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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda -11-06-2008 - 3bORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: November 6, 2008 Action Agenda Item No. 3 - b SUBJECT: Nonprofit Awareness Month DEPARTMENT: Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Blackmon, 245-2300 Proclamation Nonprofit Awareness Month Fact Sheet PURPOSE: To consider a proclamation declaring November 2008 as "Nonprofit Awareness Month". BACKGROUND: Helena Thomas with the N.C. Center for Nonprofits has requested that the Board of Commissioners declare November 2008 as Nonprofit Awareness Month. This is the second year an effort has been made to designate a month as Nonprofit Awareness Month. As part of a statewide collaborative effort to raise awareness about the value and impact of nonprofits, the NC Center for Nonprofits is reaching out to boards of county commissioners and asking them to adopt simple proclamations declaring November 2008 as Nonprofit Awareness Month. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with approval of the proclamation. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the proclamation declaring November 2008 as Nonprofit Awareness Month and authorize the Chair to sign the proclamation. a j A M ~N AN Nonprofit Awareness Month WHEREAS, Orange County is home to more than 266 charitable nonprofit organizations which provide diverse services to the community; and WHEREAS, these organizations spend more than $448 million annually serving the people of Orange County; and WHEREAS, North Carolina's nonprofit sector puts more than $29 billion into our state's economy, and North Carolina nonprofits' economic impact has more than doubled in a decade; and WHEREAS, 6.5% of all jobs in our state are provided by charitable nonprofits; and WHEREAS, people throughout Orange County support and participate in nonprofit organizations by serving as board members, volunteering, donating, and working as staff; and WHEREAS, nonprofit employees pay income taxes and spend their salaries locally, thus paying local and state sales taxes too; and they buy houses, cars, computers, groceries, clothes, home products, and all other items sold in our community; and WHEREAS, Orange County nonprofits build partnerships and collaborate with governments, businesses, faith-based organizations, and other groups to expand resources; and WHEREAS, nonprofits play a central role in the democratic process by providing a means for individuals to deliberate on and advocate for public policies and decisions that affect them; and WHEREAS, Orange County nonprofits provide opportunities for developing skills, leadership abilities, and service through civic engagement; and WHEREAS, everyone who lives in Orange County benefits from nonprofits' vital contributions of strengthening our social fabric, public policy, culture, sense of community, and future; NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Board of Commissioners of Orange County declares November 2008 as Nonprofit Awareness Month and extends its congratulations to charitable nonprofits serving our community for their dedicated service to the community and its sincere gratitude to the residents of Orange County whose volunteer spirits and donations make these organizations strong. Proclaimed this 6~ day of November 2008. Barry Jacobs, Chair Orange County Board of Commissioners ~fiany MisfiOriS, ~J!_ 1 f~ ~roice: ~~;r-'~ ~~~~rrjr~ofrts 1~4''~rlll~' ~1i4~;iUx1~, ~~i ~ ~. ~~i)1~(`: ,. ~ ,ir., ~ : , November is 2008 Nonprofit Awareness Month Fact Sheet What is our purpose? To educate the public about the contributions that nonprofits make every day in our communities and to help create a better understanding about the value and importance of the sector to our state. Our three specific objectives are to: (1) Mobilize charitable nonprofits across the state to raise public awareness; (2) Educate nonprofit stakeholders; and (3) Encourage North Carolinians to support nonprofits through volunteerism and philanthropy. Nonprofit Awareness Month is a statewide collaborative initiative in November 2008 that will celebrate the contributions made by nonprofits in all of North Carolina's 100 counties. How was it started? The idea of "Many Missions, One Voice" builds upon the work of the Nonprofit Congress, which was first held in Washington, D.C. in October 2006. More than 400 nonprofit leaders from across the country gathered to unite around common values, to develop a shared vision and priorities, and to exercise the sector's collective voice for a better future. Thirteen nonprofit professionals from North Carolina served as Congress delegates, the largest delegation from any state in the nation. Congress delegates voted and selected three top priorities for the nonprofit sector: (1) Advocacy and Grassroots Community Activities: To advocate for the sector at large and engage our constituents to solve problems at the grassroots level; (2) Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness: To ensure that the sector has the resources it needs to serve communities and is effectively and efficiently managed; and (3) Public Awareness and Support of the Sector: To increase public understanding and support so that nonprofits can continue to do their best work. North Carolina delegates decided to focus on this last priority. Who is participating? Nonprofits across North Carolina and their staff, board members, and volunteers. What does it offer? Opportunities to raise the public's awareness of the positive contributions of our state's nonprofits. Rather than prescribing specific activities and events, we're letting nonprofits themselves choose what best reflects and recognizes the diversity of their communities and regions across North Carolina. A toolkit was created at the statewide level to provide nonprofits with ideas of activities and events they might undertake. Partner Organizations are being recruited from statewide organizations and specific field networks to join this effort, as well as volunteers who will serve as leaders and coordinators for NAM activities in their communities. What was accomplished in 2007? Thirty-eight nonprofits or education programs around the state joined the NAM effort as Partner Organizations. Eleven local governments, including the cities of Asheville and Fayetteville and Buncombe, Cumberland, Guilford and Wake counties, issued proclamations declaring November as Nonprofit Awareness Month in their communities. Articles, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor appeared in a variety of media outlets around the state. Among them were the Asheville Citizen-Times, Durham Herald-Sun, Fayetteville Observer, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, The Cary News, and Philanthropy Journal's online biog. NAM billboards went up in 20 different locations, and Partner Organizations and volunteers distributed thousands of NAM postcards around the state. The National Council on Nonprofit Associations recognized North Carolina's efforts, and NAM organizers hosted a session discussing NAM at the 2008 Nonprofit Congress. Seven states are now looking to replicate versions of Nonprofit Awareness Month. Who is leading the effort? The N.C. Center for Nonprofits is playing a leadership role in this initiative in collaboration with a statewide Task Force of nonprofit leaders who are volunteering their time and expertise. Our work is being implemented through Fundraising, Marketing, and Outreach Committees. Members of the Task Force include: Armeer Kenchen, Senior Vice President, Center for Community Self-Help; Tharesa Lee, Nonprofit Coordinator, Neuse River Community Development Corporation; Melissa Le Roy, Executive Director, Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE), Inc.; Trisha Lester, Vice President, N.C. Center for Nonprofits (NAM Liaison and Spokesperson); Howard Manning, Executive Director, Christian Community In Action; Sally Migliore, Senior Associate,. N.C. Center for Nonprofits (NAM Liaison); Jennifer Palestrant, President, Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce; David Snider, Associate Vice President of Grants & Services, Arts & Science Council; Sally Steele, Development Director, North Carolina Coastal Federation; and Connie Tillmann, Community Volunteer.