Strong Census Foundational to Charitable Environment & More

While drafting this, I’m coming off the high of one of my favorite days of the year – our annual Member Meeting. The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is pleased to have nearly 1,000 member organizations representing all 77 Oklahoma counties. While we gather regularly for various trainings, events and celebrations, Member Meeting is that one time per year when we focus on the camaraderie and capacity building that comes from an organization so diverse in missions, geography and much more. But it’s the people who make it all worth it.

Like many organizations, the Center arose from COVID a bit beaten up in a lot of ways that catalyzed change. And, boy, have we embraced it! We have a stellar team in place that has jumped feet-first into how we can take what the Center does best – providing professional development and capacity building services to nonprofits – and progress into new frontiers of advanced technology and ways of doing business.

One theme that comes up again and again – even when talking about technology –  is the theme of people. Not only do we need the right people in the room to lead the vision on these big, bold next steps, but rapid change highlights the need for more data. Both humans and technology require a tremendous amount of data about the people we serve – in our case, our membership – in order to tailor our services to meet them in the most efficient ways with the biggest impact.

Looking out on a ballroom full of members who joined us in-person for the annual meeting, I was stricken by the diverse makeup of who these wonderful people are and what they do, and how knowing more about them helps us serve them better.

Similarly, in the United States, our federal government gets to know its stakeholders through a Census. The U.S. Constitution mandates that the population of the United States must be counted every 10 years. The data collected determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how federal resources are allocated to states and localities for key programs, many of which are administered through nonprofits.

It’s important that all eligible Oklahomans participate in the U.S. Census when the time comes, so our state can be represented accurately, both for the sake of having a true picture of our state and the people living in it, but also when competing against other states for much-needed representation and funding.

Additionally, private entities – including nonprofits – use Census data constantly to help learn more about the populations we serve, so the impacts of a strong Census go far beyond government use.

While I might argue that it’s never too early to talk about the Census, admittedly we have a few more years until our next opportunity rolls around for 2030. However, the conversation is timely due to proposed changes currently available for public feedback.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau published recently a proposed rule that would make changes to how the 2030 Census counts people and collects demographic data. This proposal is currently available for public comment through October 13, 2026.

I encourage Oklahomans to take a moment, review the changes and, if you feel so inclined, be sure to submit a public comment. The opportunity to make our voices heard through public comments – just like through voting, through the Census and through other mechanisms – is truly democracy in action.

Proposed changes and the ability to submit comments can be found online at www.federalregister.gov, reference “Docket No. 260903-0005.” The page title is, “Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions.”