In this extended essay, Brent Never, assistant professor of nonprofit leadership at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, makes the case that the social compacts among state government, nonprofits and Illinois residents must be renewed and redrawn to avoid a collapse of those relationships. He also suggests ideas for government and nonprofits on how that might be accomplished and points to several models that have worked elsewhere.

Here is the first paragraph of the article:

The relationship between Illinois state government and its nonprofit service providers is at a crossroads. The state’s public leaders and citizens face profound choices about which services state government should provide, how they should be provided and, ultimately, who should pay for them. With an estimated $13 billion budget shortfall in the fiscal year that began July 1 — and decreased revenue anticipated for years to come — those choices will be painful. It is time for all of the stakeholders in the patchwork of service provision — the government, the nonprofits and citizens — to re-engage in understanding the nature of the social compact that has been established. What values does each group hold dear? Should the partnerships continue? Should the government be the one to pay to provide services? What is the role of philanthropy or recipients paying for their services?