The Census is around the corner. At stake is a decade of federal funding, political representation, and public and private investment. Make sure everyone is counted. Go to NonprofitsCount, the most comprehensive website on the 2010 Census for the nonprofit community. There you can:

• Request a free Census Toolkit that will help you ensure your constituents are counted.
  
• Stay informed about what's going on in Wisconsin.

What's at Stake - By the numbers:

$4 trillion

Federal funds distributed to the states based on Census data over the next 10 years.

$5.8 billion

Census-based federal funds Wisconsin received in 2007 alone!

$1,032.55

Amount each person counted in the 2000 Census earned for Wisconsin in federal funds in 2007

Warning Wisconsin Could Lose Population Count Due to Snowbird Confusion in Census, Help Needed, Job Opportunities. Dec 16, 2009
The results of the census are used to determine Congressional seats, legislative districts, and the distribution of over $400 billion in federal funds. Localities use census data to site hospitals and schools. Businesses use them to determine where to build new plants and site stores. “Wisconsin already ranks low in receiving federal dollars,” says Kaminski, “We don’t want an undercount to exacerbate that situation.”

In May 2009, WNA was a part of a group gathered and lead by Forward Community Investments to create, distribute and analyze information from Wisconsin Nonprofits and how they are Coping with Economic Crisis.  The report contains the results of a survey of nonprofits from all over the state of Wisconsin, diverse in geographic location, staffing size, budget, and mission. The commonality is that all these nonprofits are providing important services and strengthening the livelihood in our statewide communities.

Wisconsin Nonprofits Association was asked to provide through our national organization National Council of Nonprofits, (NCN) to President Elect Obama's transition team with policy recommendations from the nonprofit perspective. We are delighted to share the "Recommendations to the Presidential Transition Team" submitted by the National Council of Nonprofits. WNA members are automatically also members of the National Council of Nonprofits. So we write to share these recommendations, the following background and important analysis with you.

The package responds to the Transition Team's request for a one-page summary about specific items, plus it adds several one-page explanations to provide important background. 

Please share the package with your staff members, board members, and public policy committee members because it offers key policy analysis and detail about possible new programs. No proposed policy packet ever gets 100% support, especially within a diverse membership organization that spans a state or the nation, so you may disagree with a particular item among the 27 specific recommendations, but the package as a whole serves as a great resource for several issues and shows how we can tell our story.

Your membership in WNA means we all have a greater voice, both in Madison and in DC. As noted on page 11 of the package, when the American people come together through nonprofits, we can amplify our voices. Plus, when we as nonprofits come together through WNA and then through the National Council of Nonprofits, we amplify the voices of nonprofits and the people we serve.