On April 22, 2025, more than 50 nonprofit leaders from across Vermont convened in Montpelier for Nonprofit Legislative Day to engage with policymakers and their peers around key issues impacting their organizations and our communities. In the morning, nonprofits networked over coffee and testified about their vital work. Thank you to the House and Senate Economic Development Committees for hearing from:
- Martin Hahn, Common Good Vermont – Watch Testimony
- Jill Martin Diaz, Vermont Asylum Assistance Project – Watch Testimony
- Phoebe Zorn, Pride Center – Watch Testimony
- Renata Aylward, Merck Forest & Farmland Center – Watch Testimony
- Dan Barlow, People’s Health and Wellness Clinic – Watch Testimony
Later, participants heard from a panel featuring Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale, Jill Martin Diaz of Vermont Asylum Assistance Project and Daniel Barlow of the People’s Health and Wellness Clinic on navigating the impact of federal actions:
“This is a beyond critical time to be filling in the gaps and to be keeping people whole and healthy,” said Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale on the importance of nonprofits in this moment.
Jill Martin Diaz articulated with regard to attacks on free speech and due process: “No, it’s everyone, these are our rights, and it is really unfair for any of us to ask the people most impacted, most immediately harmed by this administration, to be the ones fighting for the rights for all of us.”
Dan Barlow closed with this powerful message: “We can’t control what happens in Washington, DC right now, but we can control how we see our patients, we can control how we treat each other…we have a garden in front of us we can tend…we’re going to have to work together again – any silos within the nonprofit community they have to fall apart now because we need to stand together to get through this.”
You can watch the full panel discussion here:
Over lunch, many organizations met with their local senators and representatives to elevate their missions and build relationships. Participants also had the opportunity to hear directly from legislators about their work this session and engage in Q&A. Thank you to our speakers (a powerful lineup of women in office) for sharing their time and insights with us:
- Representative Kate Nugent
- Representative Jubilee McGill
- Senator Anne Watson
- Representative Barbara Rachelson
In a time of uncertainty and crisis, Nonprofit Legislative Day was a bright spot – a day filled with encouragement, connection, and advocacy for a stronger nonprofit sector in Vermont. Thank you to all who showed up, spoke out, and celebrated our collective impact. Onwards, together!
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