Johns Hopkins University listens in on LSA members

Listening Post Project

LSA and its members join the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies in its Listening Post Project, which recruits nonprofit organizations to serve as “listening posts” on important issues affecting the nonprofit sector. Results of the surveys, or "Soundings," are used to generate informed dialogue, experimentation and policy change. To identify trends and developments affecting nonprofits, the Project sends Web-based Soundings to the Listening Post agencies several times a year.

Each Sounding focuses on a discrete issue that the Project Steering Committee identifies as especially pressing and important.  Listening Post Communiques and other publications are available for review here.  For other news, visit their blog or take a look at some Listening Post participant testimonials.

LSA member organizations can be part of this important effort. 

All that is needed is to agree to respond to two or three Internet-based surveys per year. These “Soundings” take less than 30 minutes each. LSA is an attractive partner to JHU because of the diversity of its membership. This is a chance for broad and meaningful participation in a national project regardless of the size of an organization.  It is an opportunity to create a stronger response to human needs and potential at the national level that is reflective of the faithful work done locally.

A wide range of LSA members have signed up to participate. Organizations not already part of the Project are encouraged to join.  As a Project member, you will receive an email from the Project with a survey link for each new survey, followed by complete survey results as the Soundings results are published. 

To join, contact Trish Holford, 410-230-3552, with your name, title and email address; and your organization name and postal address.  You will be enrolled and then contacted directly by the Project.

What Do Nonprofits Stand For?

What Do Nonprofits Stand For?  Renewing The Nonprofit Value Committment
is the latest Listening Post Communicque released in December 2012.  You can read more about this Communique in the December issue of LSA Together or in this news release. 

The difficult economic climate has stretched and strained the nonprofit sector as never before.  There is a need for a renewal strategy for the sector that is based on its unique values and role in society. 

Productive, Empowering, Effective, Enriching, Reliable, Responsive, Caring

The Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies has developed a report on these seven core values of the nonprofit sector to serve as a foundation for this renewal process.  Read the report and share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/npvalues.

PRODUCTIVE
The Center has published its first value-specific blog post focusing on productivity. The post includes a one page sheet on how nonprofits are productive. Here is the link to the blog post: http://ccss.jhu.edu/nonprofits-are-productive.