Washington, D.C. Region Town Hall Summary

Over 80 nonprofit leaders attended the Washington, D.C. Region Town Hall meeting on July 19, which was hosted by the Nonprofit Roundtable and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement.  Robert Egger (DC Central Kitchen) and Audrey Alvarado (National Council for Nonprofit Associations) opened the session as guest speakers to talk about the need for a collective nonprofit voice and how the Nonprofit Congress came about.  Small group discussions were held to address the questions provided by the Nonprofit Congress.  A summary of the discussions in response to those questions provides a review of the thought landscape among nonprofit leaders from Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland.  (The information was taken from the Facilitator forms that were collected.)

The voice of nonprofits in the Washington, D.C. region:

1.      What do all nonprofits have in common?

• Nonprofits improve the quality of life for everyone
• Nonprofits have a passion for service
• Nonprofits are mission and values-driven
• Nonprofits depend on outside funding and resources
• Nonprofits must adhere to legal requirements
• Nonprofits are under public oversight

2.      What is your ideal vision for the nonprofit sector in your state?

• A sector that is adequately resourced
• A sector that collaborates well with each other
• A sector that is understood and respected by the public
• A sector that is seen as an equal partner among other sectors
• A sector with the capacity to take on large issues and problems
• A sector with a political voice and a permanent seat at the table

3.      What are the obstacles common to all nonprofits – regardless of mission – that prevent us from reaching this vision?

• Lack of funding
• Need for better, more effective communications
• Fragmentation in the sector
• Weak leadership
• Difficulty measuring success
• Increasing competition for funding
• Not enough long-term planning
• Inadequate political/advocacy skills
• Staff/board recruitment and retention

4.      What key short-term steps can nonprofit organizations collectively take to eliminate these obstacles? 

• Develop partnerships and collaborations
• Increase political participation
• Invest in leadership development/strategic alliances & coalitions
• Share resources with each other – information, funding partnerships
• Do more networking
• Improve marketing & communications
• Educate funding community about need to improve capacity
• Provide more opportunities for dialogue in sector

5.      What key long-term steps can nonprofit organizations collectively take to eliminate these obstacles? 

• Engage in advocacy and lobbying at the local and national level
• Speak with one political voice
• Form/establish an institutionalized leadership program for the sector
• Deliver common performance metrics for the sector
• Focus on closing the gaps in capacity
• Regularly convene the sector continually define collective agenda