Center Builds National Bridges of Partnership During White House Meeting

This last week marked a defining moment for the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s member nonprofits — and the communities they serve — as the Center advocated for the region’s nonprofit sector at the White House.

In an historic first, Glen O’Gilvie, CEO of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, along with 80 fellow leaders representing more than 20,000 nonprofit members from across the country, including the Center’s Susan Sanow and Beth Hess, 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 the Center, 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.

This discussion with the White House occurred as part of the annual Member Meeting of the National Council of Nonprofits. 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.

“There was obviously great power and influence in our collective voice on behalf of nonprofits across the country,” said O’Gilvie. “We were delighted to join this historic meeting on behalf of the Greater Washington region.”

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About the Center for Nonprofit Advancement: The Center for Nonprofit Advancement strengthens the capacity of nonprofit organizations throughout Greater Washington, D.C. The Center directly partners with more than 800 nonprofits helping them achieve their missions through training and technical assistance programs, networking, advocacy and group buying power.