The economy has forced many nonprofit groups to cut expenses, lay off employees, or dip into their reserves.

But it hasn’t stopped many from feeling thankful this week.

In fact, quite a few charities are using Thanksgiving as an occasion to offer thanks to their supporters, volunteers, and donors.

The Chronicle has started the hashtag #nonprofitthanks on Twitter to help draw attention to the Thanksgiving messages being shared this week by nonprofit groups.

We invite you to jump into the conversation that is unfolding on Twitter — and to post your Thanksgiving thoughts in the comments area below.

And while we’re at it, we’d like to give thanks to all of you who take the time to follow this blog, subscribe to the Chronicle, and who spread the word about what we’re doing. We couldn’t do this without you.