What's At Stake for Nonprofits, Communities

“If a neighborhood is undercounted, there can be long-term implications,” says Ian Bautista, president and CEO of United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA). “Those are the numbers that will be used for the next 10 years. Nonprofits and the communities they serve stand to gain—or lose—quite a bit from accurate data collection.”

Mandated every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution, the census collects data that is used to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding. It’s also used to determine congressional district lines and allocate representation at all levels of government.

“The potential impact of census numbers on adequate and fair representation is significant,” says Linda Nguyen, director of civic engagement for the Alliance for Children and Families. “Especially in urban neighborhoods, residents may stand to gain representation in Congress, or a city council seat.”

Government, businesses, foundations, and other organizations also use census data to draw a variety of conclusions that impact decisions about where to focus public infrastructure efforts.

“Census information is used to determine buying power, decide where to locate grocery stores or build transit systems, and make other commerce-related decisions,” Bautista says. “For example, financial institutions are historically under-represented in urban neighborhoods, but accurate census numbers demonstrate that there is a significant population living in particular neighborhoods that could benefit from having a bank located in that area.”

Leveraging Community Trust

“People may not understand the direct connection between the census count and the services they and their families receive,” says Theresa Muldrow Brundage, Cincinnati partnership specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau and former executive for an UNCA member neighborhood center. “It is our task to help educate the community about how the results of the census are used.”

Simple, low-cost activities have the potential to yield valuable dividends for organizations.

“In communities across the country, there are nonprofit organizations with strong roots in their neighborhoods,” Nguyen says. “They have developed trust with residents, and they are equipped to support census efforts by talking with neighbors and sharing the right information.”

UNCA member Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center (MIWRC), Minneapolis, has been gearing up for the 2010 census since September 2009.

At its 25th anniversary celebration, the organization featured a booth staffed by volunteers from the local census office, says Tamara Pacheco, housing outreach coordinator. Volunteers gave away more than 100 tote bags and coffee mugs with information about the census.

To help residents understand the significance of census participation, Suzanne Kincade, human resources director at MIWRC, compares it to voting.

“We think it is important that individuals and families understand the impact the census has,” Kincade says. “The information really counts. It helps strengthen funding for agencies and helps strengthen our community.”

Reaching Hard to Count Populations

There are a variety of reasons why certain populations are often undercounted in the census.

Part of the reason has to do with the data collection process, which will begin for most of the country with the mailing of census forms to all households in late March. The one-page, six-question form is designed to be quick and easy.

But, a huge number of people may be excluded from receiving this form because they don’t have regular mail service or because they move frequently. Add to that people who are homeless or temporarily staying with friends.

To count these groups, and any households that don’t return the form, census workers follow-up with home visits. Fear and distrust, however, can keep some residents from opening their doors.

For example, undocumented people often fear they will be deported if they are counted. For this reason, Hispanic residents are considered at great risk for undercounting in 2010.

An estimated 17 percent of the population is Hispanic in the area served by Alliance member Catholic Social Services of Oakland County (CSSOC), Royal Oak, Mich., which is northeast of Detroit.

“We have access to people who might not normally answer the door,” says Margaret Huggard, president of CSSOC.

Alliance and UNCA members are in the position to help residents understand that the U.S. Census Bureau isn’t a law enforcement agency, Bautista says. “The Census Bureau is held to a high standard of confidence. They are not there to bust people; they are only there to count the people in the community.”

In fact, the questionnaire that will be used in 2010 is one of the shortest forms in census history. It’s only 10 questions and asks nothing about legal resident status or social security numbers. (View a sample form.)

Integrating Into Existing Work

Many nonprofits, facing declining budgets along with increasing demand for service, may feel they have no time to support census activities. That’s nonsense, Huggard says.

“I doubt there are many areas that have been hit as hard economically as ours has in the state of Michigan,” she says. “We certainly think there are activities we have to pass on, but not this.”

Bautista agrees. “The census is a direct line to the potential allocation of resources. If you feel your community was underfunded in the past, one way to fix that is to make sure your areas are counted correctly and represented.”

The good news is that there are easy steps nonprofits can take to support the census.

“Nonprofit organizations are a trusted voice in the communities in which they serve,” Brundage says. “These organizations can help to make sure residents understand that information gathered for the census is confidential and isn’t shared with any other organization or government entity.”

First, they can help provide basic information about the census process to neighborhood residents, Brundage says. This includes letting residents know that if they complete and return the 2010 census questionnaire when it arrives in the mail, a census worker will not have to knock on their door.

Disseminating that message can easily be integrated into the existing activities of an organization, Bautista adds. A note can be included in newsletters. Information can be provided during the intake process or when parents come to pick up children from the agency’s programs.

Employees, especially those who work at the agency’s front desk, could be trained to answer common questions. Information to hand out to residents and basic training is available through regional census centers.

Nonprofits can also apply for give-away merchandise that supports the census.

Another easy step is to donate space that a census worker can use to answer community residents’ questions.

“People are more likely to come to a place they are already comfortable with,” Brundage says. “Nonprofit organizations can serve as training sites, Questionnaire Assistance Centers, or Be Counted Sites.”

Be Counted Sites are organizations that agree to make census forms and instructions available at their community locations. Organizations can provide these materials in the appropriate languages for their neighborhoods. Besides English, forms are available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian.

Organizations that become Questionnaire Assistance Centers commit one staff member, who is paid by the U.S. Census Bureau, to help assist people in filling out and returning their form.

In the census, there is no do-over. “At the end of the day, this is an investment in time and resources to get resources on the other side,” Bautista says.

Contact Linda Nguyen, director of civic engagement for the Alliance, with questions. She can be reached at 202-429-0400, ext. 25. 

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