Nonprofits pull together for more pull

They hope to send a powerful message expressing their value to lawmakers in a time of tight budgets.

By KEVIN GRAHAM, Times Staff Writer
Published August 30, 2007

TAMPA - Hillsborough County's nonprofit groups and social service providers want you to know what life would be like without them.

During meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaders of organizations that provide social services talked about ways to convey their worth to the local and state government leaders who decide how much money they should get.

"We're not in a battle for our budget, we're in a war to change public opinion," said Manus O'Donnell, assistant county administrator for Hillsborough.

He said state policymakers often think social service groups don't stand together to support common goals, and are not good at getting across the crucial role they play in meeting societal needs. As a result, O'Donnell said, in times of budget cuts, nonprofit agencies are hit hardest.

O'Donnell sat on a panel that moderated the meetings at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County's Ybor City headquarters. Luanne Panacek, the children's board's chief executive officer, led the talks.

Social service providers representing the homeless, the elderly and Hillsborough's Health Care Services were among the more than 60 people who participated Wednesday.

Now that providers have an idea of the types of budget cuts to expect, they have begun looking at ways to pool their resources. Panacek wants to create a "providers association," similar to one she said operated in Hillsborough County during the 1990s.

It would be a group that brings together program providers and the groups that give them the money to operate. They would share ideas and have a better sense of where the funding sources are for individual programs, Panacek said.

They would also act as a unified and more powerful voice when dealing with state lawmakers and local leaders.

"I think it's healthy," Chellie Lisenby, said of the town hall meetings.

Lisenby is chief executive of the Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, which provides training for such groups. Those agencies don't have the money to spend on advertising, and she'd like to see a providers association help give nonprofits more exposure.

Panacek said another group of nonprofit leaders will come together next month to work on creating a unified voice for the social services sector.

They will work to develop a common message that explains their value, then send that message out to the community.

Send your ideas

Social services providers and nonprofit agencies can send input on collaboration initiatives to the Children's Board of Hillsborough County by e-mailing wartis@childrensboard.org with the subject line, "Town Hall Ideas."

[Last modified August 30, 2007, 00:46:04]