URGENT – Action Needed Immediately

Dear Members:

For the last five years, the top federal legislative priority for the National Council of Nonprofits and our network of state nonprofit associations (including the California Association of Nonprofits - CAN) has been for Congress to create a federal matching grant program for nonprofit capacity building.

Last week, Senator Max Baucus (Montana), who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, filed S.609, the Nonprofit Capacity Building Act of 2009 (“NCBA”). The NCBA would allocate $25 million for the federal Corporation for National and Community Service to use as a matching fund pool. Nonprofit capacity building groups could then get a 50% federal match to go with funds raised locally so we can provide technical assistance and training to nonprofits.

Because NCBA fits naturally with the Serve America Act, we are trying to get NCBA written into a floor amendment to be offered in the Senate THIS WEEK.

Because this is moving so quickly, we must “light up” the phone lines in the Senate and White House to let them know how important it is to support nonprofits. We need EVERY ONE of the members of CAN to IMMEDIATELY call our Senators and the White House. All the other state associations are doing the same – so we need to show that the nonprofits in California can contribute our fair share and more for the good of all nonprofits nationwide.

The process is easy – simply take ten minutes as early TODAY as possible and call these three numbers:

1.      Senator Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)   (202) 224-3553

2.      Senator Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)   (202) 224-3841

3.      White House: 202-456-1414

The message is simple:

A.     For the calls to the two Senators:

·        The nonprofits in California – that employ tens of thousands of voters and involve tens of thousands of volunteers – need Senators Boxer & Feinstein to immediately co-sponsor S.609 to show bipartisan support for the Nonprofit Capacity Building Act to help nonprofits as we struggle to deliver services to our local communities in this brutal economy

·        This bill is nonpartisan and needed

B.     For the call to the White House: leave a message that you are calling to get the Obama Administration to support adding S.609 (Nonprofit Capacity Building Act of 2009) added as an amendment to S.277 (Serve America Act) – BOTH are needed

Thank you. Please help us show that the nonprofit members of the California Association of Nonprofits can make more calls than nonprofits in other states! We need to tell our federal officials who work for the people that the people in California need and deserve this simple matching grant program so nonprofits can meet community needs and use volunteers in a meaningful way.

Now, let’s immediately light up those phone lines!

Merdeth Clark

Chief Operating Officer

Ken Larsen

Director of Public Policy