NCN special report cites nationwide budget crises
Membership in the Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations includes membership in the National Council of Nonprofits, a national movement that gives voice to America’s nonprofits. The NCN on March 16 issued a ground-breaking report that deals in part with the budget crisis we are facing here in Hawaii, which is part of a growing predicament across the country.
This special report, entitled “State Budget Crises: Ripping the Safety Net Held by Nonprofits,” examines how state and local policymakers are addressing their budget deficits in ways that are threatening nonprofits:
- Governments slashing funds for programs they expect nonprofits to administer
- Governments withholding contract payments for services nonprofits have already delivered
- Governments taking operating money from nonprofits through new fees and taxes
The report notes how these budget deficits are hurting not only nonprofits with government contracts, but also other nonprofits that lose funding because private donations are re-directed to human service providers and away from other organizations.
The report concludes by proposing steps government, foundations and nonprofits can take to lessen the impact of the budget crises on the people we serve, and, at the same time, strengthen the partnership for the public good that can exist between nonprofits and governments at all levels.
HANO encourages you to read this NCN special report and attend our free upcoming April 6 workshop, “Making The Final Push – Internet Tools to Help You Pass Your Bills,” cosponsored by Sustain Hawaii, to learn how to use “Policy Ninja” to set up web forms that allow online constituents to send emails to any decision-maker, letters to-the-editor of any newspaper and submit official state testimony.
The free workshop will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol, Room 312, Honolulu. To RSVP, contact Kevin Vaccarello at kevin@sustainhawaii.org or (808) 783-4596.
