| Benchmark Study of Missouri Nonprofits |
 NSC is proud to release the first-ever statewide survey on the financial health of Missouri's nonprofits. The study, Missouri Nonprofits: Building Capacity for the 21st Century, [Executive Summary, PDF, 16 pages] establishes a baseline of data on the finances and management of small to midsized nonprofits that provide direct services to the Missouri public, such as child care providers, community health clinics, and senior centers.
The study finds that 75% of reporting nonprofits say they are financially healthy at the time of the survey, but many remain concerned about the future. The study also finds that a lack of general operating funds remains a challenge.
The study suggests that Missouri nonprofits are adept at managing the constant challenges posed by uncertain and restricted income but are challenged to grow their programs without additional resources to do so. Other key findings at the time of the survey include:
- While most responding Missouri nonprofits perceived their organizations to be financially healthy in 2007, more than half are concerned about their ability to maintain or achieve financial health in the future.
- One-third of responding nonprofits report that growing demand for services without the resources to support program growth is their most significant ongoing problem.
- Twice as many respondents, 61.5 percent, report plans to expand services in the future as report that programs will remain unchanged or be reduced, 27 percent.
- Seventy-five percent of responding Missouri nonprofits changed as a result of capacity- building activities according to responding nonprofit leaders, especially in the areas of strategic planning, fundraising and information technology.
Missouri is fortunate to have a financially strong nonprofit sector, but we must remember as the economic landscape continues to change nonprofits will continue to see an increase in demand of their services. The report also includes Action Items relevant to each Key Finding to highlight how knowledge gained from this research will assist the nonprofit sector in preparing to respond to increased need in Missouri's communities and pursue the communities' many compelling visions for Missouri's future. |
| Board Members Don't Face Challenges Alone |
The effectiveness of a nonprofit organization depends greatly on the effectiveness of a strong board of directors. Nonprofit boards face a variety of challenges such as increased standards and accountability, financial stresses, ever-changing technology and a reported leadership shortage. As a board member you don't have to face those challenges alone.
The Nonprofit Presidents Council offers an opportunity for peer networking and sharing strategies on effective nonprofit governance functions, such as fundraising techniques and board effectiveness.
ED's - inform your board members about this great opportunity and encourage them to attend the Nonprofit Presidents Council programs by forwarding this information to your board. You can also send carmen@nonprofitservices.org your board member's contact information and we can send an invitation to them directly.
Join us for the next installment of the
Nonprofit Presidents Council Quarterly Speaker Series:
Evaluation - The Key to Program Sustainability
August 14, 2008 · 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM · Register Now!
Speaker: Leslie Scheuler, PhD, president, LS Associates (LSA)
Dr. Scheuler will draw upon 15 years of experience working with foundations, government funders, and not-for-profit organizations in discussing the importance of evaluation in attracting and sustaining program funding. She will discuss funders' expectations for evaluation, how to overcome common barriers to evaluation, and how to use evaluation for effective program development and management.
The Nonprofit Presidents Council is the only group in the nation specifically set up so that volunteer nonprofit board leaders can help each other deal with shared problems. The heads of some of the area's best-known nonprofits are represented, including Provident Counseling, Life Skills Foundation, Grace Hill Settlement House, Our Little Haven and Edgewood Children's Center. |
| Academy for Women Executive Directors |
| Application deadline July 31, 2008
The Academy of Women Executive Directors, a 10 month program, supports women by sustaining their role as a nonprofit leader and ultimately the organization they serve. This is accomplished by providing leadership training, peer support, executive coaching, and professional development with a goal of increased self awareness, leadership and management skills to make constructive choices to better lead and uphold major organizational change that benefit the nonprofit sector.
"I want to thank you with all my heart for [the] leadership training, mentoring, and workshops offered by NSC. Because of you, I have peace and feel more competent and skilled at being a nonprofit director." 2007/2008 Academy participant Gain New Skills and Confidence
Enlarge Networks
Broaden Organizational Vision
Expand Knowledge
Enhance Leadership Capacity
Develop a Theory of Change The Academy for Women Executive Directors offers two tracks:
- Executive Directors Serving Underserved Communities
- Executive Directors of Color
For more information and application, visit the NSC website or call Claire Hundelt at 314-436-9580. Application is available for download. Application deadline is July 31, 2008. |
| Nonprofits Becoming Less Optimistic About Fundraising Climate |
Nonprofits are somewhat less optimistic about the present and future fundraising climates than they were six months and one year ago, according to the Philanthropic Giving Index (PGI) released today by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
A large majority of fundraisers surveyed for the study also said that special events are effective fundraising tools for their organizations.
The PGI, similar to a Consumer Confidence Index for charitable giving, includes three indexes on a scale from 0 to 100, based on a semiannual national survey of nonprofit fundraising professionals. The Present Situation Index gauges the current giving environment. The Expectations Index assesses the climate for the next six months, and the overall PGI is an average of the current and future indexes. Higher scores indicate more positive or optimistic attitudes about the climate for fundraising.
The full PGI report, including results by organization size, donor base and subsector (e.g., arts, environment, etc.), is available to premium services members of the Center's Web site at http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/PremiumServices/login.aspx or may be purchased at http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/Products/products_research.aspx. |
| 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals to Strengthen US Communities |
The Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program (NSPP) at the Aspen Institute has released a new report containing proposals from leading practitioners in the field working to improve government policies that shape and influence the nonprofit sector's ability to address social problems. Proposals in the report, Mobilizing Change: 10 Nonprofit Policy Proposals To Strengthen U.S. Communities (13 pages, PDF), include extending the deadline for charitable contributions to April 15, creating a Small Business Administration for nonprofits, and improving disaster relief coordination between FEMA and local nonprofits. Download the full report. |
| Alturism and a Weak Job Market |
| A weak economy coupled with an increase in civic mindedness are driving a new generation of college graduates to postpone traditional postgraduate employment to work for social causes, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to a Monster Worldwide survey of almost one thousand employers, only 59 percent of employers expect to hire a recent graduate by the end of the summer, down from 76 percent the year before. According to the article, the deteriorating job market is contributing to a surge in applications from young college graduates at public service organizations. |
|
|
Tourism Cares Accepting LOI for Worldwide Grant Program
Deadline: October 1 2008 (Letters of Inquiry)
RFP:
http://www.tourismcares.org/RelId/606053/ISvars/default/Worldwide_Grant_Program.htm Tourism Cares' Worldwide Grant Program distributes charitable grants to worthy tourism-related nonprofit organizations worldwide for capital improvements or programs. The program's primary consideration is to fund projects and programs whose goal is capital ("brick-and-mortar") improvements that serve to protect, restore, or conserve sites of exceptional cultural, historic, or natural significance; or the education of local host communities and the traveling public about the conservation and preservation of sites of exceptional cultural, historical, or natural significance.
Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation
Deadline: August 15, 2008
As part of the Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation's ( http://www.ilchf.org/ ) mission to address the overall health needs of children in Illinois, the foundation has announced a Request for Proposals for collaborations between primary care and mental health providers. Eligible organizations include Federally-Qualified Health Centers, FQHC look-alikes, school-based health centers, free clinics, public health department clinics, hospital clinics, and other community health centers.
Organizations that would like to develop a plan for a collaborative program may be awarded up to $50,000 each to underwrite this planning phase. Similarly, applicants that wish to establish completely new services may be awarded up to $500,000 each over the course of two years. Finally, organizations wishing to expand existing mental or behavioral health services may be awarded up to $200,000 each over fifteen months.
Patagonia Environmental Grant Program
Deadline: August 31, 2008
RFP: http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=2942 (online application) The Patagonia Environmental Grant Program provides support to small, grassroots activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas, working on multi-pronged campaigns to protect the environment. Patagonia primarily funds local groups working to protect local habitats in the United States, as well as in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Proposals are accepted through the Patagonia website during the months of April and August each year, and must be submitted by April 30 or August 31. (Applications are accepted year-round at local retail Patagonia stores.) Visit the website listed above for program details and application information.
|
| Conferences and Capacity Building Events of Interest |
ILLINOIS
Grantmanship Center's Three-day Workshop
Earned Income Strategies for Nonprofits
September 29 through October 1, 2008
Lewis & Clark Library System
6725 Goshen Road
Edwardsville, Illinois 62025
http://www.tgci.com/eisregister.asp
Southern Illinois Volunteerism Conference
Lighting the Way for Service and Success
October 2, 2008
Holiday Inn, Mount Vernon, IL
MISSOURI
Gateway Center for Giving Will to Give 2008
Orientation sessions held in August and September at various locations
$200 per participant
How to Prepare a Successful Grant Application
August 6 & 7, 2008
Saint Louis University - Busch Student Center
20 N. Grand Blvd. Room 364
St. Louis, MO 63103
http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=mo
BBB Charity Symposium
Preparing for Tomorrow
Thursday, August 28, 2008
7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Crowne Plaza, 7750 Carondelet
Clayton, MO 63105
| |
