In This Issue
Note from the President/CEO
Grant Information and Awards
The Giving Marketplace
Lowcountry Volunteer Connections
In Other News
Connect with Us!
Community Foundation Board and Staff
Board of Directors
John Weymouth
Chairman
 
Jim Allhusen

Donna R. Bafundo

Sandra Benson 
 
Brad L. Bloom
 
Denis C. Bonnett
 
Marva J. Brooks

Cheryl Comes 
 
Jerilyn A. Farren
 
J. Dudley King Jr.

Kimberly Kord 
 
Michael J. Marks 
 
Elizabeth B. Mayo

Allen Ward

David Wetmore 
 
J. Eric Woods
 
Staff 
President and CEO

Grantmaking and Scholarship Administrator
 
VP for Finance and Administration

Donor Services Associate
 
  VP for Marketing and Communications
 
Communications Associate   
   
  Administrative Assistant

 Finance Associate
 
VP for Development and Donor Services
 
Service Area Liaison

VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership
 
June 2017
 
Note from the President/CEO

   
Denise photo
Denise K. Spencer, President and CEO
The Nonprofit ROI  
Often I am asked about the differences between for-profit and nonprofit organizations.  

Actually, there are many similarities. There are legal responsibilities. There are federal and state filings. There are record keeping, accounting, investment and audit obligations. Establishing a balanced, or even surplus budget is a worked-for outcome in each case. There are facilities, human resources, insurance and equipment to support and manage. There are marketing and "sales" efforts that involve identifying the customer, understanding how they receive their information and what it is they need or want.

And the major difference: While a for-profit business exchanges a product or service for money, a nonprofit usually provides, for donations of any size, an expectation that a positive difference in being made in the world. Click here to read more.   

Grant Information and Awards

Habitat For Humanity Receives $100,000 Community Investment Grant 
Community Foundation awarded a $100,000 Community Investment grant in March to Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity. The grant supports infrastructure costs for development of phase two of The Glen, a Habitat community on Hilton Head Island. The project is expected to be completed late spring of 2018. Community Investment grants support large-scale capital projects and are part of the Community Foundation's competitive grantmaking programs. 




Disaster Fund Grant Awards Total $180,000  
In April, the Community Foundation awarded one new grant under the Disaster Recovery and Rebuilding Fund, bringing the total assistance provided by the fund thus far to over $180,000. The most recent grant was:

Hospice Care of the Lowcountry: $6,900 to cover lodging, supplies, equipment and medications for hospice patients evacuated due to Hurricane Matthew.

The Disaster Fund continues to accept applications from regional, community-based 501(c)3 nonprofits, faith-based organizations or equivalents for up to $20,000 for recovery and rebuilding efforts related to the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Organizations may be eligible for multiple grants from the Disaster Fund and may apply for a grant to cover expenses already incurred.
You can view the complete list of grants awarded to date and learn more about the Disaster Fund here.


Enhancements to Our Grantmaking
The Community Foundation starts our 2018 fiscal year on July 1, 2017 with several significant changes to our grantmaking programs and with revamped Web pages. We expect these modifications to make the grant application process clearer and more concise. Click here to read more about the changes. 


New Grants Web Pages
 
Along with the changes noted above, we have also updated the information and navigation of our
Grants Web pages. The updates clarify the different grant programs available to organizations in our service area, their eligibility requirements and application processes. Why the change? The new format enhances users' online experience and helps organizations quickly identify the grant programs that best suit their needs. 
 

Upcoming Grants Information Sessions
The first step to apply for a grant from the Community Foundation is to attend a Grant Information Session where you can learn about our grantmaking guidelines and eligibility requirements. All sessions are on Thursdays at our offices from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.  
  • July 13
NOTE: The July 13 session will be the last one before the September 15th grants application deadline. To see a full list of upcoming sessions, visit the Grants Information Session page on our website. Call the Community Foundation to register for a Grants Information Session at 843-681-9100.

   
Other Grant Opportunities 
Click on the links below for additional information and eligibility:
 
The Giving Marketplace

We'd like to welcome these organizations to The Giving Marketplace:

Join The Giving Marketplace!
The Giving Marketplace is a comprehensive nonprofit directory available to the entire Lowcountry community including donors, volunteers, funders, and businesses. Information in The Giving Marketplace is exchanged with GuideStar on a semi-annual basis. Keeping your information up-to-date on our local portal will aide your organization in the larger, national GuideStar database!

Creating a profile is easy and we provide all the support and guidance you'll need along the way. If you are not familiar with The Giving Marketplace, contact us for an overview and assistance to get started. If your organization has an existing profile, be sure to verify that the information is complete and up-to-date. 

 
Lowcountry Volunteer Connections

We are proud to announce several enhancements to Lowcountry Volunteer Connections. This latest and greatest software upgrade brings some awesome new features, including:

INITIATIVES  ---
  This new function allows organizations to group needs that fall under a certain umbrella. This useful "need-grouping" tool can be used in various situations, including:
  • When needs are associated with a specific event, like a Day of Service
  • When needs are associated with a particular time of year, such as summer or the holidays
  • When needs are associated with a particular group of volunteers, such as a youth volunteers or employees of a company
  • An initiative can be public, or it can be assigned to a specific group of users (see the information for user groups below)
  • An initiative assigned to specific user groups cannot be accessed via the public search filter
     
TEAMS  ---   When a need is posted, an agency manager or site manager has the option of making the need available for team sign-ups. Now site managers and team creators both have expanded capabilities.

USER GROUPS ---  
This enhancement offers a way to group qualifying volunteers under a single "umbrella" so that volunteers and organizations can (1) measure engagement for multiple people who are volunteering on behalf of their larger group, and (2) engage community initiatives as a group.

A user group may be a company, club, church, or other organization whose members volunteer as agents of their larger group. It can also be a group of selected volunteers who have needed expertise or training in an area.

This is a great time to check out the enhancements to Lowcountry Volunteer Connections as we upgraded to version 2.8. And while you are there, you can create or update your agency's profile and post your opportunities. With more than 400 volunteers registered on the system, your volunteer opportunity is sure to receive attention. 

If you'd like a "tour" of the new software to see how it can help meet your agency's volunteer recruitment needs, e-mail Debbie Cahoon.

 
In Other News

Nonprofit Board Service Workshop   
In March, Lowcountry Volunteer Connections offered a Nonprofit Board Service Workshop for adults who are currently not serving on a nonprofit board, but are considering it or want to learn more. Denise K. Spencer, president and CEO of Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, offered insight into nonprofit board roles and responsibilities. 
 
Thirteen community members participated in the workshop and completed "interest surveys" indicating they type of organizations of interest to them.   

If your organization is looking for board members, e-mail Debbie Cahoon for additional information and to see if we have a potential "match" for your organization's board of directors.  

 
Southern Lowcountry SCAVA Chapter
Set to Launch in September 2017  
The South Carolina Association for Volunteer Administration is a nonprofit organization that provides
opportunities and professional development to individuals with an interest in the field of volunteerism. Membership is extended to individuals in the public and private sectors who wish to learn more about volunteerism, develop new skills or shape the future of volunteerism in South Carolina. SCAVA offers conferences and workshops focusing on information and issues pertinent to volunteers and volunteer administration.
 
The Community Foundation has helped establish a committee to launch and manage a local chapter --   Southern Lowcountry SCAVA. If you are interested in learning more about it and how it will help foster more volunteerism here in the Lowcountry, e-mail Debbie Cahoon, the chapter president. 

   
Upcoming Conferences & Events 

Together SC ---  RFP for Presenters for 2018 Summit CommUNITY
SCANPO is now Together SC. The name change and mission "re-boot" was announced at the recent 2017 Summit in Columbia in March. Next year's Summit, CommUNITY, will be held right here on Hilton Head Island, which will offer greater opportunity for participation from nonprofit staff in our area, as well as opportunities for local folks to be presenters.   

Together SC encourages you to think about what you do best, and what lessons you have learned in your work that your peers and colleagues need to know and share it with others at the Summit. An RFP for presenters for the 2018 Summit is now available. Click here for more information. The deadline for submissions is June 30.

If you have information about an upcoming educational event that you would like to share in Nonprofit Connections, let us know.  

 
Connect with Us!

We'd like to hear from you. Do you have an idea that you'd like to share with us? Do you have suggestions about Lowcountry Volunteer Connection? Do you want to learn more about how to get the most out of your The Giving Marketplace profile? E-mail Kevin Smith or Debbie Cahoon.

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Sincerely,
 
Kevin
VP for Grantmaking and Community Leadership
Community Foundation of the Lowcountry