The National Council of Nonprofits is asking nonprofit groups to send stories about problems they are having with government contracts or with new fees or taxes so it can propose strategies to battle efforts it says are weakening charities at a time when their services are in high demand.

That pitch comes in a new council report, “State Budget Crises: Ripping the Safety Net Held by Nonprofits,” which highlights obstacles some charities are facing in getting paid by recession-battered states and moves by some states or local governments to eliminate tax exemptions or impose new fees on nonprofit groups.

The council is working with the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy to survey the nonprofit world to document problems at federal, state, and local levels. It asks groups to send their problems, or their success stories in resolving them, via the Web page “Share Your Story” or by writing to Christopher Conkey at cconkey@councilofnonprofits.org.

The report also urges nonprofit, foundation, and government leaders to work together to improve the situation and highlights cases in which nonprofit advocacy has made a difference.

For example, the Providers’ Council in Massachusetts has developed a “rapid response team” of nonprofit chief financial officers who resolve payment issues with state agencies as they arise.

“Policymakers have tough decisions to make, but they should make them with a deeper understanding of how certain actions are placing unreasonable burdens on nonprofits and, consequently, creating gaping new holes in the social safety net our communities desperately need right now,” it says.

See The Chronicle’s interactive map showing the budget situation in each state.