Chorus of More Than 500 Making Its Voice Heard in Nation’s Capital

Instead of flowers or a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day this year, Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) gave children and the nonprofit human services organizations that serve them the Invest in KIDS Act. Rep. McDermott spent months planning for this special gift, and it showed when he introduced this legislation on Feb. 14.

As chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, McDermott has primary jurisdiction over child welfare issues in the House of Representatives. His Invest in KIDS Act is a comprehensive bill addressing several long-standing issues in the child welfare system such as creation of a new Child and Family Services entitlement program and the kinship guardianship assistance programs. (For more information on the Invest in KIDS Act, go to the Alliance website and click on “Public Policy/Advocacy.”)

The Alliance for Children and Families and United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) office of public policy and civic engagement tracked this legislation for months as it was being developed. In fact, our office conducted conference calls with congressional staff of seven of the 14 members of the subcommittee. These calls were very effective in mobilizing both Alliance and UNCA members and allied organizations to share their expert advice on the issues the legislation would address.

We must have done something right! The Alliance and UNCA support the Invest in KIDS Act, as it was introduced, in its entirety.

Since the Alliance and UNCA combined public policy efforts in 2006, we have been steadily moving toward this type of outcome. It comes after strategic steps were implemented to take full advantage of our affiliation. Indeed, we are truly energized by the strength of a combined membership of more than 525 nonprofit members and our work is greatly enhanced by the leadership that Senior Vice President of Public Policy Patrick Lester provides in Washington.

The Alliance and UNCA office of public policy and civic engagement’s 2008 agenda organizes important issues into three tiers. Issues were carefully chosen and segmented to receive the appropriate resources of the policy office. This was completed with the engaged participation of the public policy and civic engagement committee, which is made up of Alliance and UNCA representatives.

Even 100 years ago, when community and neighborhood activists mobilized to “right a wrong,” they too used a variety of advocacy tactics to reach out to their lawmakers. Many of the things we take for granted today were established due to the successful efforts of our predecessors and their predecessors.
Just as in the past, today it is not good enough to be right; we cannot expect positive change just because what we are supporting is right. We must create results by having impact. That impact is achieved with a strong, strategic, and deliberate voice in Washington.

NonProfit Director Debut
Due to a very generous grant, beginning later this summer, the Alliance will begin distributing the Alliance for Children & Families Magazine to all board members of Alliance and UNCA member agencies.

For the first time, we will have an effective mechanism to communicate with the 10,000 volunteers who govern our organizations and champion our causes.

Contained within each issue of the magazine will be the NonProfit Director, a “magazine within the magazine” that will feature content of particular interest to board members such as civic engagement, fund raising, governance, and volunteerism. But, we need your assistance to get these magazines to your board members.

You may have already received a letter via U.S. mail or e-mail from the Alliance asking you to inform us of the number of board members you have. When each issue is published, we will mail the sufficient number of magazines for your board to your organization. In return, we will expect that you distribute them as soon as possible to board members.

To provide them with context on what this publication is, we ask that a letter from the agency CEO or board chair accompany at least the first issue of the magazine explaining what it is, its usefulness, and maybe even highlighting an article that is of particular interest. We will provide you with a prototype letter if you wish.

Thank you for your assistance in this program. We expect your board members will thank you for the new resource. Contact Nancy Kunkler at 800-221-3726, ext. 3635 with any questions.