Philanthropy Front and Center-Atlanta

Women on Board

The Atlanta Women’s Foundation’s Women on Board program promotes women's leadership in Atlanta by training women to be effective nonprofit board members and connecting them with local organizations. To date, the Women on Board program has trained over 1,500 women in nonprofit management and connected hundreds of these participants with nonprofit boards throughout Atlanta. Visit the Women on Board web site to learn more about the program or to find opportunities for board service in Atlanta.

Upcoming Workshops:

Level I: Introduction to Nonprofit Boards
An introduction to the basics of nonprofit board management. Participants learn the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit board members including the board's role in fundraising.
Friday, December 4, 2009, 9am-3pm.

Level II: The Financial Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
This workshop explores the financial responsibilities of nonprofit boards and the challenges of building a board that will support organizational growth. Discussions focus on nonprofit financials, board member recruitment and strategic planning. 
Friday, February 19, 2010, 9am-3pm.

All workshops take place at the offices of Kilpatrick Stockton in Midtown Atlanta. Visit the Women on Board web site to register. 

To learn more about getting your board members involved in fundraising, you can register for the Foundation Center’s Your Board and Fundraising:  An Introductory Class for Small Nonprofits. Can’t make the class in person?  Consider taking it as a webinar. 

Joanne Kepics, Regional Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

CARE Chief Uses Business Know-how to Tap into Corporate Partnerships

I saw an interesting article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday about an Atlanta nonprofit partnering with corporations.

Dr. Helene Gayle, a 54-year-old pediatrician by training, heads the Atlanta-based organization CARE, which is dedicated to fighting poverty worldwide. While Gayle has spent the majority of her career working for nonprofits (including the Centers for Disease Control and the Gates Foundation), she has relied on lessons from the corporate world to help her organization improve its handling of aid overseas. Currently, CARE has developed a partnership with UPS to ensure that disaster relief can reach affected areas quickly and efficiently.

This is just one example of a nonprofit working in collaboration with for-profit corporations, but there are many other possibilities. For more information and resources, you may want to refer to my last blog post, Looking for Corporate Funding?

Read the original AJC article here.

Joanne Kepics, Regional Traing Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Arts Month 2009

If you are working in the arts, I hope you were able to attend our Resource Market for the Arts this past Monday. We had a great crowd (in spite of the rainy weather!) who visted with over 25 organizations who provide resources and/or funds to artists and arts organizations.  Our handout from the market profiling the organizations who were there should be available at our web site shortly.

We also had 2 great programs last week.  On Monday our program on advocacy and the arts highlighted ways you can use advocacy to sustain your arts funding. Listen to our podcast of Adam Natale from Fractured Atlas discussing advocacy.

On Friday Sherry Heyl from Concept Hub, Inc. spoke about how to develop a communications plan for your organization using social media tools.  Listen to Sherry talk about planning for your use of social media.

Both of these programs were videotaped.  Look for them at our video archive in a few weeks.

Don’t forget to join us for this week’s programs:
Professional Growth for Individual Artists: The Business of Art
Tuesday, October 13, 5:30-7:00 pm
This session will explore information and resources to help artists increase their skills in promoting work and developing effective presentations as well as provide best advice on how to survive as an artist.

Beyond Survival: Collaboration, Partnerships and Sustainability
Thursday, October 15, 2:30-4:00 pm
Learn the essential information and practical tools needed to ensure a successful collaboration. This presentation will highlight keys to organizational sustainability for arts and cultural organizations.

Visit our calendar for information on our other Funding for Arts Month programs.

Kayron Bearden. Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta 

Funding for Arts Month Continues…

We kicked off Funding for the Arts Month this afternoon with our annual Resource Market for the Arts.  Over 25 organizations who provide services and/or funding for artists and arts organizations were at the Rialto to share information about their programs.

Attendees were also treated to an informative presentation about using advocacy to sustain your arts organization.  Speakers Adam Natale, Fractured Atlas, and Jan Selman, ALL-GA, did a great job of helping us understand how to advocate for our organizations or issues. If you weren’t able to attend the workshop, don’t despair—we videotaped it, and the video will be available in our video archive in a few weeks.

Join us at our upcoming arts month programs:

• Developing Your Communication Plan for Social Media, October 9, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
  Learn how to direct your organization's social media endeavors and how to develop a more effective communications plan. 
• Professional Growth for Individual Artists: The Business of Art, October 13, 5:30-7:00 pm
  This session will explore information and resources to help artists increase their skills in promoting work and developing effective presentations and provide best advice on how to survive as an artist. 
• Beyond Survival: Collaboration, Partnerships and Sustainability, October 15, 2:00-3:30 pm
  This presentation will highlight keys to organizational sustainability for arts and cultural organizations. Attendees will also learn the essential information and practical tools needed to ensure a successful collaboration. 
• Public Art Project Proposal Writing, October 20, 6:30-8:00 pm
  Learn how to write a well-developed, clear and organized public art proposal. This presentation will offer insight into the proposal writing and commission selection process. 
• So You Gotta Wheelchair Ramp…What Next?, October 22, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  This session is designed to explain the original Americans with Disabilities Act and to discuss the changes that were made in January 2009. It will explore the "why" of the ADA as well as some tried and true ways to help arts and cultural . 

Visit our calendar to register for these and our other classes in October.

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Resource Market for the Arts on October 5!

October is Funding for the Arts Month here at the Foundation Center-Atlanta.The kick-off event for the month will be a Resource Market for the Arts—a day to network with peers and learn about available funding, resources and services. Join us on Monday October 5 for the Market where representatives of local organizations who fund the arts and/or provide services to arts organizations will be available to answer your questions about their programs and chat one-on-one.

Preceding the Market at 12:00 pm, Adam Natale, Director of Membership and Program Development,  Fractured Atlas, and Jan Selman, Executive Director, ALL-Georgia, will discuss how advocacy can sustain funding for the arts.  Find out how you CAN influence politicians' decisions about the arts and how to wield your power and successfully advocate for arts funding and increase awareness of the impact of the arts and culture on communities.

Topics will include:
• Why advocacy is important for culture and arts nonprofits at the legislative and community levels
• Tips for strategic and effective advocacy
• Creating advocacy action plans

Listen to our podcast with Adam Natale about advocacy and about his organization.

When:
Monday, October 5, 2009
1:00 - 3:00 pm  Resource Market for the Arts:   
12-1:30 pm  Sustaining Arts Funding Through Advocacy:  

Where:
Rialto Center for the Arts
at Georgia State University
80 Forsyth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

These events are cosponsored by the Foundation Center-Atlanta, Fulton County Arts Council, Alternate ROOTS, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Georgia Council for the Arts, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and Southern Arts Federation.

Visit our calendar to register for our other programs and events in October:
•  Developing Your Communication Plan for Social Media, October 9, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
•  Professional Growth for Individual Artists: The Business of Art, October 13, 5:30-7:00 pm
•  Beyond Survival: Collaboration, Partnerships and Sustainability, October 15, 2:00-3:30 pm
•  Public Art Project Proposal Writing, October 20, 6:30-8:00 pm
•  So You Gotta Wheelchair Ramp...What Next?, October 22, 10:00 am-12:00 pm

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Resource Market for the Arts

Join us on Monday, October 5, from 1-3 pm at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University for our annual Resource Market for the Arts.  Over 25 agencies who provide resources, services and/or funding to arts organizations and artists will be available to describe their services and answer your questions. 

Preceding the Market at 12:00 pm, Adam Natale, director of membership and program development at Fractured Atlas, and Jan Selman, executive director of the Arts Leadership League of Georgia (ALL-GA), will present Sustaining Your Arts Organization Through Advocacy. Learn how to bolster your organization's case for funding through arts promotion and advocacy. The discussion will include why advocacy is important for culture and arts nonprofits at the legislative and community levels, tips for strategic and effective advocacy, and creating advocacy action plans.

Check our October calendar for information about our other programs during Funding for Arts Month in October. And at our web site you'll find Focus on Arts Funding — a "one-stop shop" of free, easily accessible information including an interactive U.S. map of arts grantmaking, podcasts, research reports, and helpful links.

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Coming in October: Our Funding for Arts Month

Throughout October, the Foundation Center is celebrating Funding for the Arts Month!
Join us to learn more about arts funding at special events, free classes, and webinars. 

Visit our October calendar to register for upcoming programs. You might also want to subscribe to Arts Funding Watch, our free e-alert service featuring recent grants and news in the arts. At our web site you'll find Focus on Arts Funding — a "one-stop shop" of free, easily accessible information including an interactive U.S. map of arts grantmaking, podcasts, research reports, and helpful links.

The kick-off event for the month will be a Resource Market for the Arts—a day to network with peers and learn about available funding, resources and services. There's information for everyone!

When:

Monday, October 5, 2009
1:00 - 3:00 pm

Where:

Rialto Center for the Arts
at Georgia State University
80 Forsyth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

Preceding the Market at 12:00 pm, Adam Natale, Director of Membership and Program Development, Fractured Atlas, and Jan Selman, Executive Director, ALL-Georgia, will discuss how advocacy can sustain funding for the arts.

Visit our calendar to register for our other programs and events in October:

• Developing Your Communication Plan for Social Media, October 9, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
• Professional Growth for Individual Artists: The Business of Art, October 13, 5:30-7:00 pm
• Beyond Survival: Collaboration, Partnerships and Sustainability, October 15, 2:00-3:30 pm
• Public Art Project Proposal Writing, October 20, 6:30-8:00 pm

The Resource Market is co-sponsored by The Foundation Center-Atlanta, Fulton County Arts Council, Alternate ROOTS, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Georgia Council for the Arts, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and Southern Arts Federation.

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

IMPACT Awards Recognize Outstanding Volunteer Programs of Atlanta Businesses

Corporations give more than money. They give in-kind gifts and provide the nonprofit sector with talented employees who donate their time and expertise to help improve their local communities. These volunteers are a source of social capital whose time invested in volunteering pays dividends to the nonprofits and the people they serve. Top companies that encourage their employees to volunteer are not going unnoticed.

The Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (CVC) recently announced the finalists for its 12th annual IMPACT Awards. CVC is a professional association of Atlanta-area businesses that promotes employee volunteerism in the corporate sector and provides a forum for networking, learning corporate best practices, facilitating research, and identifying local trends.

The IMPACT (Involvement Means People Acting Together) Awards recognize companies with exemplary employee volunteer programs. Despite a challenging economy, these companies have demonstrated a commitment to the community.

One IMPACT Award winner will be selected to receive a $15,000 grant on behalf of their nonprofit partner, while winners in three other categories will each receive a $5,000 grant for their affiliated nonprofits. The awards will be announced at a special reception held on September 17, 2009, at the New World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta. Registration for this event can be found here.

IMPACT Award finalists:

• Atlanta Gas Light with nonprofit partner Cool Girls, Inc.
• Georgia Natural Gas with nonprofit partner Centennial Place School Foundation

Emerging Program Award finalists:

• Bouje Publishing with nonprofit partner Junior Achievement of Georgia
• Terdata Corporation with nonprofit partner Junior Achievement of Georgia

Innovative/Collaborative Program Award finalists:

• The Coca-Cola Company with nonprofit partner Hands on Atlanta
• UPS with nonprofit partner Clean Air Campaign

Project Award finalists:

• Bank of America with nonprofit partner Neighbor to Family
• Jordan, Jones & Goulding (JJG) with nonprofit partner Rainbow Village, Inc.   

For additional information, contact the CVC office at 404-614-1022 or visit www.cvcofatlanta.org

Asia Hadley, Training Coordinator, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Resource Market for the Arts

October is Funding for Arts and Humanities Month at the Foundation Center-Atlanta.

The kick-off event for the month will be a Resource Market for the Arts—a day to network with peers and learn about available funding, resources and services. There's information for everyone!

Preceding the Market at 12:00 pm, Adam Natale, Director of Membership and Program Development, Fractured Atlas, and Jan Selman, Executive Director, ALL-Georgia, will discuss how advocacy can sustain funding for the arts.

When:

Monday, October 5, 2009
1:00 - 3:00 pm

Where:

Rialto Center for the Arts
at Georgia State University
80 Forsyth Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30303

Visit our calendar to register for our other programs and events in October: 

•  Developing Your Communication Plan for Social Media, October 9, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
•  Professional Growth for Individual Artists: The Business of Art, October 13, 5:30-7:00 pm
•  Beyond Survival: Collaboration, Partnerships and Sustainability, October 15, 2:00-3:30 pm
•  Public Art Project Proposal Writing, October 20, 6:30-8:00 pm

These events are cosponsored by the Foundation Center-Atlanta, Fulton County Arts Council, Alternate ROOTS, City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Georgia Council for the Arts, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and Southern Arts Federation.

Kayron Bearden, Reference Librarian, Foundation Center-Atlanta

Reading on My Mind

When I woke up Friday morning, it was pouring rain in Decatur. As I got ready for work, I was thinking, what a lovely day to loll on the sofa reading a book of no redeeming social value. 

I sat down to breakfast and opened the Atlanta Journal Constitution (yes, I still read a newspaper with my morning meal). The paper contained two articles related to literacy:

1. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded a youth literacy grant for $3,000 to the New Schools at Carver Media Center in Atlanta. This was one of 1,101 grants awarded by the Foundation this year for schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations to establish or expand literacy programs.
2. The Junior League of Atlanta launched a statewide initiative to promote literacy and school readiness on August 25. This “Million Minute Read” initiative is a partnership between the Junior League and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning’s Bright from the Start program. Bright from the Start, around since 1993, provides high-quality preschool experiences for Georgia’s four-year-olds. Volunteers from the Junior League of Atlanta and its sister organizations around the state will read one million minutes to Georgia children from September 2009-April 2010.

Those articles reminded me of two outstanding literacy organizations serving the metro area:

• Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta, located in Decatur, brings volunteer tutors and students together for one-on-one instruction geared to the individual student’s needs. It has various programs, including adult basic literacy, English as a Second Language, family literacy, and workplace literacy.
• Literacy Action, based in Atlanta, provides teacher-led classroom instruction for functionally illiterate adults. It also provides employment-oriented educational programs.

If you can read this blog, you’re literate. If you are in the nonprofit field, you might want to read a book or journal article to increase your skills or broaden your perspective. The Foundation Center – Atlanta has a library of more than 3,000 titles covering a wide array of nonprofit topics. About 1,000 can be checked out by registered users. To see if we have any books or articles to address your needs, check out the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature.

Reading is a fundamental skill for success in life. It not only helps one function on a job and in day-to-day activities, it brings great joy and personal enrichment to our lives. What do you read? What role does reading play in your life? I would love to read your comments. In the meantime, I think I’ll go read a book.

Pattie Johnson, Director, Foundation Center - Atlanta