Now that sequestration is here, we await how these cuts will affect our community, including the most vulnerable and needy and the nonprofits who serve them.
We know, despite Gov. Deal’s assertion that the effects of sequestration have been exaggerated, that without further action to prevent it, Georgia will profoundly feel the impact of mandatory cuts in defense spending, in Title I and special education services and more.
The latter two will not be implemented until 2014 in Georgia. For most agencies, the cuts must be accomplished within a seven-month period this year because the federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
In case you’ve not seen the anticipated Georgia figures yet, as reported previously in this newspaper, in addition to the loss of Army base operations and furloughed Department of Defense employees, we’ll lose $28.6 million in primary and secondary education support, $3.5 million for environmental management, $1.3 million for feeding needy seniors and $1.2 million in public health programs plus cuts to the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) and to extended unemployment benefits.
AmeriCorps, which provides volunteers to nonprofits throughout the country, will also experience cuts in its volunteer force, and that will certainly be felt here in Georgia.
Much mention has been made that the spending cuts will hurt nonprofits that hold federal and state government contracts. Many contracts will be lost; others may remain uncertain. Both scenarios will hurt nonprofits’ ability to do their work.
Since state and federal contracts typically reimburse expenses rather than fronting program monies, some nonprofits may not know until after they have already provided services that they will not receive reimbursement. This puts such nonprofits — likely also experiencing other program cuts and individual contribution losses — in a terrible position.
Add to this the greater demand for services as the cuts impact more people, and you have a scenario in which many nonprofits without reserves to draw on could literally be put out of business by year’s end if we do not react now.
Is it too late to stop sequestration and redirect to a more thoughtfully chosen group of cuts? National Human services Assembly (NHSA) Policy Director Hayling Price says it’s not too late.
“It’s too bad it takes seeing the effect of these cuts to mobilize action, but we think that’s what will happen. Lawmakers can definitely repeal this, and it’s up to their constituents to pressure them to do so.”
If you’ve seen the recent news about President Obama directing agencies not to avoid the pain as they decide how to approach their cuts, you know we are watching political theater. But for us and our clients, it’s all too real. The president is relying on pressure from the affected to force action by Congress.
So let’s do it. Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.,-based National Council on Nonprofits, has suggested that every person who works or volunteers for a nonprofit tell their legislators of the dire impact these cuts will have on our specific community.
For help making your case, go to http://sparkaction.org/alert/act-today-stop-federal-sequester, where the NHSA has provided a link where you can enter your zip code, pull up your representatives and enter your request to stop sequestration. Though this was created to seek action prior to March 1, you can still use this link to send a message to your legislators.
NHSA is currently working on talking points you can use to urge lawmakers to put a stop to sequestration. Hayling Price promises it will be available on its website next week. An interactive map of projected cuts by the state is available on the Washington Post’s website at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/sequestration-stat... and will help you to identify areas for cuts that are relevant to your nonprofit and your clients.
Sarah Todd is the founder of Change Pioneers, a resource on effective social change leadership. She can be reached at 912-224-2120 or toddsar@gmail.com.