Message from the Executive Director

Greetings and happy fall! Did you hear the news? We are offering two fundraising and sustainability cohorts this year to support twice as many organizations. I promise it will be well worth your time. I'm also excited to announce that the Nonprofit Center has doubled its staff size. Our full-time program coordinator joined us yesterday. Welcome, Mae! Our summer intern, Alana, wraps up on Friday. Among other tasks, she did an excellent job preparing these newsletters and researching best practices for co-working spaces. Thank you Alana! I look forward to sharing details about the Center's co-working spaces as the renovations continue. Finally, I'm grateful for and humbled by the many organizations in Anne Arundel County that lift up the work of nonprofits. The Nonprofit Center is just one member of the village.

-- Jennifer

Fundraising & Sustainability Cohort Application is Available Now

The Nonprofit Center recently announced its fall training cohort opportunities. We are pleased to offer two fundraising and sustainability cohorts this fall in partnership with the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County (CFAAC). Check out all of the details below and apply now to take advantage of this program.

Application Deadline: September 30th

Sessions Begin: October 23rd

Nonprofit Center Welcomes New Staff Member

Mae Binkley joined The Nonprofit Center as Program Coordinator on September 16, 2024. Mae is a nonprofit professional with 14 years of experience, ranging from grassroots organizations to billion-dollar nonprofits. She has experience with administrative operations, project management, programming, fundraising, and marketing. While working at Compassion International, United Way, and Community Action, she's focused on poverty alleviation and holistic wellness of the individual and community.

With a Master’s in Nonprofit Management & Civic Leadership, Mae is passionate about empowering nonprofit leaders with practical ways to see their mission statements become reality. She excels in innovative problem-solving and thrives in collaborative environments. In this role, Mae will coordinate the NPC's professional development programs, communications, and outreach.

Supporting and Showcasing the Great Work of Nonprofits

Anne Arundel Women Giving Together (AAWGT) hosted their annual Grants Showcase this evening to celebrate the 2024 grantees and hear inspiring stories from 2023 grantees about how these grants changed the lives of women and families in the county. AAWGT, a component fund of the CFAAC, is one of several organizations that support nonprofits through funding and other capacity-building programs.

The organization has awarded over $1.9 million in grants to 54 nonprofits since 2006. Congratulations to all of the grantees and thank you to AAWGT and CFAAC for supporting the important work of nonprofits.

Funding Available for Professional Development

At this evening's AAWGT event, Erin Karpewicz, the CEO of Arundel Community Development Services shared information about the Ardath M. Cade Scholarship Fund. Awards up to $1000 are available to assist community leaders with paying for training, certification, and other professional development programs. More information and the application are available at https://acdsinc.org/ardath-m-cade-scholarship-fund-donations/.

External Resources in Honor of National Voter Registration Day

Today is National Voter Registration Day, an important coordinated effort to register eligible voters in preparation for Election Day. Nonprofits have a crucial role to play in engaging voters and ensuring voices in their communities are heard through the ballot box--especially those that are historically underrepresented.

This year the National Council of Nonprofits released the Nonprofit Nonpartisan Voter Engagement Guide and Nonprofit VOTE released the Nonprofit Power report, both of which are free to view and download. If you are interested in how your organization can help your community participate in the democratic process, see Nonprofit VOTE's Resource Library

Building Bridges Conference

The Nonprofit Center was pleased to sponsor the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County's Building Bridges Conference in August. The full day program, held at the Chesapeake Arts Center, included thought-provoking keynotes, small-group learning, and networking opportunities for nonprofits free of charge. We hope you walked away from the event with new insights and energy.

Summer Community Outreach

This summer, County Executive Steuart Pittman set out to provide free water access to county residents via five River Days festivals.

The Nonprofit Center helped support these events throughout the County, and attendees received cards promoting our resource, Nonprofit Events Hub. Lots of fresh eyes may be on this page when you post your next volunteer need or free event!

Nonprofit Center among County Staff at River Days Festivals.

Shining a Light on the Great Work of Local Nonprofits

Since the last issue of NonprofitNEWS, the Nonprofit Center has featured The Blue Ribbon Project and Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. If you would like your organization to be considered for a future Spotlight, please reach out to us at nonprofitcenter@aacounty.org.

Read about these and other amazing local nonprofits under the "In the Spotlight" section on the main page of our website.

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

– William James

Other Nonprofit News and Announcements

☆ Anne Arundel County Public Libraries offers training on development topics including expert-led workshops for nonprofits as well as individualized introductions to Candid tools offered for free through AACPL. Sign up for a FREE 1:1 consultation on grant research with trained library staff at select branches. Through a 1:1, you can discuss your exact needs on your schedule. This month's free workshop is tomorrow and requires no advance sign-up:

• Introduction to Corporate Giving (Sept 18th; 2:00 - 3:00) at Busch Annapolis Library

☆ Grants from CFFAC's Help Our Neighbors Fund supports nonprofits that assist residents by providing emergency assistance. Applications will open on October 2nd. Learn more HERE.

☆ Anne Arundel County's new initiative – EngageArundel – aims to empower community leaders like you (as well as all residents) with the knowledge and tools to create sustainable and thriving neighborhoods using county resources. Informational sessions take place online or in person:

• Engaging with County Government Webinar - Sept 25th 6:00pm - 7:00pm virtually.
• Community Informational Session - Sept 29th 1:00pm - 2:30pm in person in Lothian, MD.

☆ Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management is offering FREE training that may benefit nonprofit staff and volunteers. These events fill up fast, but registration is still available for Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) via the link below.

• CRASE - Sept 25th 6:00pm-7:30pm at 7480 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd, Glen Burnie.

☆ Candid Learning is offering a FREE Webinar to help you attract donors through claiming and managing Candid profiles. This 45-minute training begins at 2pm on Oct. 2nd, but set aside time to create a free Candid Learning login first. Also, claim your nonprofit's free Candid profile before the webinar to follow along in real time.

Candid is also offering the following free training opportunities:

• Introduction to Proposal Writing Thursday, September 19, 2024; 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET
• Introduction to Measuring Your Impact Tuesday, September 24, 2024; 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET

☆ The Anne Arundel 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) is underway and the Department of Health needs your input. Please take a few minutes to complete the Key Leader Survey and encourage your service recipients to complete a separate Community Member Survey. The deadline was extended to October 4th and responses will be used to improve local health services. You can view the 2022 CHNA here.

☆ The Anne Arundel County Workforce Development Corporation is also seeking information from residents to understand why many have not returned to the workforce after the pandemic. Please take a look, then share this 3-minute survey with your service recipients.

☆ Nonprofit data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages and Business Employment Dynamics programs are now available from 2007 through 2022 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). They include employment, wage, and establishment figures for 501(c)(3) organizations at the national, state, metropolitan statistical area, and county levels. 

There were 18,753 nonprofit employees in Anne Arundel County in 2022.

☆ The Anne Arundel and Annapolis Coalition to End Homelessness works to identify creative solutions and funding to further the Continuum of Care for people experiencing homelessness and supports community education around the issue of homelessness. They receive regular updates concerning the status of homelessness and services in the County, are informed of funding opportunities and other resources available within the County, and troubleshoot challenges in a group setting with the support of local experts. Contact Hannah Breakstone at Arundel Community Development Services to join or request meeting minutes.

• General Body Meeting Oct 4 10:00am-11:00am (join the coalition for full details)

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The Nonprofit Center is a program of Anne Arundel County government. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Each NPC-sponsored event includes information about how to request an ADA Accommodation.

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