Interview with Jennifer Chandler, National Council of Nonprofits

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Chandler, Vice President for the National Council of Nonprofits, an association of nonprofit associations nationally, that helps advocate at the federal level for nonprofits.

We talked about a lot of things- but mainly what’s happening NOW at the federal level, what that means for you locally, and what YOU (and your donors) can do about it.

If you have earned income for your nonprofit or government contracts or grants, this interview will be important for you to watch.

AND especially if you get National Endowment for the Arts, Forestry Service, Meals on Wheels, Healthcare or Educational grants or contracts from the government, you DEFINITELY want to listen to this interview.

Listen to this interview and you will learn:

Some national nonprofits are doing well-however- over 50% of the states have deficits, which means other nonprofits are experiencing budget cuts

Where does our money come from? National Statistics show us that:

–1/3 of our money is coming from the federal government, trickled down to the states
–1/2 is fees for services, such as tuition, elder care, healthcare, etc.
–Individual giving is 8%
–The smallest sliver is foundation funding-3%

What can we do NOW?

Jennifer Chandler, VP of the Council of Nonprofits, recommends-
1) Incentives and motivation to be super connected to our current donors
2) Inform your donors about the difference you’re making with their help and filling a gap
3) Mandating finding new donors
4) When that government bucket flows to a trickle, the needs continue-and the message and story you tell your donors need to share what this means for THEM.
5) Helping create ambassadors for your cause

Listen to find out the answers to these questions-

• Restricted gifts, should you go after these, or not?
• Have you ever done scenario forecasting? Should you?
• What’s the ONE PHRASE that everyone should be asking, every day-to advocate for your cause?
• Are you part of a coalition of nonprofits in your state that talks with state legislators? Why would you want to join one?
• Do your legislators know the power of our sector? What are some statistics that will help them listen to you?

After listening to this interview, if you want to

• Help your board members get more involved in fundraising,
• Figure out how to message during this time of change,
• Learn how to make a Plan B, C or D or contingency planning,
• Discover how to hire right in fundraising, you definitely can learn ALL OF THIS at the online Nonprofit Leadership Summit this September 18, 20 and 22nd.

Should you come to the Nonprofit Leadership Summit?

Well, if you think it’s important to respond, not react to rapid funding changes at the federal level (which do affect us locally), if you’d rather not be caught flat footed by a changing economic environment, if you want to remain nimble with your messaging and stories, then the Nonprofit Leadership Summit can help you do this.

The choice is up to you.