Greetings!
My year of service is coming to a bittersweet end. Next week will be my last day of work as an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) at HandsOn NWNC. Working at HandsOn NWNC has been professionally and personally meaningful; I’m thankful for the many different experiences I’ve had as an AmeriCorps VISTA. One of the most meaningful experiences for me was co-planning the 11th Annual MLK Day Read-In event for children in Forsyth County. I collaborated with Jasmine Hodges and Michelle Howard from the Office of Civic and Community Engagement at Wake Forest University and Chelli Broussard at Winston-Salem State University to plan and lead this beloved event. Together we recruited and matched over 100 children and volunteers to learn about MLK’s legacy and to celebrate diversity in our community. HandsOn NWNC likewise responded to the urgent need for intersectional equity by encouraging me to research and write an equity lens document specific to volunteering and volunteer management. Folks can be on the lookout for more information about our equity lens in the September newsletter. I am grateful to have worked for an organization which is committed to inclusively serving all people in our diverse community.
I’m also grateful for the formal learning opportunities I’ve had through the Women’s Emerging Leaders Program, Volunteer Management Training Series, and Nonprofit Essentials. HandsOn NWNC has been able to adapt each of these programs so that people can continue to learn while staying safe. Our plan is to remotely launch the 2020-2021 Nonprofit Essentials year, with virtual classes and a hybrid option available for the entire series. This will make it easy for those who have not been able to travel to participate in the full series for the first time. We will be developing a “2.0” level offering this year for Program Evaluation, Grant Writing, and Fund Development; these classes are appropriate for those that have already graduated from the NPE series.
I will take the experiences I’ve had and the education I’ve gained with me as I begin my next journey as a graduate student of Human Development Counseling and School Counseling at Vanderbilt University. Thank you to Amy, Kathy, and Brittney and to our regional community of people who work to make our corner of the world a more equitable place!
Yours in Service,
Julia
Julia Ough
Community Action Coalition VISTA Member, 2019-2020
Ed note: Julia's last day with us is next week! We can't imagine what the past year would have been like without her, and her work with us will live on long after she is tackling her next challenge, a MEd in Human Development Counseling program at Vanderbilt University. To soften the blow, Julia is helping us onboard Casey Capstick as our 2020-2021 VISTA member, who we'll introduce you to in next month's newsletter. Are you interested in sharing your love of HandsOn with our network in a guest column in the future? Then please let Amy know!
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Join Us THIS WEEK for the Youth Engagement Town Hall! |
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Thursday, August 6th, 2:00-3:30 pm
Location: Zoom
Cost: FREE!
We're excited by the numbers of people--both youth AND adults--that have already registered for our Town Hall gathering on Thursday, August 6th from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm via Zoom. The gathering will include youth leaders from across the community, local nonprofit partners, educational institutions, and others who are interested in removing barriers and creating new ways to engage youth in service.
At the Town Hall, you'll learn more about how our financial support from YSA will allow us to offer special training, mini-grants for youth-led projects, and a chance to win a project supply budget in support of your 9/11 Day of Service Project. We hope you will join us for this interactive and engaging session!
Later in August, the Coalition is hosting two FREE workshops on Best Practices in Engaging Youth in Service. Presenters will include Sarina Horner, the high school student who helped found the Young Leaders Program, Shelley Sizemore from Wake Forest University, and Sharee Fowler from Salem College. (More details below.) Both the session on August 13th and the one on August 17th will be the same, so please register for the one that best fits your schedule.
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Nonprofit Happy Hour is This Week!
Celebrate your successes, get timely info, and connect!
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NOTE NEW DATE: Thursday, August 6, 4 pm to 5 pm
Location: Zoom
Cost: FREE! (BYOB, of course!)
Can you believe that it's August?!? No, we can't either. We know the world that you're facing now and for the rest of the year is drastically different that what you were facing in April and May.
Our friends at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits have partnered with the state of NC to survey nonprofits over the past month to get a snapshot of how we're all doing NOW, as a follow-up to the survey they put out in the early days of the pandemic in late March. Join us and Jeanne Tedrow, President and CEO of the Center, to learn more about the early results of this survey, and to share with us your needs, thoughts, ideas, questions, celebrations, and worries--we're here to help make your life easier!
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FREE Workshop!
Best Practices for Engaging Youth in Service
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CHOOSE YOUR SESSION:
Thursday, August 13, 9:00-11:30 am
OR
Monday, August 17, 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Location: Zoom
Cost: FREE to ALL!
As a follow-up to the Town Hall this week, the newly-formed Youth Engagement Coalition is excited to offer this FREE session to help promote the value youth bring to volunteer service and to encourage partnerships which engage younger volunteers. The workshop, led by Sharee Fowler from Salem College, will feature Sarina Horner, the high school student who founded the Forsyth County Young Leaders Program, and Shelley Sizemore from Wake Forest University. During this engaging and interactive online session, participants will:
- Identify ways to engage youth in service through equitable partnerships
- Further recognize the unique and diverse skills and perspectives that youth bring to service activities
- Dismantle stereotypes that might surround youth as volunteers
- Scope appropriate service activities that can involve youth
- Determine ways to create a culture that will engage youth in service beyond short term opportunities
Please take this survey to help us better understand how you currently engage youth in service, how COVID-19 has impacted that engagement, and ways that the Coalition might be able to support your youth service efforts. The survey results will help inform the workshop session and the ongoing work of the Coalition.
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Nonprofit Board Training 2.0 Offered for Clemmons and Lewisville Nonprofits |
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August 27th and September 3rd, 9 am to 11:00, both days
Location: Zoom
Cost: $10, with registration priority for those serving Clemmons and Lewisville
As a follow-up to the in-person board training held in Clemmons just before the pandemic hit NC, this rescheduled session has moved online and has been split into two parts to allow for a more positive virtual learning experience. Board Training - Session 2.0 will still provide a ton of content not covered in the first session: a review of board officer roles and responsibilities; board decision making techniques; the use of board committees and advisory boards including structure, policies and procedures; the use of consent agenda and executive sessions; key benchmarks for effective boards; board assessments; executive director performance evaluations; board recruitment and diversity, including inter-generational perspectives on board service; and, building exceptional and equitable boards and board culture.
Time will be allocated for questions and other topics of interest to participants. This session is for individuals serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations, especially for those moving into board leadership positions. For the greatest impact, multiple board members or full boards from the same nonprofit are encouraged to attend.
This training is sponsored by the Clemmons Community Foundation. Priority will be given to nonprofits located in and serving people in the Lewisville and Clemmons communities.
While we hope you plan to attend both parts of this session, each will be recorded so if you are unable to attend one part, you may request that the recording be sent to you.
PLY T
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New Spots Available for Our
Building Capacity For Measurement Program!
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Are you struggling to make the best case possible for why your mission is important and that your work matters? Did you know that HandsOn NWNC has a program designed to help you do JUST THAT? When we first launched this program, our limited number of slots filled for not just the first year, but for the next year as well--all within a few weeks! We're excited to say that we now have open slots available once again--and we know you won't want to miss out!
Beyond just a one-time workshop, our Building Capacity for Measurement program matches nonprofits one-on-one with a consultant who will use group training, coaching, and technical assistance to help your organization design a simple, effective measurement system for a particular program or activity, as well as a process that can be used to embed the system into your ongoing operations.
By working in a team, your organization will strengthen your ability to identify and track results; gather and use your own program data to improve programs and services; and tell the story of your results to internal and external audiences. To get the most out of the program, nonprofits must commit to:
- Providing 2-4 members to participate in the program. This can include staff from different levels, a board member, or a lead volunteer.
- Approximately 3-6 months with monthly team and consultant meetings that include joint creative exploration, problem solving, and testing of new processes
Until the threat of COVID-19 is mitigated, all of the sessions and program components will be offered online. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so be sure to submit yours early before all of our slots are filled once again!
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EDI Roundtables for Nonprofit Executives, Hosted by the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, First Thursday of Every Month, August-December, 2 pm to 3:30, $250-$350. The percentage of people of color in nonprofit leadership roles – executive director, CEO, board chair – has remained under 20% for the last 15 years, even as the country becomes more diverse (Race to Lead, Building Movement Project). Rooted in the Center’s Principles and Practices: Best Practices for North Carolina Nonprofits guide and building on their Walking the Talk initiative, the EDI Roundtables are designed to help nonprofit leaders address:
- The nonprofit sector’s racial leadership gap;
- The nonprofit sector’s generational leadership gap; and
- The policies, practices, and organizational cultures in nonprofits that exacerbate these gaps.
Through virtual, interactive roundtables, this program will facilitate ideas, actions, and practical strategies that nonprofit leaders can implement within their organizations to recognize and eliminate systemic barriers and practices. Executive directors/CEOs, board chairs and other board leaders, human resources staff, and other nonprofit decision makers will benefit most from this program. This first session is THIS WEEK--register now so you don't miss out!
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"How to Host Virtual Donor-Driven Fundraising Events In a Post-COVID World," North Carolina Center for Nonprofits webinar, August 6th, 10 am to 11 am, $35-$50. Nonprofits know fundraising has been and will continue to be impacted by COVID-19, but many are not sure how to respond. The pandemic comes during a time when many nonprofits had ramped up their fundraising efforts to cash in on the record levels of charitable giving, however, some events are now off limits due to social distancing. This webinar will provide specific strategies to leverage this era of social isolation for nonprofits who want to be proactive, and share why a “Culture of Philanthropy” drives successful fundraising in a digital era. Be sure to register by noon on August 5th (tomorrow!!)
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"Insights from A World of Weavers," Points of Light webinar, Wednesday, August 12th, 1 pm to 2 pm, FREE! In his virtual Points of Light conference session A World of Weavers, David Brooks, columnist and founder of WEAVE: The Social Fabric Project, explored the ways that communities everywhere are showing a different way to live, centered on deep connections and inclusive relationships. In this webinar, join Frederick J. Riley, executive director of WEAVE: The Social Fabric Project at The Aspen Institute, and Gregg Petersmeyer, founder and CEO of Personal Pathways and founding director of the White House Office of National Service under President George H.W. Bush, for a discussion about the power of relationships and the characteristics of ordinary people who do extraordinary things in their own communities. Please register online to get the Zoom link.
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Nominate a Local Governmental Volunteer for the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award!
STACVA is a new national program that will honor 100 extraordinary public service volunteers that serve towns and villages that have under 5,000 residents. The award shines a spotlight on the growing need for citizens to fill critical civic roles including local government boards and councils, volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and the many advisory committees that support other key local government functions. Winning nominees will receive cash awards to their local governments, customized municipal and county websites, and related services.
Research shows that the percent of people volunteering in small communities and rural counties has dropped substantially over the last 12 years--especially in regards to volunteer fire fighters. Civic volunteerism is the lifeblood of small town and rural America. STACVA is intended to help address this critical shortage by recognizing and supporting “hometown heroes,” and by promoting best practices designed to spur a cadre of new civic volunteers to fill these vital roles.
To nominate a volunteer, the chief elected official (or his/her designee) from the locality making the nomination will use the STACVA online nomination system. Applications require statements describing nominees’ outstanding volunteer service and/or recruitment efforts. Act now--the deadline for nominations is August 15th!
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Submit a Project for Wake Forest University Engineering Students
The Engineering Department at Wake Forest University is looking for community partners that would be interested in working with a group of senior engineering students as part of the Capstone Design Project Experience. Within engineering, students are engaged across many diverse applications, including biomedical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, renewable energy systems, product design, materials engineering, etc. The Senior Capstone Project is a culminating team-based (3-5 students) design project experience serving to connect what engineering students have learned in the classroom to engineering practice. These projects should not only challenge their students but also inspire them about what it means to be an engineer and positively impact our society. This coming year, they are aiming to run 10-12 capstone design projects. If you are interested in learning more, please check out their website and this list of what makes a successful capstone design project. Project ideas are vetted and given to students to select from at the beginning of September. Projects run from September to May. All project ideas need to be submitted by August 20th! Want to discuss some ideas? Please contact Jesse Pappas for a quick phone call or video meeting.
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Still Need Masks? Please Let Us Know! Did you miss out on getting masks through Mask the City?? We know that many of you are planning to head back into the office, and maybe even resume in-person services soon (if you ever suspended them in the first place.) If your staff, volunteers, or clients still need masks to be as safe as possible, please let us know. There are mask resources available through both emergency management as well as Novant Health. We're happy to help get you connected to the equipment you need!
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Goodwill Industries of NWNC, President and CEO The current President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of NWNC, a HandsOn Supporting Partner, will retire in January 2021, following 15 years in that role. During his tenure, Goodwill increased the number of persons served from 9,603 to 51,183, expanded retail operations from 23 to 49 stores, and increased revenue from $29.2 million to $72.3 million annually. Mission services were expanded through a focus on strategic collaborations with like-minded organizations. The President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is accountable to the Board of Directors and provides leadership to preserve the rich legacy and continued growth and success of Goodwill. The CEO is responsible for the development and execution of the strategic plan and for Goodwill’s overall financial, programmatic, and operational performance. The new President and CEO will follow a tenured leader, requiring experienced and thoughtful leadership skills to honor the past while guiding an innovative strategy to ensure continued financial support for the organization’s people and mission. The CEO will lead an executive team of six and an organization of more than 1,100 employees with a complex retail operations structure, 18 training centers with numerous community partners, and a 31-county geographic territory. The ideal candidate will be an innovative and inspiring leader with at least 10 years of successful management experience in an organization of comparable or larger size and complexity. For more details, and application instructions, please visit CapDev's website, which is assisting Goodwill in the search process.
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Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, Database Administration and Development Support Manager This full-time position--the DADSM--is responsible for operating and administering The Arts Council’s fundraising database and record-keeping systems and performing a wide range of other duties to support The Arts Council’s ongoing development work. The DADSM reports to the Vice President of Fundraising, works closely (on an ongoing basis) with Arts Council staff and volunteers who are involved in development matters, and otherwise works with all Arts Council staff to help ensure (a) the effective delivery of multi-faceted services that support the community’s constellation of vibrant and diverse arts organizations and individual artists and (b) that The Arts Council’s overall operations are extending the beneficial impacts of that arts constellation to “touch every corner” of our diverse community. The salary range is $42,500 to $47,500, depending on the person’s experience and skill levels. The position qualifies for the full range of employee benefits, including health insurance, 403B match after 1 year of employment, paid vacation, sick leave and holidays. You can view the full position description on their website. Interested persons should submit a cover letter and resume to Aliza`Diggs-Bailey, Vice President of Fundraising. Submissions will be considered as they are received.
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Pivot Ministries, Part-Time Administrative Coordinator Pivot, a HandsOn Supporting Partner, empowers low-income women for better life and work opportunities through classes in life skills, job readiness, and Bible study, along with a one-on-one trained, Christian mentor. This new part-time role, reporting to the Executive Director, will be responsible for providing administrative and programmatic support, including:
- Program Coordination with class participants, alumnae, mentors, and volunteers
- Board of Directors support
- Office assistance
A full job description, application, and instructions are available on their website.
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World Relief Triad, Multiple Positions Available World Relief Triad is currently hiring for a number of open positions in the Winston-Salem and High Point area. Their services are primarily focused towards immigrants, refugees, and survivors of human trafficking, with a focus on community engagement and transformation, and our organizational mission is “empowering the local church to serve the most vulnerable.” The following positions are available:
- Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Services Client Coordinator
- Church Engagement Specialist
- Community Garden Coordinator - Temporary (Part-time)
- Employment Specialist
- Finance Director
- Scholastic Testing & Education Preparedness Program (STEPP) Coordinator
Review all of the full position descriptions and apply online.
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Grants Available for Lexington Area Nonprofits The Lexington Area Community Foundation is currently accepting applications for its 2020 grant program from eligible Lexington area organizations including 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, congregations, governmental and educational institutions. Grants will be awarded to benefit a broad range of charitable purposes, with a particular focus on the following investment areas: Arts and Culture, Workforce Development, Nonprofit Capacity Building, and an emphasis on Education (including early childhood school readiness), Health, and Human Services. The Foundation will award grants up to $5,000 to eligible organizations. However, actual award amounts will be determined based on merit of the project and available funds. The Board may consider a grant up to $10,000 for a NEW & INNOVATIVE project. To begin the application process, grant seekers are invited to visit the Online Grants Center and search for the Lexington Area Community Foundation to access the online application. Completed applications must be submitted online by noon on Friday, August 21, 2020. The system closes promptly at 12:00 p.m. and will not accept late submissions. Contact Alexis Owens with further questions about the application process at 704.973.4568.
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Black Philanthropy Initiative Now Accepting Impact Grant Proposals! The Black Philanthropy Initiative of the Winston-Salem Foundation serves as a model for rethinking philanthropy in Forsyth County’s black community. Their Impact Grants are investments in local programs, projects, and initiatives that support issues impacting the black community in Forsyth. In particular, BPI is looking to invest in black-led organizations/groups with annual budgets of less than $150,000, recognizing that there are local groups/organizations doing impactful work that are newer and/or have smaller budgets than their counterparts. While Impact Grants are typically investments of up to $1,000, grants up to $5,000 will be available during this grant cycle due to the negative impact of COVID-19 on our community.
For detailed information about the 2020 Impact Grants Cycle, including eligibility and what information to include in your video application, please review their Impact Grant Guidelines. To submit your video application, please complete this form. Video applications are due August 6th!
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Get Your Free Census Materials and
Encourage Your Constituents to "Avoid the Knock!"
The 2020 Census hasn't stopped due to the pandemic! Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to make sure that *everyone* is counted. Nonprofits have a crucial role in helping to educate their constituents about the importance of the Census and how easy it is to complete the Census on their own--before a Census enumerator comes to their door! Need to check what parts of our community are at risk of being under-counted? This map, updated in real time, shows you the current response rate, and, therefore, the neighborhoods where outreach is most needed (you'll need to drill down a little on the map to access the Forsyth County numbers.)
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Value of a Volunteer Hour Changes for 2020 with New Methodology
Independent Sector, in partnership with Do Good Institute, has just released the new Value of Volunteer Time at a new rate of $27.20 an hour, an increase of 7% over last year. This is the "gold standard" rate that is used nationally by nonprofits across mission areas as one way of quantifying the economic value of volunteers to a single organization. It can also be a great way of beginning to calculate the "ROVI"--the return on volunteer investment--when justifying increased staffing or other resources needed to support the volunteer program.
This most recent update to calculation--which has come later this year than in others-- was done in partnership with the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute and recent graduate of the School of Public Policy, Michael Sousane, who revisited the methodology used in prior years and updated the assumptions behind the method. Learn more about the methodology behind the new Value of Volunteer Time, and get the updated figures for individual states, including NC, on their website.
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Edelmen and Independent Sector Release Separate Reports on
The Level of Social Trust in Institutions!
The first key takeaway is this: we don't trust institutions, on any scale. In the wake of rising global inequality, of the four societal institutions that the Edelman barometer measures—government, business, NGOs and media—none are particularly trusted. The good news? Nonprofits are trusted more than the other three. The bad news? While people of color reported higher levels of trust in the nonprofit sector than they did 10 years ago, they still don't particularly trust nonprofits. The better news? Nonprofits' immediate and positive response to the pandemic--unlike those of some governments--has increased public trust in us as a sector overall.
Another key take away is that the more people are engaged with nonprofits--as volunteers, donors, or clients--the more they are trusted. Over 75% of respondents to the Independent Sector student cited familiarity as a reason for trust. It reinforces what we've known all along: engagement matters. Voting, giving, and serving create a reciprocal ecosystem that creates trust and drives change. Being able to demonstrate the importance and impact of a nonprofits' mission helps to stake its claim in that trust ecosystem, which is now more important than ever.
Trust is the basic currency of the nonprofit sector. We encourage you to take a little time over a lunch break and dig deeper into both of these reports. Together, we can all do better.
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North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Releases
2020 Legislative Summary
Last month, the NC General Assembly formally finished the main part of the 2020 legislative year. Featuring numerous COVID-19 bills that either directly or indirectly impact nonprofits, our friends at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits have pulled together a summary of these key state policy developments to help you understand how they might affect your organization and the people you serve. As the Center reminds us all often, timely input from nonprofits have made a difference in the bills that got passed (or not!) so this is a great way to help you communicate your input.
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Executive Order Makes Membership Meetings Easier During COVID-19!
Recently, Governor Cooper issued an executive order, that extended a previous executive order, allowing nonprofits with members to hold membership meetings remotely during the COVID-19 crisis, even if these types of remote meetings are not expressly authorized in the nonprofit’s articles of incorporation or bylaws. We've found that many nonprofits are needing to update bylaws and other governance documents to accommodate the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic, whether it's remote membership meetings, Zoom board meetings, or being able to apply for a PPP loan. Now is a great time for your board to review your documents to be sure they are reflective of current, actual practice--both now and into the future!
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NEWS FROM AROUND OUR NETWORK! |
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Forsyth Futures Launches Local COVID-19 Community Briefing
The briefing site features a dashboard of economic indicators that measure changes in the local economy and will be updated on a weekly basis--so you'll always have the best data for whatever grant request you're getting to submit! It also contains visualized data (yay!) and an easy-to-read summary of key findings. The dashboard also provides estimates of the numbers and demographics of Forsyth County residents who may be particularly vulnerable to the economic impacts of COVID-19. Check it out today!
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HandsOnNWNC.org
| phone: 336.724.2866 | fax: 336.724.4467 |
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