This document discusses the importance of the 2010 U.S. Census for Minnesota and outlines ways for nonprofits to help ensure an accurate count. Key points include: the census determines federal funding and political representation for the next decade; groups at risk of being undercounted; challenges in achieving an accurate count; and eight simple actions nonprofits can take such as partnering with the Census Bureau, distributing promotional materials, and hosting community events. The Minnesota Nonprofits Count initiative provides resources and support to help nonprofits engage their communities in the census.

1. Minnesota
Minnesota Nonprofits and the
2010 Census
www.mnparticipationproject.org

2. Agenda
 The Stakes, Logistics, and Challenges of
Census 2010
 Why Nonprofits?
 Eight (simple) Things You Can Do
 How Minnesota Nonprofits Count! can
help your nonprofit
Q&A

3. The U.S. Census
 A constitutionally mandated count, taken
every 10 years, of every person living in
the United States; since its inception all
are required to be counted regardless of
citizenship or age
 A basic task, a very complex operation!

4. What are census data used for?
 Allocating funds
 Apportionment of representatives
 Drawing district lines
 Civil rights law enforcement

5. Community power

6. Allocating funds
 Allocation of $6.2 billion annually in federal
program funds to Minnesota, based in whole
or in part on Census Bureau data
 Some are distributed purely on populations
(Social Services Block Grant)
 Others based on population plus one or more
variable (Medicaid is population plus income)
 2001 Census audit indicated Ramsey and
Hennepin County together lost $40 million in
funding due to an undercount

7. Allocating funds
 Minnesota receives approx. $1,204 per
person annually through census-data
driven federal formula grants
 That’s $12,000 over the decade for each
person counted in the census! (and $12,000
lost for everyone missed)
 Used for planning and policy
development on state and local levels

8. Apportionment of representatives
 Each decennial Census triggers re-
apportionment of House seats
 Estimates for Minnesota show that the
difference between losing and keeping a
seat could be as small as 2,000 people
 We’ve had 8 seats since 1960
 Midwest power is in decline

10. Beware of this beast…
Political power
will be mine!

11. Civil rights law enforcement
 Congressional and state legislative districts
will be redrawn using the results of the Census
 Accurate Census data are necessary to
enforce Voting Rights Acts of 1965, which
protects minorities from having their vote
diluted
 Other outcomes: MNDOT wants to build a
road through low-income Latino mobile home
park; 30% Latino according to Census, 90%
Latino according to organizer’s knowledge of
community!

12. How did Minnesota do in 2000?
 Very high response rate 75% (national
average 67%)
 Least accurate of any state
 High overcount
 14,000 undercounted: we need to do
better, and we can!

13. Barriers and challenges to an
accurate count

14. Who is at risk of being missed in
the census?
 Young children  Low income populations/
 Unemployed people renters
 Snowbirds  Highly mobile people
 Students  Immigrants and people
with limited English
 Homeless
proficiency
 People with disabilities
 People living in complex
 Families from recently households
foreclosed houses
 Adults without a high
 People of color school diploma
 LGBT

15. Concept of usual residence
 Residents are to be counted at their
usual residence
 Usual residence is where you live 51%
of the year
 If there is no one place you live 51% of
the year, you are to be counted where
you are on April 1st, 2009

16. Where should I be counted?
 A family moves from a foreclosed house
into a relative’s house in January 2010
 When the Census form arrives in March,
the family most likely views their stay as
temporary, and probably does not
consider themselves as part of the
household
 Will the householder remember to
include their relatives?

17. Challenges to Achieving an
Accurate Count in 2010
 Increasing diversity of population and growth
in immigrant populations
 1st Post-9/11 Census
 Lack of comprehensive immigration reform
 Census Bureau in disarray
 Frequent warning reports from GAO
 Changes to 2010 census plan late in the process
 Lack of complete testing of key systems and
operations
 Key operational information is not available to local
partners

18. Challenges to Achieving an
Accurate Count in 2010
 Anxiety about data confidentiality
 All Census data are protected by Title 13
 High-profile boycott from Rep. Bachmann
 Introduced legislation to make answering American
Community Survey optional
 Latino clergy boycott
 Confusing Census 2010 with ACS
 In previous Census years, a portion of the population received
a ‘long-form’
 Since 2000 this has been replaced by annual American
Community Survey (ACS)
 This will be shortest Census form ever: just 10 questions

19. 2010 Census Operational
Milestones
 Spring 2009: Address canvassing
 Summer 2009: Validate ‘group quarters’ list
 Fall 2009: Open remaining Local Census
Offices (LCOs)
 Fall 2009: Start recruiting census takers
 Late Fall 2009: Begin educational phase of
Communications Campaign
 January 2010: Launch paid media campaign

20. Operational Milestones (con’t.)
 Late January 2010: Start census in
remote and rural locations (continues
through March)
 March 2010: Pre-census letter, followed
by mailed census forms and “thank-
you/reminder postcard”
 April 1, 2010: CENSUS DAY
 Early April 2010: Targeted replacement
questionnaire

21. Operational Milestones (con’t.)
 Late April - June 2010:  December 31, 2010:
Door-to-door visits to Deadline for reporting
unresponsive housing state population totals to
units President
 Late summer - Fall  April 1, 2011: Deadline
2010: Follow-up and for reporting detailed
coverage improvement population counts to
operations state governments for
redistricting
 2010 - 2011: Census
‘accuracy check’ follow-
up survey

22. 3 Special Enumerations
 Group quarters
 Dorms, nursing homes, juvenile institutions
 April – May
 Transitory
 March 22nd –April 16th
 Hotels, campgrounds, RV parks
 Service-based enumeration
 Late March
 Shelters
 Outdoor camps
 Soup kitchens, mobile food units

23. Why nonprofits?

24. Why Nonprofits?
 ACCESS: To hard to count communities
 TRUST: Nonprofits are trusted
messengers
 CULTURAL COMPETENCY: Highest
response when people approached by
people of similar cultural backgrounds in
a culturally appropriate way
 If we don’t do this work, no one will

26. How does census engagement
benefit your nonprofit?

27. How does this benefit your
organization?
 Preserve federal dollars at a crucial moment in
state budget crisis
 Nonprofit communities being fully represented,
means more power for nonprofits
 Be a part of reinventing our nation and our
communities
 A great opportunity to organize your members
in the cycle of advocacy

28. Census deepens civic participation
 The 2010 Census campaign is a component of
a larger effort to inform, encourage, and
support people in being active citizens
 This includes participating fully in democratic
processes, including election activities, the census
and redistricting debates, and public policy
advocacy
 People should understand that census
participation is one more element of building
power for their communities

29. 1. Partner with the Census
 It’s simple: sign up with your Local
Census Office and receive the most up-
to-date information on how to engage
your community in the 2010 Census
 www.NonprofitsCount.org

30. 2. Add to Your Communications
 Where: Website, E-Updates,
Newsletters
 What: Key deadlines, websites to go to,
Drop In articles
 When: Basic info now; More urgency in
late fall and 2010

31. Example…

32. 3. Have Information in Your
Office
 Train your staff to answer basic
questions
 Sample Census forms
 Signage promoting Census participation
 Contact information for local Census
offices
 Information on job opportunities

33. 4. Distribute Promotional
Materials
 Promotional items are synonymous with
the decennial census. Request these
items from your Local Census Office and
begin distributing them to your
communities.
 Items currently available: Chip clips, bags,
stickers, balloons, pens, pencils, window
decals, etc.

34. 5. Host Community Events
 Hosting community events and forums
can be a great tool for educating people
about the 2010 Census. Your Census
Bureau Partnership Specialist and the
Local Census Office can be great
partners in these.

35. 6. Be a Questionnaire Assistance
Center (or “Be Counted Center”)
 30,000 Questionnaire Assistance  40,000 Be Counted Sites
Centers
 Be Counted forms are census
 One of your staff members paid questionnaires available at
by Census to assist people in community locations, for people
filling out and returning their form who did not receive a census
at your community-based form in the mail or who believe
nonprofit they were not otherwise included
on any other census
questionnaire.
Be counted forms will be
available in English, Spanish,
Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese,
and Russian. The form should be
picked up and mailed back in the
attached postage-paid envelope.

36. 7. Promote Jobs
 The Census wants and needs to hire
people from hard-to-count communities
 You can help your communities find out
about jobs with the Census
 Big hiring effort in Fall 2009

37. 8. Join or Form a Complete Count
Committee
 A Complete Count Committee is a team
of community members working together
to ensure that all those in their
community (however they define
‘community’) are counted in the 2010
Census.
 Continue working with the Nonprofit
CCC!

38. Start having conversations now!
 The most effective way to increase
Census participation is to have
conversations about it between people in
a relationship of trust

39. How Can Minnesota Nonprofits
Count! Help?
 Information sharing –
www.mnparticipationproject.org

40. Census Resource Downloads
 Downloads of:
 Nonprofits Count Fact Sheets, Timelines,
Toolkits and more tailored to nonprofits
 Links to resources from partners like LCCR,
NALEO, Housing and Homeless
organizations and more

41. Census SWAG
 TShirts
 Buttons
 Stickers

42. Targeted maps of hard-to-count
areas

43. Access to Translated Materials
 Downloads of census materials
translated both into common languages
(Chinese, Vietnamese etc.) and into less
spoken languages (Thai, Hmong, Urdu) -
as available

44. A Campaign for America
 In the coming months we will hold up a
mirror and get a new picture of America.
 A Kodak moment
 Impacting 10 years of money, power,
services, policy and community
infrastructure

45. Stay informed!
 Minnesota Participation Project e-newsletter
 Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network
www.nonprofitscount.org
 Census News Briefs from the Census Project
(e-mail TerriAnn2K@aol.com)
 Midwest Democracy Network
www.midwestdemocracynetwork.org
 Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
www.civilrights.org

46. For more information:
Jeff Narabrook, Public Policy Assistant
www.mnparticipationproject.org
651-757-3062
jeff@mncn.org