State of the Washington DC Region – Highlights from Nonprofit Roundtable’s Annual Meeting

By Neelam Barot, ProInspire Intern

On Wednesday June 24^th, the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington held its Annual Meeting, including a cross-sector dialogue about the state of the region, at George Mason University’s Arlington campus. ProInspire’s CEO, Monisha Kapila, was elected to the Roundtable’s Board of Directors, and our team had the opportunity to support and participate in the event.

Over 80 nonprofit and other regional leaders attended the meeting, which featured a formal business meeting, panel discussion, and participant discussions.

Roundtable Board Members shared an update on the organization’s work over the past year, including responding to recent challenges, and proposing a refined vision for the organization, to serve as a public voice for the nonprofit community.

The panel featured industry leaders to discuss the current state of the region, challenges, and opportunities. Moderated by Alan Abramson, Professor and Director of Mason’s Center for Nonprofit Management, Policy, and Philanthropy, and a Roundtable Board member, the panelists included:

Nonprofit Roundtable Cross Sector Panel

• Jim Dinegar, President and CEO, Greater Washington Board of Trade
• Doug Duncan, President and CEO, Leadership Greater Washington
• Jay Fisette, Member, Arlington County Board
• George Jones, CEO, Bread for the City
• Pat Mathews, Board Chair, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers

The panel’s robust discussion included comments on challenges facing our region around the economy, education, health care, public safety, shelter, environment, infrastructure, and regional cooperation. The speakers highlighted issues such as poverty, housing affordability, and racial disparities. They also analyzed changes in regional demographics, advancements in various fields such as cyber and hospitality, and our existing infrastructure, with a focus on Metro.

Some key themes from the panel:

Economy

• The Federal government has entered a time of restraint, which will have a major impact on the nonprofit sector.
• The business community is through the most difficult times since 2008.
• The economic driver of the region will no longer solely be the federal government, startups are critical for growth.
• The Greater Washington region is still considered one of the most stable economies in the U.S.

Jobs

• Our region is not taking advantage of the growth opportunities, for example, cyber companies can’t find enough people for their jobs, and there are a shortage of welders. We are not set up to help people take advantage of opportunities.
• Many of the growing jobs are in service and hospitality industries, which do not offer benefits to workers.

Local Government

• Some local jurisdictions are examining tax increases to manage costs.
• Even Arlington, which has traditionally very high tenancy, is experiencing higher vacancy rates in commercial buildings than ever before, which will impact tax base.
• Changing demographics will create new strain on government resources to meet diverse needs – for example, largest increase in Arlington population is people over age 60 and under age 5.

Philanthropy

• A number of funders have exited the region or are shifting their focus, including Fannie Mae Foundation, Freddie Mac Foundation, Marpat Foundation, and ExxonMobil Foundation. Some new funders have arrived, including Lever Fund and Tiger Woods Foundation.
• Younger philanthropists have a different approach to giving, which is often not as long-term.

Community

• Income disparities are growing at an alarming rate.
• There is a major intersection between poverty and race that has implications for our work in the nonprofit sector.
• By 2060, there will be two workers for every social security beneficiary, and one of those workers will be a person of color.
• Housing affordability is a major issue and will continue to be critical for clients that nonprofits serve.

The panelists also discussed potential opportunities to address regional issues, including:

1. Get more people trained and employed in the positions that need to be filled.
2. Collaborate across the region for economic development.
3. Redefine collaboration, and identify opportunities for more public/private partnerships
4. Be explicit in discussing the racial divide in poverty.
5. Nonprofits need a stronger voice and increased advocacy around critical regional issues.

Some memorable quotes:

Jim Dinegar on how we are not helping people take advantage of job opportunities: “They say that a rising tide raises all boats, but a lot of people don’t have boats.”

Pat Mathews on collaboration: “Change happens at the speed of trust.”

George Jones on addressing race and privilege within nonprofits: “You can do well and right if you are intentional about it.”

Takeaways

My takeaway from this event is that there are major challenges we face as a society, and these are too complex for the nonprofit sector to handle on its own. The panel encouraged collaboration and inclusion of organizations from multiple sectors towards solving these issues. It was also clear that the nonprofit sector can do more to work together, advocate, and build bridges. Hopefully this is a role that the Nonprofit Roundtable can continue to play for the region.