New Tool Launched to Document the Human Effects of Sequestration Cuts

The National Council of Nonprofits (Council of Nonprofits) announced the launch today of www.GiveVoice.org as a storytelling and data collection hub for people and nonprofits affected by sequestration. This new tool will enable charitable nonprofits to report the negative effects of the sequester on real people in local communities across America. It also shows how sequestration will increase community demands and decrease needed resources, saddling nonprofit staff and board members with unsustainable burdens.

Charitable nonprofits are on the front lines in communities across the country addressing individual needs and solving local problems. Nonprofits often see the impact of policy changes first, and feel the effects in multiple ways. The GiveVoice.org site explains how sequestration hurts the work of virtually all nonprofits, not just those with government contracts, and how it harms their ability to serve the needs of residents in their communities. Nonprofit staff members, board members, volunteers, and those served by nonprofits are encouraged to share their stories at www.GiveVoice.org about how sequestration is affecting their communities.

“As the reality of sequestration cuts play out, the work of nonprofits is going to become even more difficult from multiple compounding factors as many are hit by direct funding cuts to programs, hit again as state and local governments cut their funding further to make up for their own budgets being cut, and hit a third time as people who are furloughed or laid off as part of sequestration turn to nonprofits for help in unprecedented numbers,” Tim Delaney, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits said in a statement issued as President Obama signed the cuts into effect. “Charitable nonprofits are already severely depleted from doing so much more, for so many more, for so much longer, with so much less; they can no longer underwrite government’s failures. Nonprofit employees and board members can no longer pick up the slack as elected officials refuse to do their jobs.”

The GiveVoice.org website will be updated as stories come in from people across the country and the effects of sequestration continue to make themselves known. Over time, a clearer picture of the painful truths of this arbitrary and short-sighted policy will come into focus.

Delaney added, “The 13 million individuals employed by nonprofits, the 63 million who volunteer for nonprofits, and the millions more who are served daily by nonprofits all need to tell policymakers how the cuts will impact their lives. And they need to tell Congress and the President to get back to work, fix the sequester, return to regular order for the federal budget, and stop hurting the American people.”

Additional Resources
• Statement on Sequestration Cuts and the Damage to Nonprofits Serving Local Communities
• Infographic: The Devastating Human Impact of Sequestration Cuts

The National Council of Nonprofits is a trusted resource and advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Through our powerful network of State Associations and 25,000-plus members – the nation’s largest network of nonprofits – we serve as a central coordinator and mobilizer to help nonprofits achieve greater collective impact in local communities across the country. We identify emerging trends, share proven practices, and promote solutions that benefit charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve. Learn more at www.CouncilofNonprofits.org.