National Nonprofit Day – August 17: Your Voice Matters

Celebrate the nonprofit sector by recognizing its impact and sharing your story with local elected officials.

Every year on August 17, communities across the country celebrate National Nonprofit Day, recognizing the organizations and people working every day to improve lives and strengthen communities.

Here in the Piedmont Triad, that impact is significant.

Nearly 2,000 nonprofit organizations employ more than 77,000 people, representing 8.5% of our region's workforce while contributing $19.4 billion in goods and services to our regional economy each year.

Those numbers tell an important story, but they don't tell the whole story.

Behind every nonprofit is a child who found a mentor, a family who received a meal, a senior who remained independent, a student who graduated, a neighborhood that became stronger, or a community brought together around a common purpose. Every day, nonprofit organizations improve lives in ways that statistics alone cannot capture.

National Nonprofit Day is about more than celebrating accomplishments.

It's an opportunity to strengthen relationships, build understanding, and remind our elected officials that nonprofits are essential partners in creating healthier, safer, and more prosperous communities.

Whether your organization works in housing, food security, education, healthcare, the arts, workforce development, the environment, or another mission area, we all share a common purpose: improving the quality of life for the people we serve.

Turn Recognition into Action

This year, several One Sector, One Voice Triad Working Group members plan to recognize National Nonprofit Day by offering brief public comments during August meetings of local City Councils and County Commissions across the Piedmont Triad.

Their goal is simple: thank local elected officials for their partnership with the nonprofit sector while reminding them that nonprofits are essential partners in building stronger communities.

You're invited to join us!

Whether you're an executive director, staff member, board member, volunteer, or community advocate, your voice matters. A three-minute public comment is an opportunity to celebrate your organization's impact while helping elevate the nonprofit sector as a whole.

To make participating easier, One Sector, One Voice Triad has developed three customizable public comment templates that can help you organize and craft your remarks. They're designed to be adapted to your organization's mission, your experiences, and your community while reinforcing the collective impact of the nonprofit sector.

If you'd like to speak at an August meeting, email [email protected]. We'll send you the templates and help coordinate speakers so communities across the region hear a unified message celebrating the nonprofit sector.

Not sure when your local elected officials meet?

One Sector, One Voice Triad maintains a regional public meeting calendar featuring City Council, County Commission, and other local government meetings across the Piedmont Triad. You can easily download meeting dates to your own calendar and stay engaged throughout the year.

Visit the One Sector, One Voice Triad Regional Meeting Calendar at onesectoronevoice.org/calendar to find upcoming meetings and plan your participation.

Because civic engagement isn't something we do just once a year—it's how stronger relationships, better decisions, and stronger communities are built over time.

One Sector. One Voice. Stronger Communities.