Project Vote is proud to announce the launch of the Nonprofit Partners Initiative. Project Vote will now offer free, in-person trainings to nonprofit frontline staff and support service-provider organizations such as food banks, community centers, and housing programs in bringing voter registration to their communities.
Many nonprofits work with communities that face significant barriers in registering to vote and voting. Service organizations can assist and encourage those communities to participate in today’s democracy in a way few other organizations can. In turn, through voter registration, nonprofits provide an additional service to their communities, build a base of supporters, and strengthen their voice in state advocacy.
This month, as part of the launch of the program, Project Vote organizers traveled to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, often called the birthplace of American democracy, Project Vote collaborated with Aspira, a youth leadership and parent empowerment organization, and the Federation of Neighborhood Centers, an organization that works to encourage community-based processes and shape the success of neighborhood centers in Philadelphia. In a training hosted by Aspira, one participant wrote “La inscripción es tú voz,” or, “The vote is your voice,” as she reflected on the importance of voter registration to her own community.
Just over the Walt Whitman Bridge in Camden, N.J., Project Vote conducted two trainings with local non-profits, including the Center for Family Services’ Promise Neighborhood Success Center.
In Arizona, where only 30 percent of people making $20,000 or less per year are registered to vote, Project Vote partnered with Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition to provide six trainings to a diverse array of organizations in Phoenix and Tucson including community health centers and clothing and food banks. In a special moment in a training hosted by the Greater Phoenix Urban League, a young woman who volunteers with a college-prep program filled out a voter registration form for the first time and discovered a passion for helping others do the same.
The dedication of these organizations to assisting their communities in registering to vote gives us hope for the future of democratic participation in these states. With on-site training, tools, and ongoing support from Project Vote, we feel confident that the organizations that participated in the Nonprofit Partners trainings this week will succeed in giving their clients a voice in our nation’s and their state’s democracy.
“We have seen enormous interest and enthusiasm. The transformation we see in our trainings is astounding,” said Initiative manager, Kate Bass. “In the space of a few short hours, frontline workers gain a new interest and confidence in discussing voter registration, sometimes for the first time. We feel lucky to partner with the inspiring organizations we do.”
We are excited for a very active 2015 and look forward to meeting our next nonprofit partners.
For inquiries on how to bring this free training to your nonprofit, contact Kate Bass at kbass@projectvote.org, or call 202-546-4173 Ext. 307.