INDEPENDENT SECTOR

PUBLIC POLICY:INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S PUBLIC POLICY LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES ARE FOCUSED ON RESEARCH, POLICY DEVELOPMENT, ANALYSIS, AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO ENSURE A HEALTHY, TRUSTED AND EQUITABLE NONPROFIT SECTOR. IN 2024, WE CONTINUED TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT DECLINING CHARITABLE GIVING THROUGH PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION THAT WOULD CREATE A UNIVERSAL CHARITABLE DEDUCTION. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO ADVANCE OUR BI-PARTISAN NONPROFIT STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGING AND ADVANCING TOGETHER (NONPROFIT SEAT) LEGISLATION IN THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT WOULD ENSURE THE VOICE AND EXPERTISE OF THE NONPROFIT CHARITABLE SECTOR HAD PERMANENT REPRESENTATION WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AS PART OF OUR SEAT AT THE TABLE INITIATIVE, INDEPENDENT SECTOR CO-HOSTED TWO WHITE HOUSE ROUNDTABLES IN 2024. THE FIRST FOCUSED ON THE STATE OF THE SECTOR'S WORKFORCE AND THE NEED FOR BETTER WORKFORCE DATA. THE SECOND ROUNDTABLE HAD SECTOR LEADERS AND WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS EXCHANGING INSIGHTS AND SHARING STRATEGIES TO ADVANCE A JUST SOCIETY. WE ALSO BEGAN WORK ON A LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT NONPROFIT EMPLOYERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SAME TAX INCENTIVES AS THEIR FOR-PROFIT PEERS FOR INVESTMENT IN THEIR WORKFORCE THROUGH THE CREATION OF RETIREMENT PLANS AND FACILITY-BASED CHILDCARE. IS LAUNCHED AN INTERACTIVE DIGITAL NONPROFIT SECTOR STATE PROFILES RESOURCE, WHICH PROVIDES THE MOST RECENT DATA FOR ALL 50 STATES, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND THE UNITED STATES FROM THE IRS, BLS, CENSUS BUREAU, AMERICORPS, AND INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S OWN RESEARCH. INDEPENDENT SECTOR MEMBERS CAN USE THIS NATIONAL AND STATE DATA TO ADVOCATE MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH POLICYMAKERS, CONDUCT RESEARCH, AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SECTOR. IN 2024 WE CONCLUDED A TWO-YEAR SERIES OF REPORTS ON ADVOCACY PRACTICES IN THE NONPROFIT SECTOR AND WORKED WITH AN ADVISORY GROUP OF ADVOCATES TO DEFINE HIGH-PRIORITY INTERVENTIONS INFORMED BY THE RESEARCH. THIS AND OTHER INDEPENDENT SECTOR RESEARCH ALLOW US TO SHAPE MORE EFFECTIVE TOOLS AND TRAINING TO ENSURE NONPROFITS ARE INFORMED AND ACTIVE ADVOCATES. FINALLY, INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES AND ADVOCACY EFFORTS ARE ADVANCED BY THE NONPROFIT INFRASTRUCTURE COALITION, A GROUP OF APPROXIMATELY 50 ORGANIZATIONS FROM ACROSS THE SECTOR, THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THE CORE POLICY AIMS OF IS. THE COALITION IS CO-LED WITH KABOOM!

COMMUNICATIONS:COMMUNICATIONS AMPLIFIES CRITICAL INFORMATION, ANALYSIS AND STORIES FOR A BROAD, DIVERSE AUDIENCE TO ADVANCE A HEALTHIER CHARITABLE SECTOR. THIS WORK INCLUDES DIGITAL AND PRINT PUBLICATIONS, ANALYSIS AND PERSPECTIVES, AND OTHER RESOURCES DISSEMINATED ACROSS PROPRIETARY AND SOCIAL OR OTHER MEDIA CHANNELS. SAMPLE RESOURCES INCLUDE THE WEEKLY MEMBER NEWSLETTER THE DIGEST, WHICH INCLUDES NEWS AND EVENTS OF INTEREST TO OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS; VOICES FOR GOOD, WHICH PRIMARILY FOCUSES ON THE ORGANIZATION'S PUBLIC POLICY WORK ON BEHALF OF THE SECTOR; AND CHANGEWORKS, WHICH LIFTS THE WORK OF OUR MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS. THIS WORK ALSO BRINGS VOICE AND VISIBILITY TO KEY CHARITABLE SECTOR RESEARCH IS CONDUCTS OR COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING THE PURSUIT OF INFLUENCE: INTERVIEWS WITH NONPROFIT LEADERS ABOUT ADVOCACY; ALICE IN THE NONPROFIT WORKFORCE: A STUDY OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, THE FIRST-EVER RESEARCH REPORT THAT FOUND THAT MORE THAN ONE IN FIVE NONPROFIT EMPLOYEES IN THE UNITED STATES STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY; AND INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S 2024 HEALTH OF THE U.S. NONPROFIT SECTOR: ANNUAL REVIEW, WHICH PROVIDED DATA, ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE KEY AREAS POWERING MORE THAN 1.9 MILLION U.S. NONPROFITS, INCLUDING ECONOMY AND FINANCES, WORKFORCE, TRUST AND GOVERNANCE, AND PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY. IS ALSO PRODUCED HARNESSING OUR COLLECTIVE POWER, A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT SUMMARIZING KEY INSIGHTS FROM A NATIONAL LISTENING TOUR, CAPTURING NONPROFIT AND PHILANTHROPIC SECTOR CHALLENGES, TRENDS, AND OPPORTUNITIES.