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Happy Wednesday, fellow nonprofiteers!
It's the best time of the week - an opportunity to celebrate our fellow do-gooders and the positive impact they are making in the world! Take a breather, grab your beverage or snack of choice, and read about What's Good in the nonprofit world this week!
| | If your nonprofit organization has something to celebrate (a successful event or campaign, a milestone or award, a new program launch, a wonderful mission moment, etc.), send it to wednesday@bewhatsgood.com! | | |
J Noah Skills Academy took a trip to Salisbury University and toured the Dave & Patsy Rommel Center for Entrepreneurship and the Perdue School of Business.
| | | Students were offered strategies on how they could brainstorm project ideas, insight into the daily routine of a college student-athlete, how to collect and monitor data using pivot tables, and learned the value of networking with university staff. This was a neat opportunity for participants in this unique program, which uses basketball to teach student-athletes the fundamentals of project management! | | | | |
Tred Avon Players is bringing the hilarious whodunit CLUE: On Stage to the Oxford Community Center this month!
| | Based on the classic board game and cult-favorite film, this fast-paced comedy is full of quirky characters, sharp dialogue, and surprise twists. If you are located on or near Maryland's Eastern Shore, this is an awesome option for a great night out with friends and family—and a fun way to support community theater. The show opens next week and runs for seven performances, from August 14th through 24th. Learn more and/or buy tickets at www.tredavonplayers.org. | | |
Tides of Grace is back with another amazing and uplifting community event. They are hosting a FREE Family Funday on Saturday, August 16 from 4–7 PM.
| | | This is a back-to-school celebration that kids and parents can enjoy together! Tides of Grace and its partners will be offering free haircuts for kids, free child identification cards, school supplies for those registered, moon bounces & obstacle courses, carnival games with prizes, face painting & balloon art, free sno-cones, hotdogs, and chips, and free cotton candy and popcorn. There will also be local vendors & community resources in attendance. Learn more and sign up to be a volunteer, vendor, or sponsor at tidesofgraceinc.org. | | | | |
Shore Lit and Talbot Mentors are partnering to offer Shore Lit’s first ever youth literacy program. It’s called the Read Aloud Mentoring Initiative. Together, they are co-sponsoring a cohort of Read Aloud Mentors who will commit to meeting with a local elementary student for about an hour each week and creating fun experiences around books, such as reading picture books aloud, attending Story Hour at the library, watching Reading Rainbow, etc.
| | Shore Lit is recruiting potential mentors throughout the month of August, Talbot Mentors will make mentor-mentee matches this fall, and the program will run roughly February through July 2026. If you're located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and passionate about reading, community, and kids, learn more and sign up to become a mentor at shorelit.org. | | |
Not My Child
At Not My Child, big things are happening with their Project Restart Program.
| | | A group of participants are currently completing their Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training through Not My Child’s partnership with Grace Street and 3c Recovery Support Training Institute. These individuals are turning their lived experiences into powerful tools for helping others on the path to recovery—while also helping to meet the growing demand for skilled peer support specialists in our community. This is what hope, growth, and second chances look like! Learn more about this program at notmychildinc.org. | | | | |
The We Raise Foundation in St. Louis recently hosted their Gratitude Reception.
| | They were honored to be joined by donors, funding partners, community and congregational leaders, and grantee organizations—all united by a heart for making a difference in St. Louis. Sierhah Price, MBA, M.Ed, Principal of Marian Middle School and a current Emerging Leader grantee, and Reueline Arulanandam, a J.D. candidate at Saint Louis University School of Law and the We Raise 2024 Richard E. Herman Leadership Award recipient, shared their powerful stories, reminding the room why they do this work and the incredible impact people can make when working together. They also shared their new organizational video, which offered a moving look at the transformative work happening in the St. Louis community, thanks to the generosity and faithfulness of We Raise supporters. Learn more about We Raise at weraise.org. | | |
Winter Growth, Inc.
Winter Growth, Inc. has been awarded a $119,527 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI)! With this support, they are expanding upon their pilot Ensemble-in-Residence program - developed in collaboration with the incredible Iris Music Project - to provide year-round programming at both their Columbia and Olney Maryland Adult Day Program centers. This innovative initiative integrates live, interactive music into daily care for individuals living with dementia, offering moments of joy, connection, and renewed purpose.
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Through guided lyric writing, movement, and conversation, Winter Growth participants are finding new ways to engage, express themselves, and connect with those around them. Caregivers share that they see their loved ones returning home more emotionally present, relaxed, and uplifted. This grant also provides training, evaluation tools, and the opportunity to contribute to national efforts to improve respite care across the country.
What an incredible way to end our good news segment this week! As a musician myself, it is incredible to see what a powerful tool music can be, bringing comfort and allowing people to access parts of themselves that may seem hidden. This is such a beautiful story, and an exciting program!
| | What's Good at What's Good, LLC! | | |
This week has been spent helping several What's Good clients with exciting initiatives, meeting new nonprofit friends, and taking a few days of much-needed rest!
For those who may have missed the recording of my recent webinar with Bonterra a couple of weeks ago, I've included it here for your reference.
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If you have had the opportunity to share this information with your Board of Directors, I would love to hear how your experience went. Have you been able to implement any of the ideas from the webinar at your organization? Please share!
Are you interested in having me conduct a similar training session for your Board of Directors? Reach out to me at jayme@bewhatsgood.com or wednesday@bewhatsgood.com for more information!
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I had a wonderful and wide-ranging conversation with a fellow development professional yesterday. One of the topics we discussed was what we wished people would consider before forming a nonprofit organization. I've compiled just a few of those thoughts below in my Topic of the Week!
Watch The Topic Of The Week Below:
| | Click the button below to access more informative content! | | What's Good Wednesday On WCEI! | | |
After a week off, Matt Spence and I returned to What's Good Wednesday last week with TONS of awesome news from Mid-Shore nonprofit organizations. Check out our good news below!
If you are a Mid-Shore nonprofit with something to celebrate, please share it at wednesday@bewhatsgood.com and you could be featured on an upcoming radio segment and newsletter!
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If you are trying to get your board more engaged in fundraising, here's your weekly reminder to check out my "Itty Bitty Book of Nonprofit Fundraising." This book is short, sweet, and to the point, explaining the basics of the Board's duty to participate in fundraising. It also contains pages full of actionable ideas that will help your Board Members personalize their development commitments to your organization.
This conversation does not have to be a difficult one, as long as you know how to approach it in the right way. Explore my book today and take the first step towards creating a culture of fundraising at your nonprofit!
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