Jeremy Gregg, Executive Director, Executives in Action (Dallas)
@HeatherMcK – Heather McKissick, President and CEO, Leadership Austin
@kerri_qunell – Kerri Qunell, Vice-President, Communications, Capital Area Food Bank
@aimyclair – Aimy Steadman, Online Development Coordinator, Capital Area Food Bank
@elmundodemando – Armando Rayo, Director, Hands On Central Texas (Austin)
@GTF_Wynn – Wynn Rosser, Executive Director, Greater Texas Foundation (Bryan)
@LIVESTRONGCEO – Doug Ulman, President and CEO, Lance Armstrong Foundation (Austin)
@cmvara – Christina Vara, Community Relations Assistant, Capital Area Food Bank
@kimberwillis – Kim Willis, Communications Coordinator, Capital Area Food Bank
@hailayates – Haila Yates, Marketing and Outreach Manager, Greenlights for Nonprofit Success (Austin)

Texas Nonprofit Organizations, Including Faith-Based and Community Organizations, That Tweet

@AARPTX – AARP Texas
@Asaustin – AIDS Services of Austin
@acatexoma – American Camp Association (Texas/Oklahoma)
@CenTexRedCross – American Red Cross of Central Texas (Austin)
@AmerYouthWorks – American Youthworks (Austin)
@theArcofSA – The Arc of San Antonio
@AFTS – Art From the Streets (Austin)
@Austinelderly – Austin Groups for the Elderly
@austinhumane – Austin Humane Society
@AustinPartners – Austin Partners in Education
@BookSpring_TX – BookSpring (Austin)
@BrazosEducation – Brazos Education Foundation (Waco)
@bcloftexas – Business & Community Lenders of Texas
@Capital_IDEA – Capital IDEA (Austin)
@CFNTEXAS – Caring Family Network (Austin)
@CASATravis – CASA of Travis County
@caseamericorps – CASEAmeriCorps (Houston)
@CCDOFW – Catholic Charities Diocese of Fort Worth
@CCcentraltexas – Catholic Charities of Central Texas (Austin)
@thecipheratx – The Cipher (Austin)
@CSchoolsTX – Citizen Schools in Texas
@CityYearSA – City Year San Antonio
@CollegeForward – College Forward (Austin)
@ciscentraltx – Communities in Schools Central Texas (Austin)
@cishouston – Communities in Schools Houston
@DallasSVP – Dallas Social Venture Partners
@Dallaswomensfdn – Dallas Women’s Foundation
@EIFdotorg – Education is Freedom
@Emancipet – Emancipet (Austin)
@ GIVEtoAUSTIN – Entrepreneurs Foundation (Austin)
@eschouston – Executive Service Corps of Houston
@Frontsteps – Front Steps (Austin)
@GENaustin – GENaustin
@GSCTXcouncil – Girl Scouts of Central Texas (Austin)
@Girlstart – Girlstart (Austin)
@GoodwillDallas – Goodwill Industries of Dallas
@houstongoodwill – Goodwill Industries of Houston
@LubbockGoodwill – Goodwill Industries of Lubbock
@grannysplace – Granny’s Place, Inc. (Dallas)
@Gr8rTXFdtn – Greater Texas Foundation (Bryan)
@Houstonaplus – Houston A+ Challenge
@HoustonFoodBank – Houston Food Bank
@AustinJCRC – The Jewish Community Association of Austin
@LIVESTRONG – Lance Armstrong Foundation (Austin)
@Lead_Austin – Leadership Austin
@LifeWorksAustin – LifeWorks (Austin)
@Mealsonwheels – Meals on Wheels and More (Austin)
@restore_austin – Restore Austin
@RiverCityYouth– River City Youth Foundation (Austin)
@RMHDallas – The Ronald McDonald House of Dallas
@FTWORTHRMH – The Ronald McDonald House of Ft. Worth
@RMHCNorthTexas – The Ronald McDonald House of Greater North Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth)
@TxSacredPlaces – Sacred Places (Fort Worth)
@SAAFdn – San Antonio Area Foundation
@TX4K – Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer
@komenforthecure – Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Dallas)
@southwestkey – Southwest Key Programs (Austin)
@TarrantLit –Tarrant Literacy Coalition
@txedpartners – Texas Association of Partners in Education (Austin)
@TNOYS – Texas Network of Youth Services (Austin)
@TexasTribune – Texas Tribune (Austin)
@TravisAudubon – Travis Audubon Society
@unitedway_abtx – United Way of Abilene
@Unitedwayca – United Way Capital Area
@LiveUnitedLbb – United Way of Lubbock
@LiveUnitedNTX – United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
@UWTarrant – United Way of Tarrant County
@UnitedWayWilco – United Way of Williamson County
@TheWomensMuseum – The Women’s Museum (Dallas)
@youthconflict – Youth Conflict Resolution Center

Other Sector Stakeholders That Tweet

@americorps – AmeriCorps
@americorpsalums – AmeriCorps Alums
@AmeriCorpsNCCC – AmeriCorps*NCCC
@VISTAbuzz – AmeriCorps*VISTA
@AmeriCorpsWeek – AmeriCorps Week
@ISReligion – Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion
@BushSchool – The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University
@CNMDallas – Center for Nonprofit Management (Dallas)
@VIPHouston – City of Houston Volunteer Initiatives Program
@nationalservice – Corporation for National and Community Service
@DellSocialInnov – Dell Social Innovation Competition
@ILH_IGH – I Live Here, Give Here: Austin’s Campaign for Philanthropy
@learnandserve – Learn and Serve
@NSLC – Learn and Serve Resources
@TheLBJSchool – Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
@MLKDay – MLK Jr. Day
@NCVS – The National Conference on Volunteering and Service
@serviceresource – National Service Resources
@RGK_Center – RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, The University of Texas at Austin
@seniorcorps – Senior Corps
@ServeDotGov – Serve.gov
@TANOorg – Texas Association of Nonprofits
@Teainfo – Texas Education Agency
@College4AllTX – Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
@VMconnect – Volunteer Match

Tags: Community-based Oganizations·Faith-based Organizations·Foundations·Nonprofit Employees·Nonprofit Organizations·OneStar Foundation·Resources·Social Impact·Social Media·Twitter·Volunteerism

Why VeriFYI?

October 7th, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Nonprofits have a lot riding on their shoulders. Budgets are getting tighter just as more clients are seeking services. Volunteers are crucial to many nonprofits’ operations and service delivery. But what if a volunteer committed fraud at your organization, or a crime against one of your clients? What realistic strides can you take to protect your organization and your clients from these potential threats?

To address these issues, the Volunteer Center of North Texas has partnered with VeriFYI, a comprehensive background-screening tool. VeriFYI searches:

State records of convictions and offenses.
Texas State records of convictions and arrests, including juvenile offenses and adjudicated records. According to VeriFYI’s Web site, “No other commercial vendor has access to this information!”
Social Security records to validate the potential volunteer’s identity.
Sex offender databases from across the country.

VeriFYI lets organizations—including nonprofits and faith-based and community organizations—conduct both full and a la carte background checks. In addition to working with nonprofits, VeriFYI also works in partnership with several State government agencies in Texas.

Because background checks can be cost prohibitive for some organizations, OneStar has partnered with VeriFYI to help Texas organizations access these services. VeriFYI’s initial fee will be waived for all nonprofits and faith-based and community organizations that use the “OneStar reference” membership application, available here.

“We want to stress the importance of utilizing background checks to protect the people we are serving,” said Elizabeth Seale, President and CEO of OneStar. “We sincerely hope that Texas nonprofits have included background checks into their volunteer application processes, or will include them soon.”

For more information on VeriFYI’s services, go to VeriFYI.org.

Tags: Community-based Oganizations·Faith-based Organizations·Nonprofit Organizations·Resources·Texas·Volunteer Management·Volunteerism·Volunteers

Nonprofit Employees and Student Loans: All May Be Forgiven

July 9th, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Did you know that nonprofit employees might be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of public service employment?

The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 gives full-time employees of 501(c)3 organizations (including AmeriCorps members) the opportunity to have loans from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program or Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Program forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF) after working in public service for 10 years. There are a few catches, though:

Your loan payments must be made under one or more of the following:
- The Income-Based Repayment plan (IBR).
- The Income Contingent Repayment plan (ICR).
- The Standard 10-Year Repayment Plan for student loans.
You must make 120 monthly loan payments, starting on October 2007. That means that the earliest qualification date for loan forgiveness is October 2017. Loan payments made before October 2007 do not count toward PSLF.
Only loans from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program or Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Program can be forgiven. (You might be able to consolidate your non-Direct Loan program loans into a qualifying Federal Direct Loan Consolidation Program loan.)

The Web site IBRInfo.org contains a calculator that can help you determine whether or not you may qualify for PSLF.

For more information about PSLF, check out IBRInfo.org’s page of Frequently Asked Questions or “What are these new programs?” page.

Tags: Nonprofit Employees·Nonprofit Organizations·Resources·Student loan forgiveness

“United We Serve” Campaign Launches Today

June 22nd, 2009 - Posted by OneStar Foundation - No Comments

Last week, President Obama announced a new campaign to encourage volunteerism and service. Titled “United We Serve,” this initiative is kicking off today at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service in San Francisco.

“This summer, I’m calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation,” said President Obama when he introduced the initiative through a Serve.gov video on June 16, 2009. “And when I say ‘all,’ I mean everyone—young and old, from every background, all across this country. We need individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and our government to be part of this effort.”

Are you planning to participate in a summer of service? What are you planning to do? Tell us in the comments section.

Also, is your organization ready to handle an influx of “United We Serve” volunteers? Check out our posts on the real value of volunteers’ time and on getting ready for volunteers for more information. And feel free to share additional volunteer-related links or tips in the comments section.

Tags: AmeriCorps·Nonprofit Organizations·President Obama·Pro Bono Volunteerism·Resources·Social Impact·Texas·Volunteerism·Volunteers

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

Tweeting for Impact

Texas Nonprofit Employees who Tweet

Texas Nonprofit Organizations, Including Faith-Based and Community Organizations, That Tweet

Other Sector Stakeholders That Tweet

Why VeriFYI?

Nonprofit Employees and Student Loans: All May Be Forgiven

“United We Serve” Campaign Launches Today

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