First Person: What a Republican Majority in Congress Might Mean for Charities

The elected Congress for 2011 will be a Republican majority and many of those receiving funding from the government are worried what the result will be when the House addresses the debt ceiling in the beginning of the year. Congress will either approve the debt extension or shut down the borrowing of money and ultimately shut down the government. The preservation of government-funded programs is in jeopardy, the nonprofit sector must decide whether to fight for spending and increasing taxes or switching back to grassroots charity.

In the beginning of the Clinton administration in 1995 the government shut down for 21 days. A gridlock such as the one in 1995 is risky and strongly impacts any institution that receives funding from the federal government. However, that gridlock followed much more historic elections than this year's, because at the time the GOP hadn't had majority for a half century as opposed to just one term. However, the economy was not in the same condition as it is now, making loans for individuals and organizations more difficult to obtain, therefore the impact of a gridlock could be even more devastating for nonprofits in 2011.

Jatrice Martel Gaiter, the executive vice president of external affairs for Volunteers of America, called the nonprofit sector to deliver their messages more clearly, visually and effectively to be sure the sector's voices are heard and to keep discussion engaged in the Nation and in Congress about what our priorities as a country are. Michelle Nunn, Points of Light Institute CEO remains optimistic. She believes that as a group we must express the importance and efficiency of the nonprofit sector to voters and to Congress.

Nunn said, "There is a huge frustration with the inability of the two parties to work together and I think service is one of those unifying platforms." Whatever the outcome regarding the debt ceiling in 2011 is, it will affect everyone, not just nonprofits and the people that use their services, just maybe not as severely. However, there is always room for hope in the nonprofit sector and many of the leadership changes in Congress could likely be welcomed.

More from this contributor:
New Legislation Aims to Boost Presence of Nonprofit Sector
Fundraisers Fear Potential Donor Research Crackdown
Non Profit Staffing Remains Problematic