National Council on Nonprofits

National Council on Nonprofits
Name	National Council on Nonprofits
Formation	19XX
Type	Nonprofit umbrella organization
Headquarters	United States
Region served	United States
Leader title	Executive Director

National Council on Nonprofits is a U.S.-based network that supports, advocates for, and strengthens nonprofit organizations across the United States. Founded to provide collective representation for charitable organizations, it works with state associations, national partners, and philanthropic institutions to influence legislation, provide technical assistance, and promote best practices. The council engages with policymakers, legal experts, and service providers to advance the operational capacity and public trust of thousands of charitable entities.

History

The organization emerged during a period of nonprofit sector consolidation alongside entities such as Independent Sector, United Way Worldwide, Foundation Center, Council on Foundations, and Corporation for Enterprise Development. Early collaborations included projects with Philanthropy Roundtable, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, Aspen Institute, and RAND Corporation. Throughout its history the council responded to changes in fiscal policy influenced by events like the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the legislative debates surrounding the Charitable Giving Act, and regulatory shifts after incidents that engaged Securities and Exchange Commission attention. It expanded membership amid broader civic initiatives tied to AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and state-level service commissions, while interacting with legal frameworks shaped by the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Congress.

Mission and Activities

The council's mission emphasizes capacity building, legal compliance, and advocacy for nonprofits, often coordinating with organizations such as Red Cross, Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, YMCAs of the USA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Activities include publishing guidance used by practitioners at institutions like Harvard Kennedy School, Yale School of Management, Columbia University, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, and Princeton University. The council issues analyses that inform debates involving stakeholders such as Senate Committee on Finance, House Committee on Ways and Means, Supreme Court of the United States, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general, while aligning with standards promoted by Nonprofit Quarterly, GuideStar, and Charity Navigator.

Structure and Governance

Governance follows common nonprofit models observed at American Red Cross, Goodwill Industries International, Southern Poverty Law Center, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and National Audubon Society. The council's board comprises executives from state associations and national charities, often including leaders with experience at United Nations Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Kresge Foundation. Advisory committees mirror those at National Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislatures, and National Association of Attorneys General, engaging legal counsel from firms and institutions like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Covington & Burling, and academic clinics at Georgetown University Law Center and NYU School of Law.

Policy Advocacy and Public Policy Positions

The council advocates on tax policy, regulatory compliance, transparency, and nonprofit autonomy, entering debates alongside actors such as AARP, Chamber of Commerce, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Responsive Politics, and Tax Policy Center. It files amicus briefs in litigation involving entities like Supreme Court of the United States cases related to nonprofit speech and lobbying, and engages with rulemaking at agencies including the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Communications Commission. Policy positions often reference comparative frameworks used by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, historical precedents such as the Nonprofit Sector Reform Act, and legislative instruments debated in United States Congress committees.

Programs and Services

Programs include legal helplines, training webinars, research reports, and toolkits similar to offerings from National Council of Nonprofits (state associations), TechSoup, VolunteerMatch, Idealware, and National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Services support nonprofit fiduciary responsibilities, human resources, fundraising law, and digital security, often partnering with technology and consultancy firms like Microsoft Philanthropies, Google.org, Cisco Systems, Deloitte, and McKinsey & Company for capacity-building initiatives. The council disseminates model policies used by local chapters of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, regional United Ways, and statewide associations modeled after Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and California Association of Nonprofits.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources typically mirror sector patterns with support from private foundations such as Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Annenberg Foundation, and Surdna Foundation, corporate philanthropy from organizations like Walmart Foundation and Bank of America Charitable Foundation, and earned revenue from membership dues. Strategic partnerships extend to research partners including Urban Institute, Independent Sector, and Institute for Policy Studies and to convening partners like Council on Foundations and Association of Fundraising Professionals. The council also collaborates with state associations across networks akin to Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Impact and Criticism

Supporters credit the council with improving nonprofit compliance, influencing legislation, and strengthening state-level sector coordination, with cited impacts comparable to efforts by United Way Worldwide and AmeriCorps. Critics, drawing parallels to debates involving Big Charity and controversies at Red Cross and Smile Train, argue that umbrella organizations can prioritize institutional stability over grassroots autonomy, raise concerns similar to critiques leveled at Council on Foundations and Independent Sector, and face scrutiny about funding transparency and policy choices. Evaluations and audits echo methodologies used by Government Accountability Office and academic assessments published through Harvard Kennedy School and Brookings Institution.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States