Funders and nonprofits have an interest in promoting a high participation rate in the 2010 Census — it will help protect the investments they’ve made in Illinois communities by ensuring that residents and nonprofits receive their fair share of federal dollars. Researchers predict that for every person who goes uncounted, Illinois will lose $12,000 in federal funds over the next ten years.

There are simple and effective steps that nonprofits can take now.  (And funders, you can promote these practices to your grantees.) Here are some recommendations — the first two are from Volunteermatch.org

• Promote Questionnaire Assistance Center (QAC) locations. QACs are local facilities that have donated space for a 2010 Census station, where Census employees to help individuals fill out their questionnaires. Find your local QACs at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map. Post this information on your website or in another high-profile location.  (Note from the editor: And promote it in your newsletters and fliers.)

• Add the Census to every communication you have with your audiences in [the next thirty days]… Remind, remind, remind! For some drop-in language, check out Nonprofits Count! fact sheets at http://www.nonprofitscount.org/downloads.

• Put up posters at your site encouraging participation.  Donors Forum has official posters to offer in different languages.  Email [email protected] and request “Census Posters” or call 312-578-0900.

Also check out this guest post at the Council of Foundation’s blog by Donors Forum’s CEO and President Valerie S. Lies.  She describes Count Me In, a $1.2 million campaign to increase census participation in 37 hard-to-count communities in Illinois and  one of the largest such campaigns in the country by a group of philanthropic funders and nonprofit organizations (many of whom are Donors Forum Members and Partners).

~ the donors forum team

Map courtesy of the Center for Governmental Studies at Northern Illinois University.