Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Nonprofits sustain support from businesses
Members of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce met with local nonprofit groups Sept. 25 at the National Conference Center in Lansdowne to discuss how businesses and volunteers can work together for the good of Loudoun.
"We build relationships before you need them," said Donna Bailey, Chamber representative for the Nonprofit Initiative, a group formed three years ago to help connect the more than 1,700 nonprofit organizations operating between Loudoun and Fauquier counties. If nonprofits don't have to worry about approaching businesses on their own, they won't have to waste time "throwing mud on the walls" seeking funds where there aren't any, she said.
At the event, a three-member panel of local business leaders offered practical advice to attendees on how to "speak the language of business," as Bailey put it. Most tips addressed how nonprofits can stand out from the crowd at a time when money is especially scarce due to a troubled economy.
"Don't put an 'e' at the end of 'Booz,'" suggested Michael Fields, of Booz Allen Hamilton, for starters. "Do be creative. Now is the time to be creative."
Catherine Hogan Lewis, of Verizon, said creativity can be simply putting a face on the recipients of her foundation's money. Seeing people as opposed to just figures on paper also helps groups build stronger, more personal ties with their businesses.
The recent trouble in the economy was the other topic of concern for many attendees. "There's going to be more stress on these dollars because two major givers, Freddie and Fannie, have disappeared," said Alex Orfinger, publisher for the Washington Business Journal and event moderator. The collapse of these institutions has left a $40 million gap in donations for local nonprofits.
Panel members, however, were optimistic about continuing their support. Randall Kelly, of Inova Loudoun Hospital, noted that economic hardship decreases the funds available to nonprofit groups, while simultaneously increasing the demand for their services. Because the work they perform is more of a calling than a job, he said, this doesn't necessarily mean groups are out of luck.
A recent internal survey the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce conducted of its members backs up Kelly's statement. Ninety-six percent of businesses surveyed said they continued to support nonprofit groups "because it is the right thing to do." The survey also concluded that the average member supports more than 20 organizations a year -- including companies with 10 or fewer employees.
Carol Kost, co-chair of the Nonprofit Initiative and president of Loudoun Youth Inc., said another reason businesses donate to nonprofits is that the two are pursuing the same goal -- the health of the communities in which they operate. If one does well, so does the other. "We are an economic driver -- we are a business," she said.
Kost's own nonprofit organization takes the idea even further. Loudoun Youth Inc. works to network Loudoun teens and involve them in their communities, but in November this network could expand worldwide. Kost will be traveling to Dubai that month, where she will propose a partnership with the World Trade Centers Association that would connect Loudoun teens with their counterparts overseas.
Meanwhile, other nonprofit groups at home, like Nick Savage's Special Forces Unlimited, will keep doing what they do best -- serving the people of Loudoun County. Last week, his organization hosted a 5K run and used the proceeds to give needy families a Nike shopping spree. He described the work as exhausting at times. Seeing the end result however, always reminds him why "this is worth it."
You must be logged in to post a comment.