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Public Affairs
Press Releases
Seven Hills Foundation Hosts Town Hall Meeting
to Unite Nonprofit Sector in National Nonprofit Movement.
September 2006, Worcester, MA: Nonprofit leaders gathered at Seven Hills Foundation on Thursday, September 7, 2006 for a “Town Hall” meeting to identify common values, visions, and obstacles for Massachusetts nonprofit organizations. Such Town Halls are being held nationwide in an effort to unite America’s diverse nonprofits around their similarities, creating a stronger, more visible nonprofit sector.
This nonprofit movement – the Nonprofit Congress – seeks to catalyze important change in the nonprofit sector by capitalizing on the diversity, passion, and experience of nonprofit leaders and allies across the country.
More than thirty participants attended the Seven Hills Foundation Town Hall meeting, representing various nonprofit “subsectors” such as human services, arts, and immigration rights. Participants engaged in frank discussion about the sector in several roundtables, and conveyed their individual perspectives about the opportunities, challenges, and ideals for nonprofits.
“Just as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce represents the profit, or business, sector of our nation’s economy, the broad not-for-profit, or charitable, sector needs a voice in each state capital and in Washington, D.C.” said Dr. David Jordan, President & CEO of Seven Hills Foundation, who attended the Town Hall. “Here in Massachusetts alone over half of our citizens receive direct services or interact with a nonprofit agency every day – yet, too often the charitable sector remains invisible to the general public and undervalued by our elected representative.”
“What we’re trying to do is connect these incredibly diverse organizations so they can unite from a position of power,” said Audrey Alvarado, executive director of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA), the group coordinating the Nonprofit Congress.
According to NCNA’s United States Nonprofit Sector report, there are over 830,000 registered nonprofits in the U.S. today.
“How do you get these groups to realize their collective strength in the face of increasing regulation and scrutiny? That’s the heart of this project. It’s not a pity party – it’s a celebration; a brighter future for nonprofits and the communities they serve,” said Alvarado.
Towards the end of the meeting, participants were asked to vote on the top priority issues discussed in their small groups. Collectively, the group’s priorities were to create a nonprofit sector that: 1) benefited from increased public awareness of the sector’s contributions to quality of life in Massachusetts; 2) had a stronger voice in public policy issues through professionalism and increased funding; 3) was able to increase its capacity to improve the lives of the people it serves through increased professionalism and sharing of knowledge and resources.
The information gathered from this Town Hall will be communicated through four Massachusetts’ delegates, including Dr. Jordan of Seven Hills Foundation, at the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting October 16-17, 2006.
For more information, visit www.nonprofitcongress.org.
The Nonprofit Congress is an unprecedented effort to unite nonprofits and strengthen the charitable sector. In the best spirit of democracy, the Nonprofit Congress is bringing together nonprofit leaders and their allies from across the country to identify and affirm the values that all nonprofits share, develop a vision and priorities for the nonprofit sector, and exercise a collective voice.
Public Affairs
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Copyright © 2006 Seven Hills Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
