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New government 'won't understand the sector'

Governance | Tania Mason | 2 Mar 2010

Charities must prepare for a new government that will have very little knowledge or understanding of how civil society organisations work, whichever party wins the election, delegates to the NCVO annual conference were warned last week.

In her keynote speech to the conference, Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector, the US equivalent of NCVO, reflected on how President Obama’s first year in office had been for the US non-profit sector and shared her advice on how UK voluntary groups should approach the post-election period.

She drew three broad lessons from her experience: “Manage expectations, question assumptions, and remain fiercely independent.”

One “surprising” lesson learned was that “just because an individual worked in a non-profit organisation doesn’t mean that she or she necessarily has a deep understanding of how it is funded, how it operates, or how best to partner with us to advance common agendas,” she said.

Many of the new laws and policies proposed by the Obama administration, such as tax credits for small businesses or raising revenue by limiting tax reliefs on major donations, have been either neutral or detrimental to the sector. So, even though the administration is “genuinely compassionate towards our causes, we overestimated the extent to which key decision-makers were sector experts”.

Manage expectations

On managing expectations, she said that the public and the sector’s hopes for what the new president could accomplish were “unrealistic from the get-go”.  The institutionalised partisanship which has come to characterise American politics means that it is very difficult for the Democrats to convince Republicans to side with them to get any laws passed, and the passing of legislation requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.

Despite the President’s best efforts to resume a spirit of compromise and bipartisanship, progress has “ground to a halt”, Aviv said. “This political environment creates myriad challenges for any organisation trying to work with the government, notwithstanding the administration’s sympathetic ear and outstretched hand.

“Already White House officials have told me that if I want to see key proposals enacted, I must ensure Republicans will support them.”

“Our challenge has now become managing expectations and transforming malaise into meaningful, full speed ahead movement that includes outreach to both parties.”

Independence

“The past year has reinforced the message that relationships endure when the sector maintains a non-partisan stance as required by law,” Aviv concluded. “Even the appearance of failing to do so invites problems.”

Click here for the full text of Diana Aviv’s speech.

 

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Directory: National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)