TANO Builds National Bridges of Partnership During Meetings at White House and on Capitol Hill
For Immediate Release
July 21, 2009
CONTACT:
Mary Beth Harrington
Director of Membership & Community Outreach
Ph: 972-839-9960
mbharrington@tano.org
TANO Builds National Bridges of Partnership
During Meetings at White House and on Capitol Hill
This last week marked a defining moment for Texas nonprofit organizations — and the communities they serve — as the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO) advocated for the state’s nonprofit sector at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
In an historic first, Barry Silverberg, President & CEO of TANO, along with 80 fellow leaders representing more than 20,000 nonprofit members from across the country, Mary Beth Harrington, TANO's Director of Membership & Community Outreach met Tuesday with a senior White House official to explore ways government and nonprofits can best partner to serve local communities.
Meeting in the celebrated Indian Treaty Room, the White House was represented by Michele Jolin, Senior Advisor in the new Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation. Jolin noted that the Office was created by a President who has an unprecedented commitment to and personal understanding of the vital role nonprofits play in their communities. Jolin and the nonprofit leaders discussed ways the National Council of Nonprofits, which includes TANO, can leverage its unique national/state/local network to help the Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation connect to small and midsize nonprofits in local communities to identify, promote, and support innovative and scalable programs. The discussion also covered how to create a better policy environment for nonprofits so limited government and nonprofit resources can be leveraged for greater impact in local communities.
On Wednesday, July 15th, TANO leaders also participated in the second annual “Nonprofits Advocate!” Lobby Day. The leaders were briefed by key senior staff members of Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on the progress of legislation of concern to nonprofits. TANO leaders then traversed Capitol Hill for meetings in the offices of Texas congressional representatives. These visits focused on two core messages: (1) protecting the funding for the “Nonprofit Capacity Building Program” in the Serve America Act; and (2) ensuring that nonprofits – which employ about 10% of America’s workforce – are not forgotten in health care reform.
These discussions with Congress and the White House occurred as part of the annual Member Meeting of the National Council of Nonprofits, of which TANO is a member. In addition to sharing innovative ideas and knowledge about best practices, nonprofit leaders heard evidence of the economic recession’s serious impact on nonprofits from Dr. Lester Salamon, a national expert on nonprofits and civil society who leads the Listening Post Project at Johns Hopkins University.
While the economic situation we face is daunting, it was encouraging to hear how resilient the nonprofit sector has been,” noted Barry Silverberg, President & CEO of the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations. “Despite the immense challenges we face, our nonprofit agencies continue to meet the human challenges and serve the people of our state. We were delighted to carry the voice of the over 70,000 nonprofits in Texas to members of our congressional leadership and to help heighten their consciousness of the economic impact and importance of our sector. It was gratifying to hear their interest in our work, which we will continue to work diligently to turn into concrete support and funding for the diverse ways our nonprofits serve and benefit our state.”
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The Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO) is the statewide association reflecting and promoting Texas’ growing nonprofit community in all its diversity. Envisioning a Texas Nonprofit Sector that works together to be among the healthiest and most vibrant in the nation, TANO’s concern and focus is every nonprofit entity within our state no matter size or budget. Its mission is to connect, strengthen, and support the nonprofit community for the public good of Texas.
TANO is the Texas affiliate of the National Council of Nonprofits and one of the ten national satellite programs of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center in Washington, DC