Independent Sector
Independent Sector
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About this organization
Mission
Independent Sector is the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers at nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs working to strengthen civil society and ensure all people in the United States thrive. As the vital meeting ground, we advance our mission by fostering a sense of belonging, catalyzing action, and providing policy leadership across the full breadth of the charitable sector. Our organizational strategies are results-centered and racial equity-focused. We believe that all charitable nonprofits and foundations in this country should be healthy and equitable to ensure that all people in the United States thrive, with targeted focus on Native, Black, Latinx, Asian, and other communities of color.
About
OVERVIEWINDEPENDENT SECTOR IS THE ONLY NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATION THAT BRINGS A DIVERSE SET OF NONPROFITS, FOUNDATIONS, AND CORPORATIONS TOGETHER TO ADVANCE THE COMMON GOOD. THE IS MEMBERSHIP OF 400 ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTS A CROSS-SECTION OF THE CHARITABLE COMMUNITY INCLUDING LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL PUBLIC CHARITIES, FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATE GIVING PROGRAMS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTED TO ADVANCING THE COMMON GOOD. WE ENGAGE MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT TYPES, SIZES, MISSION AREAS, AND GEOGRAPHIES, AND INVOLVE OUR MEMBERSHIP IN OUR EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THE CHARITABLE COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDES DEVELOPING POLICY POSITIONS AND AMPLIFYING THE VOICE OF THE CHARITABLE COMMUNITY TO POLICYMAKERS, SUPPORTING AND DEVELOPING ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING LEADERS, AND PROMOTING GOOD GOVERNANCE STANDARDS. MEMBERS ARE INFORMED THROUGH OUR DAILY AND MONTHLY COMMUNICATIONS, AND THROUGH REPORTS ON RELEVANT TOPICS PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO THE FORCES SHAPING THE CHARITABLE COMMUNITY. MEMBERS ARE ENGAGED THROUGH COMMITTEES, AD HOC GROUPS, ONLINE AND IN-PERSON EVENTS, AND AT UPSWELL, WHERE THEY BRING THEIR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE, AS WELL AS THEIR DESIRE TO FURTHER DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE AND CONNECT WITH OTHER CHANGEMAKERS. INDEPENDENT SECTOR IS EXPANDING THE WAYS WE ENGAGE CHANGEMAKERS TO BUILD COMMUNITY IN THE SECTOR, LEAD ON POLICY ISSUES ON BEHALF OF THE SECTOR, AND BUILD KNOWLEDGE FOR ACCELERATING THE SECTOR'S IMPACT. IN 2019, IS HELD ITS SECOND UPSWELL CONVENING, A NEW ANNUAL GATHERING AND PLATFORM FOR ENGAGEMENT THAT HARNESSES THE POWER OF COMMUNITY-SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE BROADER SOCIAL SECTOR TO BRING ABOUT POSITIVE CHANGE AND STRENGTHEN THE BONDS OF CIVIL SOCIETY. UPSWELL GROWS OUT OF THE TRADITION OF THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR CONFERENCE, BRINGING TOGETHER CHANGEMAKERS IN A HIGHLY INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE WHERE THEY WILL LEARN NEW SKILLS, BUILD DEEPER RELATIONSHIPS, BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, AND COLLABORATE ON ACTION-ORIENTED PROJECTS. OUR SECOND UPSWELL SUMMIT WAS HELD IN CHICAGO ON NOVEMBER 13-15, 2019. OVER 1,500 CHANGEMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TOOK PART IN THE UPSWELL SUMMIT AND RELATED GATHERINGS. IS CONTINUES TO ADVANCE A SOLUTIONS-ORIENTED POLICY AGENDA, DRIVEN BY RESEARCH AND SUPPORTED BY STRONG SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS. WE ENGAGE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS, ACADEMICS, LEGAL EXPERTS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO CULTIVATE NEW LEGISLATIVE CHAMPIONS AND GENERATE NEW DATA TO INFORM OUR EFFORTS. IS CONTINUES TO OFFER COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCES ON ETHICS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND GOOD GOVERNANCE. OUR COMPETITIVE FELLOWS PROGRAM FOR NEXT GENERATION LEADERS SAW AN UNPRECEDENTEDLY LARGE AND DIVERSE APPLICANT POOL IN 2019, WITH SIMILARLY STRONG DIVERSITY IN REPRESENTATION AMONG THE NGEN LEADERSHIP AWARD APPLICANT POOL AND GROUP OF FINALISTS. AND WE PILOTED A NEW SECTOR HEALTH REPORT THAT WILL HELP NONPROFIT LEADERS AND POLICY MAKERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE INTERCONNECTED TRENDS, NEEDS, AND CHALLENGES IMPACTING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR WORK.IN 2019 WE FURTHER CEMENTED THE CONSTRUCT OF THREE STRATEGIC DRIVERS FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND FURTHER STRENGTHENED THAT WORK EACH OF WHICH SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO A BODY OF WORK THAT PROPELS THE ORGANIZATION TOWARD MISSION ACHIEVEMENT. THOSE STRATEGIC DRIVERS ARE: (1) COMMUNITY BUILDING; (2) POLICY LEADERSHIP; AND (3) ACCELERATING SECTOR IMPACT. OUR COMMUNITY BUILDING AND POLICY LEADERSHIP "STRATEGIC DRIVERS" HAVE A DIRECT HISTORICAL TIE TO THE FOUNDING OF THE ORGANIZATION. AT THE TIME OF OUR FOUNDING, JOHN GARDNER SPOKE CLEARLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR A "VITAL MEETING GROUND" FOR OUR SECTOR A PLACE WHERE SECTOR LEADERS COULD COME TOGETHER TO LEARN, TO SHARE IDEAS, AND TO BUILD A COLLECTIVE SENSE OF AGENCY, OR VOICE, FOR THE NONPROFIT SECTOR. OUR COMMUNITY BUILDING WORK OF TODAY BUILDS ON THAT THEME, USING NEW MEANS OF CONTINUOUS ENGAGEMENT TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITY AND GROW OUR SENSE OF "SECTOR-NESS." SIMILARLY, GARDNER SPOKE OF INDEPENDENT SECTOR AS THE ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD WORK WITH THE POLICY MAKING COMMUNITY TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE INTERESTS OF CHARITABLE NONPROFITS WERE PROTECTED AND PROMOTED IN THE POLICY MAKING PROCESS. TODAY, PUBLIC POLICY LEADERSHIP FOR INDEPENDENT SECTOR MEANS NOT ONLY PROTECTING THE INTERESTS OF OUR SECTOR BUT WORKING PROACTIVELY TO SHAPE THE POLICY ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY CONVERSATIONS IN WAYS THAT BETTER EQUIP SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS TO MEET THE CHALLENGES AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOUND IN OUR NATION TODAY. FINALLY, THE THIRD LEG OF OUR STOOL "ACCELERATING SECTOR IMPACT" FOCUSES ON A SELECT AREA OF PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITY WHEREIN WE CAN MAKE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE EFFICIENT IN THE PURSUIT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE MISSIONS. OUR HALLMARK EFFORT HERE CONTINUES TO BE OUR ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY WORK AND THE 33 PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE AND ETHICAL CONDUCT. COMMUNITY BUILDINGIS WAS FOUNDED WITH THE INTENTION OF BEING THE "VITAL MEETING GROUND" FOR AMERICA'S CHANGEMAKERS AND PROBLEM SOLVERS. BY EXPANDING OUR CADRE OF SOCIAL CHANGE AGENTS BEYOND NONPROFIT AND PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS, AND BY CREATING A PLATFORM WHERE COMMUNITY PRACTICE OF NATIONAL RELEVANCE CAN BE SHARED, WE FACILITATE CHANGEMAKERS BUILDING A COMMUNITY WHERE ALL CAN THRIVE. UPSWELL CHICAGOOUR DESIRED RESULT FOR UPSWELL CHICAGO WAS TO BUILD AND EQUIP A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF CHANGEMAKERS DEDICATED TO ENSURING A SOCIETY WHERE ALL CAN THRIVE. TO THAT END, OUR PRELIMINARY SURVEY RESULTS FROM UPSWELL CHICAGO PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGING AS THE MAJORITY OF ATTENDEES STATED THAT THEY WALKED AWAY FROM UPSWELL WITH A NEW IDEA ON HOW TO DO THEIR WORK AND MADE A NEW CONNECTION WITH SOMEONE AT UPSWELL THAT WILL IMPROVE THE WAY THEY DO THEIR WORK.TO ACHIEVE THESE RESULTS, WE BEGAN BY BUILDING ON OUR DATA AND ANALYSIS FROM UPSWELL LA. FUNDAMENTALLY, WE ENDEAVORED TO PARTNER DIFFERENTLY WITH THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TO CREATE UPSWELL CHICAGO. THE THREE-DAY SUMMIT TOOK PLACE ON NOVEMBER 13-15, 2019, A CULMINATION OF MORE THAN A YEAR OF WORK TO PARTNER DIFFERENTLY WITH COMMUNITY.UPSWELL ACCELERATOR BUILDING ON OUR LEARNINGS FROM UPSWELL LA, IN CHICAGO WE FORMED AN UPSWELL ACCELERATOR GROUP WHICH MET FIVE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE MEMBERS OF THE ACCELERATOR REPRESENTED SOME OF THE MOST ESTABLISHED INSTITUTIONS IN THE CITY, SUCH AS THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST AND CROWN FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES WHO SERVED AS THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE EVENT, AS WELL AS SMALLER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH MAKE UP THE FABRIC OF CHICAGO. THE UPSWELL ACCELERATOR, RATHER THAN PROVIDING CONTENT, SERVED AS A COMMUNITY HUB TO FURTHER PROPEL IS INTO COMMUNITY TO ELEVATE THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF CHICAGO WHICH WOULD BE MOST RELEVANT TO THE NATIONAL CHANGEMAKERS WHO ATTENDED UPSWELL. THE ACCELERATOR CHOSE TO FOCUS ON ADVANCING A RACIAL EQUITY FRAMEWORK FOR CHICAGO. THROUGH THIS EFFORT, COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS WORKED WITH THE ACCELERATOR MEMBERS TO DESIGN FOCUS GROUPS THAT INCLUDED THE PERSPECTIVES OF 200+ CHICAGOANS. THE FOCUS GROUPS INTENTIONALLY TARGETED THE INPUT FROM SOCIAL WORKERS, NURSES, TEACHERS, CASEWORKERS, CAREGIVERS, LOW-WAGE AND UNDEREMPLOYED/UNEMPLOYED WORKERS, DEPARTMENT STORE EMPLOYEES, SINGLE-PARENTS, YOUNG ADULTS 18-35 YEARS OLD, SERVICE WORKERS, DAY LABORERS AND RETURNING CITIZENS. THESE FOCUS GROUPS SURFACED THREE PRIORITY AREAS THAT THE COMMUNITY FELT HAD AN URGENT NEED FOR RACIAL EQUITY FOCUS: HOUSING, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMIC ACCESS.UPSWELL SUMMITOVER HALF OF THE 2019 PROGRAM AT THE SUMMIT WAS CROWDSOURCED THROUGH THE CO-CREATE CAMPAIGN, AN INVITATION FOR PROPOSALS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES AT UPSWELL, THAT GENERATED HUNDREDS OF SUBMISSIONS. AS A RESULT OF THIS WORK, UPSWELL PROGRAMMING ALSO SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH:- AN INCREASE OF LOCAL PARTNER ENGAGEMENT BY 28% (OR 239 PARTNERS)- 1,540 CHANGEMAKERS ATTENDING (10%+ GROWTH OVER 2018) WITH 53% BEING FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.- UPSWELL CHICAGO PROGRAM CONTENT INCREASED BY 40% AND FEATURED 310 ACTIVITIES (AS COMPARED TO UPSWELL 2018) AND FEATURED 25% MORE SPEAKERS (AS COMPARED TO UPSWELL 2018). - EIGHT OUT OF THIRTEEN OF OUR MAIN STAGE SPEAKERS SHOWCASING THEIR WORK ON RACIAL EQUITY. - 27% (OR 86 OF THE 319 SPEAKERS) BEING FROM CHICAGO- 62 UNIQUE EVENTS WHICH SHOWCASED THE POWERFUL WORK THAT'S TRANSFORMING LIVES IN CHICAGOLAND.THE UPSWELL SUMMIT HAS ALSO CONTINUED TO EVOLVE AS A PLATFORM FOR CHANGEMAKERS TO ENHANCE THE IMPACT OF THEIR OWN WORK. FOR EXAMPLE, ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, THE ASPEN INSTITUTE HOSTED ITS INCLUSIVE AMERICA PROJECT WHICH SHOWCASED CASE STUDIES WITHIN THE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES TO ASPEN'S KEY PARTNERS. EQUITY IN THE CENTER HOSTED A FULL DAY, "BUILDING A RACE EQUITY CULTURE" THAT PROVIDED A DEEP DIVE ON RACIAL EQUITY PRACTICES AND TRENDS. LASTLY, LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONS AND ITS MEMBER COMMUNITIES HOSTED AN EIGHT- HOUR PRE-CONVENING TO HELP EQUIP FAITH-BASED LEADERS TO HEAL CIVIL SOCIETY.
Interesting data from their 2020 990 filing
The purpose of the non-profit is stated in the filing as “We envision a world of engaged individuals, robust institutions, and vibrant communities working together to improve lives and the natural world, and strengthen democratic societies. to help create this future, we lead and catalyze the charitable community, partnering with government, business, and individuals to advance the common good.”.
When detailing its duties, they were outlined as: “We envision a world of engaged individuals, robust institutions, and vibrant communities working together to improve lives and the natural world, and strengthen democratic societies. to help create this future, we lead and catalyze the charitable community, partnering with government, business, and individuals to advance the common good.”.
- As per legal requirements, the non-profit's state of operation is reported as DC.
- The non-profit's address in 2020 as per the filing is 1602 L STREET NW NO 900, WASHINGTON, DC, 20036.
- The non-profit's form for the year 2020 reports a total of 44 employees on their payroll.
- Is not a private foundation.
- Expenses are greater than $1,000,000.
- Revenue is greater than $1,000,000.
- Revenue less expenses is -$1,167,197.
- The organization has 17 independent voting members.
- The organization was formed in 1980.
- The organization pays $4,896,307 in salary, compensation, and benefits to its employees.
- The organization pays $749,374 in fundraising expenses.
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