Do you remember the groundbreaking 2014 Causes Count: The Economic Power of California's Nonprofit Sector report? That study revealed a few surprising things including, for example, that nonprofits employ one in 15 California residents. Now CalNonprofits and The Nonprofit Institute at the University of San Diego are again collaborating to update the report and dive deeper into areas like government funding. And we need your help! 

If you are a senior leader at a California nonprofit please complete this 10-15 minute survey. Your responses will help inform policymakers, philanthropic leadership, and the public about what we do and why it’s important. Please share the survey link with other people – the more responses we get, the more useful the report will be for us all. 

 We will combine your responses with data from IRS Forms 990, government funding data, Department of Labor data, economic metrics, and a survey of California residents to tell the story of California’s nonprofit sector. Get started here. If you have to pause the survey midway, please keep it open on your browser because if you close it, your responses will not be saved.

If you have any questions about this survey or the study, please contact Dr. Mary Jo Schumann, Director of Research.

As the current shutdown of the federal government threatens to be the longest in U.S. history, it seems as if the headlines are more about uncollected trash in national parks than about how people and nonprofits are being affected. We’re hearing from nonprofits that they and their patients, clients, and other constituents are already experiencing problems. 

To help us look for ways to support nonprofits in the shutdown, we need to hear what kinds of issues you are experiencing.

Please take 5 minutes to share your experiences in this 3 question survey.

1. What impact is the federal government shutdown having on your organization?

2. What impact is the shutdown having on your community and constituents?

3. What steps have you taken (or do you plan to take) to manage these impacts?

Click here respond.

Last week, on behalf of all nonprofits in California, CalNonprofits sent letters to all the newly elected California Congressional delegation reminding legislators about the importance of nonprofits in our communities.

"Our state’s nonprofits not only represent the dreams and aspirations of California's varied communities, they are robust with human capital, financial capacity and innovative potential. Causes Count, CalNonprofits’ report documenting the economic impact of California’s nonprofit organizations, notes that California nonprofits generate $260 billion in total economic activity every year and nearly one million people are employed by nonprofits in California, accounting for one in sixteen California workers."

We also pointed out that "federal laws can have big impacts on nonprofits, sometimes in unexpected and unintended ways."

California has 53 members of the House of Representatives -- more than any other state. As a result, California members of Congress are crucial to many national issues. Our letter to them highlighted four key issues:

• protecting the Johnson Amendment,
• UBIT tax on transportation benefits,
• creating a universal or non-itemizer charitable deduction for all Americans, and
• making sure all Californians are counted in the 2020 Census through additional funding for outreach and opposing the addition of a question about citizenship.

Please share your thoughts and suggestions with us in the comments, by email, or on Twitter, or Facebook.