Honor nonprofits on National Nonprofit Day

Aug. 17 is National Nonprofit Day — a day to recognize and appreciate the vital role nonprofits play in our everyday lives. In Linn County, we deeply value these organizations that have seen our community through both everyday challenges and extraordinary crises.

Nonprofits are more than helpers in times of need. They are a constant presence working quietly but powerfully to ensure our community thrives. This is a good reminder for us all to stop and appreciate how much they truly mean to our community.

Together with government programs, nonprofit organizations provide our community with a social safety net. By helping residents meet basic needs — housing, food, health care, education, etc. — these organizations help ensure everyone in Linn County has the opportunity to thrive. We’re fortunate to have nonprofits that work well together in creating this safety net, and it shows. Thanks to an innovative collaboration, our community is one of few in the nation seeing a decline in homelessness.

Of course, it is not accurate to think of the nonprofit sector as one passively waiting to support our community when it is in need. Just like for-profit businesses, nonprofits are driving the local economy and building Linn County’s culture. Besides employing residents and spending money locally, these organizations are also attracting visitors and new taxpayers. Local arts and cultural nonprofits are resilient and innovative. Strengthening these organizations strengthens our community’s ability to grow and prosper.

Nonprofits are also building connection. Nonprofits inspire the civic engagement that creates a sense of community; they build collaborations across sectors and bring people together across lines of difference. PATCH, for example, brought together private businesses, nonprofit organizations, government groups, and hundreds of volunteers to help residents recover from the 2020 derecho. The program recently concluded after restoring nearly 300 homes thanks to more than 2,900 hours of volunteer labor.

It takes more than volunteer hours, however, to build a strong nonprofit sector. It takes buy-in from the community — donors, businesses, and even policymakers — to establish and maintain effective nonprofit infrastructure. The importance of that buy-in and infrastructure becomes clear in the face of disaster, when the people of Linn County both support and rely on those organizations. As policy changes threaten nonprofit programs and funding streams, community support will become even more important. It will take a commitment from all of us to maintain the symbiotic relationships between nonprofits, businesses and governments.

We all appreciate and rely on nonprofits — whether we’re enjoying green space, accessing health care, visiting a museum, or asking for a hand up. Today, on National Nonprofit Day, I encourage you to be more assertive in your appreciation for these organizations. Gifts of time or money to a local nonprofit is an investment in the leaders, innovators, and partners creating a stronger community for all.

Karla Twedt-Ball is president and CEO of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.