Editors' note: This commodity, first published in impress during Mar/Apr 2009, has been republished for Nonprofit Quarterly with minor updates.

Starting out as a customs organizer and then working for a radical customs foundation, I never dreamed I'd actually be a government insider. In near cases, the work I did targeted local government with a list of demands and criticisms. Surely, we knew better than regime how to exercise our piece of work, and nosotros never even considered information technology possible to partner with the government to achieve our goals. They were the people we were fighting for alter. 5 years ago, the city of Denver elected John Hickenlooper as its mayor. Prior to his campaign, he had been very involved in the nonprofit sector, starting local organizations and serving on many boards of directors and committees. I first met him almost 20 years ago when, equally a member of the board of the Chinook Fund, one of the Funding Exchange network of customs foundations, he hired me equally executive managing director of the Fund. Once he became mayor, Hickenlooper and I had many conversations about how to effect social change, and we recognized that no i sector — government, for-profit, or nonprofit — can solve large social issues alone. Here in Denver, we felt that the mayor's new political status was the perfect catalyst to bring the sectors together. To assist do so, we created the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships (DOSP) with the mission of helping the metropolis partner with local nonprofits. I was appointed by the mayor as its director.

Every bit the liaison between the City of Denver and local nonprofit organizations, the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships looks for opportunities to build these partnerships. In 2008, nosotros brought an additional $20 1000000 in federal and national foundation grants to the city and local nonprofits by edifice partnerships between the city and nonprofits on problems such as youth mentoring, teen pregnancy prevention, affordable housing, and the surroundings. Similarly, your nonprofit can look to partner with your local authorities for opportunities to work on issues of importance to your agency or group and constituency. Partnering with local government and one or more nonprofit organizations will enhance your chances of winning a federal or individual foundation grant. Many federal grants are just available to units of local government, but these units can then farm with local nonprofit organizations to get the projection done. In this win-win situation, the local government takes responsibility for the burdensome federal financial reporting and audit requirements while the local nonprofits carry out the on-the-ground work. Conversely, at that place are some grants that only a nonprofit is eligible to receive but that it is more likely to win if it proposes working in partnership with local authorities to carry out the piece of work.

In looking at examples of other cities that were partnering with local nonprofit organizations, such every bit Seattle, New York City, Detroit, and Lincoln, Nebraska, we discovered that each sector has its advantages and drawbacks. For example, governments move very slowly, but they also accept the power to practice large-scale projects, such every bit creating parks and building roads, and they have access to big sums of taxpayer dollars. The for-profit sector is amazingly versatile, fast, and innovative just not always the most socially conscious or accountable. The nonprofit sector can do more with less and addresses social issues such equally AIDS, homelessness, and domestic violence when no one else will. But as we all know, the sector is terribly undercapitalized and rife with overlap and duplication of services. We are learning that, by bringing these sectors together to play off each other's strengths, it is possible to create innovative, collaborative, and system-changing solutions to some of the toughest social issues.

Denver's Road Home, Mayor Hickenlooper's Ten Twelvemonth Programme to Stop Homelessness, has been a great example of the 3 sectors coming together with tremendous results. The city of Denver has provided the leadership in bringing together the sectors, Mile High United Way is serving as the financial agent, 19 local funders have provided fiscal support, and dozens of homeless providers are working together as never before to ensure wraparound services for the homeless. In the first three years of this attempt, chronic homelessness has decreased by 35 percent, while the public sensation of homelessness has risen substantially.

As governments cut dorsum in providing direct services, they are relying on local nonprofits to exercise the work and helping them get the funds so that they can. Although organizing and activist groups have been less likely to seek partnerships with authorities entities, they may want to take some other wait at the opportunities that exist. I realize that organizing groups may need to target government officials when conducting a campaign. But in that location are always opportunities to partner with authorities once the campaign is over. Ofttimes, in the midst of a campaign y'all volition discover resource that the government may have that could be helpful to you, such as funding or technical resources. I have seen a successful organizing campaign end with the system and government agency jointly seeking and receiving funding for affordable housing evolution. Just because the government may be the target of your organizing doesn't hateful they can't, at the end of your campaign, exist an ally in your piece of work.

5 TIPS

In this commodity, I offering five applied tips from an outsider-turned-insider on how to put your grouping in a position to partner with your local, state, or federal government to achieve your goals.

Enquiry Your Local Government Operations

First, find out how your local government operates and where it gets the money to pay for everything information technology does, besides all your parking tickets. Because local governments utilize taxpayer dollars, this information is readily available. Budgets are a matter of public record and can exist accessed at government offices; most are as well now bachelor online. These budgets tend to be large documents of well over 100 pages (the City of Denver 2009 budget is more 600 pages), merely most are broken downward by city agency or program categories. It is important to know which programs most direct touch your constituency and where the funds for those programs come up from.

Knowing where the money comes from will help you lot observe how flexible these dollars can be. With a piddling chip of enquiry or by asking the local program director, you tin become a copy of the program guidelines for a particular program. For federally funded projects, you tin also get programme guidelines by going to the federal agency that administers the funds. Most local governments have discretion well-nigh how federal money gets spent and tin oft transfer dollars from one program to another.

Endeavour to detect out how other cities and counties are using the types of funds most relevant to your group and let your local government know about what others are doing. You might assistance spur
your local government agencies to explore new ways to use funds by telling them most Harvard University's annual Innovations in Regime Awards, which recognize governments for innovative approaches to governance.

See how you can go involved in your local government's process for developing their upkeep. Oftentimes, it takes several months, many public hearings and meetings, and diverse revisions before the final budget is canonical. To go your programs supported, your organisation wants to be in the procedure as early as possible. You need to exist in give-and-take with your political leaders when preliminary budgets are getting put together. The upkeep volition become through many revisions before it is finally approved, and if you are not at the tabular array during these discussions y'all will exist left out.

Many nonprofit groups take conducted successful organizing campaigns around getting Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Temporary Assist to Needy Families (TANF) dollars, both of which are federal pass-through programs in which federal dollars are given to states or counties for distribution. CDBG funds take been used past nonprofits to purchase and renovate buildings, spur economic development efforts, and build neighborhood infrastructure such every bit roads and parks. TANF dollars can exist used for preventive efforts such as preventing teen pregnancy, youth mentoring, and afterschool programs.

Simply there are many other pots of money that cities and counties go that tin exist used to support your work, whether it is providing straight services to the needy or building infrastructure such as roads, parks, or businesses in your communities. Information technology is important to know where these funds come from, how much your local government gets (they are often distributed by formula), what projects are eligible nether each program, and when and how decisions are made.

Another thing you want to learn is how your local government works: how decisions go made and who makes those decisions. What agencies make up your city, canton, or land authorities? Who hires or appoints the bureau managers? Do you accept an elected mayor or city supervisor? How are city council or county commissioner seats selected — by district or at-large or a combination of both? Again, you tin find virtually of this data at your city or county'due south website. Oft city councils have work groups that meet to discuss specific functions of the city, such as youth evolution, parks, and city infrastructure. All regular meetings of public officials are open to the public. In improver, most of these meetings are at present accessible via public admission idiot box or through your local authorities'southward website. In Denver, you tin view the meetings live over the Web or access the library of public meetings on the urban center'southward website. Yous should plan to be present for the meetings that are related to your issues when they allow for public input.

In one case you notice out what agencies contain your local government, you lot want to get a list of all the agency managers and deputy managers and plan to meet with those most relevant to your issues. You can ordinarily notice managers' names on the government website as well.

Attempt to go equally much data about the managers and deputy managers as you can before meeting with them: What are their backgrounds, where did they go to school, where did they come from? Many of these managers have nonprofit backgrounds. Find out if they serve on whatever nonprofit boards of directors.

Begin to Make Yourself Known to Your Local Authorities

At present that yous know what agencies comprise your local government and who the agency heads are, you want to look for allies in your constituency. You may not have any bureau managers or deputy managers in your constituency, only there may be someone who works for the city or county government who will likely know others in the bureaucracy. Ask them to walk you lot through their agency and proper name the higher-ups. Ask them if their agency has a strategic programme, organizational chart, or bureau roster that will requite y'all insight into how it works. Ask them for their feelings about the bureau, their supervisors, and the local government. This will give you a good sense of morale and other issues in the agency.

When yous have this information, ready up a meeting with the advisable agency managers or elected officials to introduce your organization, let them know nearly the skillful work you lot practise, and explore ways you might assist them meet their goals.

These people are experts in their given fields but they are not always comfortable meeting with the customs. You want to ask them for their thoughts and plans for their agency and let them know that you are more than than willing to piece of work with them to ensure public input into their agency. Permit them know about the needs of your constituency and neighborhoods. Bear witness them pictures of your parks and roads and compare them with those in other neighborhoods. These managers control their agency budgets and are the ones who will exist making decisions nigh who they volition work with. If they don't know your agency and its work, your group volition not exist built into the budget. Oftentimes, bureau managers or elected officials will send a representative to see with you. Do not be offended past this, only encounter information technology equally an opportunity to educate some other person in the government about your work. Ever take a parcel to transport back to the manager or elected official and enquire for a formal meeting with the person in the future.

Side by side, go a list of all the public forums being held by agencies and beginning attending the meetings that pertain to your bug and giving input. Many public forums take very few members of the public showing up, simply those who attend help shape public policy and/or funding decisions. Many local governments now bear public input meetings on budgets, parks, infrastructure, business development, police, zoning issues, animal control, and many other topics. Decide the meetings that near affect your constituency and plan to take representatives attend. Oft boards and commissions are formed to oversee the evolution of policy around specific issues. Make sure that your organization is represented on these boards and commissions. Find out the process for nominating people to these boards and commissions.

You should also attend relevant city council and county commissioner meetings. Almost meetings are a matter of routine business and proclamations, but if you get the meeting agenda in advance yous tin can come across if there are items that might affect your bureau or constituency. Terminal funding decisions often must go through this process, and you should be in that location to comment or make sure changes aren't made that remove needed funding at the last infinitesimal. Yous tin also find out if items are being considered that may have dramatic consequences for certain communities, such as zoning changes or opening or closing parks or recreation centers.

Most meetings also include a public comment section on certain items nether consideration or just accept general comments. You often take to sign upwardly in advance to speak; speakers are sometimes limited in fourth dimension and/or agency or neighborhood representation. When speaking at these meetings, remember that you are oftentimes on television; always accost elected officials with formal titles, such equally Mr. or Madame President, Councilman Juan Smith — not Juan or Mr. Smith, even if you are personal friends with those you are talking to.

Chronicle to Authorities People with Respect

The number-1 dominion about politics, similar fundraising and motion edifice, is that information technology is all about relationships. As much every bit politicians may annoy you or move as well slowly for you, do not put them on the spot or endeavour to embarrass them. This volition merely get them upset and go in the way of building a trusting relationship. No one likes to exist made a fool of, and if you want to work with people on an ongoing basis you must build that trust. If you are trying to build relationships with your local authorities and figure out how to create mutually benign partnerships, and so y'all politico or authorities official may be the target of your organizing campaign, but always try to be respectful. Even though y'all may disagree on an issue, practice not brand personal attacks. At the finish of your campaign, y'all may gain a big ally for your work in the hereafter.

Some other thing bureaucrats detest is when you go around them. If you lot are working with someone, don't get around them to their supervisor or someone else whom you see as more powerful. You may get what yous need in the short term, but yous volition break that trusting relationship you worked and so hard to build.

Be certain, as well, to acknowledge support y'all go from government people. For example, if a manager or elected official attends one of your functions, such as a fundraiser or other public event, make certain to identify them and give thanks them for attending. When doing an event where you are expecting an elected or appointed official to attend, assign someone to allow the MC know that they are in the audience and where they are seated so that they can be properly acknowledged.

Understand How Decisions Are Made

In the best of circumstances, major government decisions are made with lots of community input and deliberation. But sometimes, decisions demand to exist made quickly in response to unexpected dollars or changes in rules. In these cases, your expert relationships with city or county officials will pay off. The more they know about your organization and its skillful piece of work, the more likely they are
to give you funding when it unexpectedly becomes available. I have seen situations where one organisation was awarded funding for a project simply due to unforeseen circumstances was non able to receive the funds. The funds needed to be spent down or contracted by a sure time or they'd be lost, and then nosotros quickly reached out to some familiar nonprofits to award the funding. An organization that had spent time getting to know their local regime officials received $250,000 to install a new elevator that made their office fully wheelchair attainable.

It is non uncommon for the federal or state government to tell a local city or county to come upward with ideas for projects they would practice if several one thousand thousand dollars became bachelor. You need to be ready to seize that kind of opportunity and react quickly and boldly. Think right at present most what y'all would do with an boosted $500,000 or $1 one thousand thousand. Practise you take iii or 4 projects at the ready that you could put into a two- or three-page proposal and implement within one to three months? If you do, tell your friends in government about your ideas. Requite them a tour of your system. Continue your organization and its good piece of work on their minds and they will be more probable to contact you in situations like these.

Have Advantage of Resources Other Than Money

We would all like to receive an additional $one million rapidly, simply that kind of windfall may be the exception. Notwithstanding, governments have other resources that nonprofit organizations can take reward of. They often brand coming together and preparation space with ample parking and LCD projectors bachelor to nonprofit organizations. They might have surplus computers and office furniture that they could donate to local nonprofits. They have experts on issues such every bit ecology wellness, zoning, parks and recreation, finance, economic development, and other issues who are willing to share data and help your arrangement develop policy positions.

Seek out the people in your local government agencies who are responsible for proposal writing and ask them to go on you lot in mind for grant opportunities. Also, consider request the local government to partner with yous on a grant proposal for your organization. Oftentimes, having a local regime involved in your projection adds brownie to your proposal.

Find out what other resources your local authorities has to offer and start using them. After all, you and your neighbors are paying for them.

CONCLUSION

In that location are many opportunities to work with your local government. Make sure you know what your government agencies are up to and see to it that they know virtually your work. When funds become available for a specific project, or a big, government-driven initiative comes on the drawing board, your system volition exist well placed to take an within track to the funds that could help yous achieve your mission while working with the government agencies to achieve common goals.

That these ideas may not work for every arrangement, but many nonprofit organizations are losing opportunities by non even considering the possibility of working with their local government. Even if you lot decide non to work with your local government, knowing how it works and where it gets its funding will help your organization serve its constituency better. For better or worse, local governments accept lots of control over the lives of most people. From developing zoning policies that touch on your neighborhoods and deciding where to open or close parks and recreation centers to determining which communities get designated as enterprise zones or business improvement districts, learning how your regime works can help your organization attain its goals.

Don't be afraid to meet with local political leaders, share your piece of work with them, and explore partnership opportunities. At one time, governments were seen as allies in the fight on poverty, racism, and other social ills. With new leadership in Washington and more progressive leaders at the state and local levels, nonprofit organizations again have the opportunity to work with governments to tackle some of the well-nigh intractable issues of our twenty-four hour period. Let'south show that governments can once once more exist instruments of good and can partner with local organizations to build a just and equitable gild.