How National Nonprofits Can Help Meet Local Needs
“All politics is local” is a famous saying by late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, who believed the success or failure of elected representatives had more to do with how the constituents in their home districts viewed their job performance than what was happening nationally.
Based on my experience, I believe nonprofits also tend to be evaluated more on what happens at the local level than what is occurring nationally, even if we are talking about national nonprofits with a local presence. As the head of a national nonprofit, I’ve had my share of conversations with funders who prefer to support locally based efforts rather than national initiatives specifically for that reason. Given this, how does a national nonprofit continue to meet the needs of a community in a way that satisfies local supporters?
