The 2009 Nonprofit Congress, originally planned for New Orleans in May, instead will be “a national gathering of state associations” in Washington, D.C.
The National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) made the announcement in a letter to its membership Friday (Jan. 23): “The national economic crisis that has beset America’s nonprofits calls for the National Council of Nonprofits to reformulate our strategic approach for the 2009 Nonprofit Congress. Now is the time to reinforce our sector’s value to our elected officials. With this in mind, we will convene a national gathering of state associations coupled with a lobby day in Washington, D.C., to seize the momentum of the new administration by carrying the vigorous, unified voice of our network to Capitol Hill.”
Last year’s Nonprofit Congress was held in Washington, D.C. in June, with the idea of rotating the annual conference around the nation before returning to D.C. during presidential election years. The initial Nonprofit Congress was held in D.C. in October 2006. NCN Executive Director Tim Delaney said next year’s meeting, originally set for Portland, Ore., is still to be determined.
The decision was made a few years ago to move the convening national meeting to geographic regions to make it easier for nonprofits in given areas to participate, Delaney said. “The decision to go to New Orleans was a good one at the time, it made sense then and still makes sense today but for this wicked economy that has trumped nonprofits,” he added. Early registration had only just begun, Delaney said, so a decision was made quickly to get the word out to members as early as possible to avoid making plans and purchasing accommodations.
With the arrival of a new Congress and administration, Delaney said it’s an opportune time for nonprofits to have a presence in D.C., adding that they’re looking at congressional calendars to determine a two- or three-day span this summer for the gathering. In addition, state associations will plan their own town hall meetings and summits.
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This article is from NPT Weekly, a publication of The NonProfit Times.
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