Nonprofits Coping With New Challenges
By Jennifer Johnson Backer
Memphis Daily News
April 29, 2013
About 74 percent of Mid-South nonprofit organizations reported increased service demands in 2012, compared with 72 percent a year earlier. But many of those organizations cannot fully meet the demand for increased services because of funding constraints.
Just more than half, or 53 percent, of all nonprofit organizations reported being able to fully meet demand for service in 2012, compared with 57 percent last year.
That finding, from the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence, reinforces the need for nonprofits to understand the dynamics that surround charitable giving," says Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence CEO Nancy McGee.
The Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence is holding its eighth annual conference, "The Gatekeepers of Philanthropy," on Wednesday, May 1, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Temple Israel. The conference will give Mid-South nonprofits an inside look at philanthropy, including the people who influence giving, new trends in funding and insights into how decisions are made.
"Philanthropy is influenced in many ways: for example, through public policy and advocacy as well as through wealth advisors," McGee said. "Our nonprofits need to understand the dynamics that surround this most vital revenue stream."
Keynote speaker Patricia Brandes, executive director of the Barr Foundation, will highlight the importance of creating leadership networks to connect diverse leaders to build the nonprofit community. Brandes created the Barr Fellowship in Boston, a leadership group designed to celebrate, connect and empower leaders across the city.
... Other conference speakers like Benita Melton, program officer for the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, will discuss how foundation giving priorities are influenced and decided. Christine Reeves, senior field associate, the National Committee on Responsive Philanthropy, will advise nonprofits on how to have difficult conversations with foundations.
