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Webinar: Getting Our Boards Back on Board

April 27, 2021

Several of you have come to GPP and NPA saying, “My board needs help!” Challenges include:

  • Board members getting very comfortable with zooming and multitasking while doing so – how do we pull them back in post-COVID?
  • Board attendance slipping because members are busy with their own COVID stresses at home and work
  • Boards failing on responsibilities like evaluating the executive director
  • How to follow through on non-COVID aspirations for boards, like attendance policies, self-evaluation, getting them to read materials

Our organizations are in a time of transition – moving from virtual to in-person, moving from crisis to recovery, looking at mission expansion or mission re-alignment. Now is a great time to look at how to make this transition in a way that positions our board for success. Addy Matney with TMPR presented on practices for boards to consider – some specific to reengagement after COVID and some to stimulate more board effectiveness overall.  Click here for Addy’s presentation and click above to view the full meeting.

We encourage you and your board leaders to join us on Tuesday, June 8th from 2 – 3:30 for a meeting to review some board basics and to support you in creating or furthering a productive board/staff relationship!

Webinar: Greenville County’s Emergency Assistance Program

March 4, 2021

Counties with population of 200,000 people or more received Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds from the federal government, and Greenville County received $15.8 million. These funds are to help households affected by the health or economic impacts of COVID with rent and/or utilities assistance.

Nicole Wood and Meredith Papapieris from Greenville County reached out to the NonProfit Alliance and Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy about hosting meeting before the application goes live on March 8th to give our community’s nonprofits and helpers a preview of the application and to answer any questions. (Updatelink to live program application)

Nicole and Meredith explained that eligibility from the federal government is very cut-and-dry:  households must be at or below 80% of the area median income (and priority will be given to those at or below 50% of AMI and to those unemployed for a full 90 days prior to applying), applicants must live in Greenville County, and they cannot have already received federal assistance to pay for the same bill(s) for which they are applying for help. Greenville County will be paying a max of $8,000 per household to start, but they did let our meeting participants know that they will look to do an additional three months if additional funds are available. Rent, rental arrears, and utilities arrears are eligible, and payments are made directly to the landlord and utility providers.

More details can be seen in the video and their slide deck from the session found below.

The County has engaged Tetra Tech to manage and process the applications.  Tetra Tech works with many communities in handling CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT funding, and Nicole and Meredith have heard from other communities that they have been very flexible and responsive as their own payment programs have opened up.  Tetra Tech will have a call center open Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm to help with any questions or challenges as folks apply, and they will also have a representative onsite at County Square to help the County with any troubleshooting.

Nicole and Meredith stressed that they are both available to interact with and answer questions from NPA members, and they hope that agency staff and volunteers will spread the word about the program and help their clients apply.  The application is user friendly, but also has many layers based on if/then responses from the applicants; the County is developing a list of documents needed when users apply.  They also noted that if you only need help for last month, you can still apply again for the next three months; the software will automatically remind folks to reapply using their same previous application to get more if needed.

They have to spend 65% of the funds by September or it goes back to the state, so please help spread the word!

Webinar: Advocacy and Policy Change for 2021 and Beyond

February 19 2021

The November election added three new members to Greenville County Council, gave the Republicans a supermajority in the state legislature, and flipped the US Senate and Presidency to Democrats (with South Carolina’s federal delegation firmly holding our position as a red state).

What does this mean for the issues that many nonprofits and funders care about, such as affordable housing, poverty and economic mobility, health and education, transportation, the arts, and more? GPP and NPA hosted an expert panel to discuss what to expect (and what’s already underway) in our local, state, and federal policy-making bodies and how the nonprofit and philanthropic sector can engage in policy change.

Webinar:  Leaning In, Our COVID response is more important now than ever

January 27, 2021

When the calendar flipped from 2020 to 2021, most of us were unable to view the new year as a time of change and renewal. COVID rates remained high, many people continued to struggle with the economic impacts of the pandemic, and tensions and divisions were even more pronounced than before Election Day.

But the joint webinar hosted on January 27, 2021 by Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy and the NonProfit Alliance revealed there is still reason for optimism in Greenville County. One of the biggest reasons for positivity is the strong partnerships that developed during 2020 between nonprofits, funders, and local government.  Our goal for 2021 is to continue that collaboration for the good of our sectors and the people in our community.

We heard about:

  • COVID-19 Rate Projections, Vaccination Roll Out, 2021 Expectations– Saria Saccocio, Prisma Health
  • Greenville County Schools Attendance Plan, Student Needs and How Partners Can Help – Whitney Hanna, Greenville County Schools
  • CARES Act Funding Rollout, 2021 Expectations – Nicole Wood, Greenville County
  • SC State CARES Act Funding and 2021 Expectations – GP McLeer, SC Arts Alliance
  • 211 Calls, Utility Assistance, and Community Need Seen Through the Helpline – Deborah McKetty, United Way of Greenville County

Webinar: 2020 in Hindsight and Looking Forward to 2021

December 8, 2020

Representatives from local nonprofit and philanthropic organizations met to review 2020 and ring in 2021.  What a year it’s been!  And, we were very excited to announce several new resources and opportunities for 2021.

GuideStar Local – Rochelle Williams with the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Foundation talked about how helpful it’s been for them to have a platinum rating and how useful it is to be able to look up different nonprofits on the guide.  NPA has purchased full access for Greenville County organizations on their website.  Click here for our GuideStar Local, and click here to create or upgrade your organization’s profile.

Community Exchange – Katy Smith thanked Jason Johnson at the Warehouse Theatre for setting up a community exchange where we can share information with each other.  Take a look here…

Equity work – Jessica Sharp discussed the opportunities available for nonprofits and funders to consider equity within their missions.  You can click here to let Jessica know you are interested in exploring DEI work with your board.  Debbie Bell with SC Children’s Theatre shared how meaningful her organization’s experience in working with Jessica was.  We are also relaunching the 21 day equity challenge in January 2021 – click here if you’d like to register to receive information.

Shine the Light – Adaptive Leadership – Debbie Nelson shared the schedule for 2021’s sessions on adaptive leadership, a framework that can reshape how leaders approach challenges with no easy answers.  Click here to register.

Reflections and anticipations – During the meeting, all participants were asked to share their highs and lows from 2020, what they’ve learned, and their hopes for 2021 in a survey.  We now invite all members of the nonprofit community to please take a look and share whatever moves you – don’t feel pressured to respond to all questions, but please do so if you have ideas and thoughts to share!

Angela Hurks, CEO and Founder of Step by Step Ministry Hope Project, and Bob Morris, President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Greenville, both shared reflections with attendees.

Angela said her calling was named in the Bible in Ezekiel 22:30:   “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”  She has made it her mission to stand in the gap, and thanked nonprofits and funders on the call for doing the same for their stakeholders and community members.

Bob shared a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that he feels best describes the work of nonprofits, funders, and NPA and GPP:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Greenville County Council Candidate Forum

October 7, 2020

The NonProfit Alliance, Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy and the United Way hosted a virtual candidate forum with the 11 candidates running for Greenville County Council. Deb Sofield, well-known author, speaker, and coach, moderated a discussion covering topics of interest to the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, including growth, housing, transportation, government transparency, and more. This session educated us as voters about the positions of these candidates, and  demonstrated to the candidates the strength of our sector.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: NPA and GPP host joint meeting

September 15, 2020

On the sixth month mark since Gov. Henry McMaster called for the closure of schools because of COVID-19, GPP and NPA met to examine where we are as a sector, what’s ahead for us, and how we can help our communities recover.  Results from the recent statewide survey were shared.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Strategic Partnerships with LaPiana Consulting

August 13, 2020

This webinar will introduce us to the array of strategic relationships that can lead to greater impact of our missions.  La Piana consultants, with over 20 years of experience in this area, will discuss a variety of potential organizational relationships as well as the key drivers of success and potential challenges to achieving success.  We will be able to walk away with concrete information about whether to pursue these relationships and how to use these relationships as a strategic option for missions advancement.

We thank the Graham Foundation for their support, enabling organizations to participate at no cost.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Greenville County Schools

July 8, 2020

Whitney Hanna, Coordinator of Community Collaboration with Greenville County Schools, discussed the district’s plans for 2020-2021, including results from parent and employee surveys, the flex attendance plans and virtual learning option, and approaches to a fluid and rapidly changing disease context.  Whitney also offered points for nonprofits and funders to consider as employers and community partners.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Downloadable Files

Webinar: Greenville County CARES

June 30, 2020

Nicole Wood, Assistant County Administrator, and Meredith Papapieris, Director of Grants and Special Projects, both with Greenville County, presented to a joint meeting of GPP and the NonProfit Alliance on Wednesday, June 30th.

Greenville County is making up to $75 million available to small businesses and nonprofits in the form of reimbursements for expenses to prevent COVID in the workplace and allow for continued or resumed operations.  Up to $4 million is also available in grants for organizations working in the public and community health response to COVID.  These funds are coming from the $91 million the County received from the CARES Act’s Coronavirus Relief Funds.  Access the application by clicking the blue button below.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: PPP Loan Forgiveness

June 23, 2020

On June 23, members of NPA and GPP heard from representatives from CommunityWorks, Pinnacle Financial Partners and Greene Finney LLP.  These experts presented changes and gave advice regarding PPP loan forgiveness.  We also would like to thank Pat Robertson for sharing Public Education Partners experience with the PPP.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Downloadable Files

Webinar: Safely Re-opening and Addressing Racial Equity

June 3, 2020

On June 3, members of NPA and GPP discussed how to “reopen” in a safe way and spent some time to process George Floyd’s murder and our sector’s role in dismantling racism and pursing equity.  We thank Carlos Phillips with the Greenville Chamber for sharing information on the Greater Greenville Pledge with us as well as Tamela Spann with Hollingsworth Funds, Lizzie Bebber with United Ministries, and Jessica Sharp with the YMCA and Sharp Brain Consulting for their profound words.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Strategy During Uncertainty

May 5, 2020

The numerous health, economic, and operational challenges presented by COVID-19 and the necessary closures have had a significant impact on the nonprofit sector.  Some nonprofits are called to serve in a more significant way than ever before.  Others have had to close even though the need for their mission continues (or is amplified). And all of this has taken place in an environment of uncertain revenues.

This joint session for NPA and GPP focused on strategy during uncertainty, offering tools for nonprofits and funders to use to develop scenarios for the future and identify potential responses to it.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Self Care: Caring for Yourself, Your Staff and others During Crisis

April 28, 2020

The pandemic has brought many changes to the lives of nonprofit professionals and their loved ones.  From working remotely and homeschooling to concerns over funding and programs at work, these times are stressful.  Ken Dority of NAMI Greenville and Dr. Carson Felkel of Bon Secours present effective strategies to care for your staff, yourself and others.  Also, hear from local nonprofit COO, Dawn Dowden.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Financial Planning During Crisis

April 21, 2020

Dana McConnell, Executive Director of CDS, and Larry Finney of Greene Finney LLC present their tips and strategies on financial planning during a crisis.  Follow Dana and Larry as they demonstrate how a sample nonprofit can effectively forecast their budget for the year.  Also, hear from Kerry Murphy, Executive Director of Artisphere, as she shares the effects that COVID has had on the art festival.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: Advice from an Employment Attorney

April 14, 2020

Michael Nail, employment attorney, presents a detailed review of changes in the Family Medical Leave Act, unemployment and employment law related to COVID.  We also hear from Sabrina Reeder, coordinator of Greenville County, who gives an update on census activities in Greenville County.  Katy Smith with Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy shares the latest federal activities including the CARES Act and its impact on nonprofits.  Catriona Carlisle with Meals on Wheels and David White with Fostering Great Ideas share how they are coping with COVID-19 as employers and through their organizational missions.

Watch Recorded Meeting

Webinar: What you need to know about the Paycheck Protection Program

April 7, 2020

Gary Daniels with Wells Fargo gives a banker’s perspective of the PPP.  Robyn Campbell with Elliott Davis gives accounting tips and strategies in applying for the PPP.  Hear from local nonprofit leaders Tony McDade and Adela Mendoza as they share their experiences with the PPP application process.  Tammie Hoy Hawkins with Community Works gives her experience and suggestions with PPP.

Webinar: How COVID-19 is Affecting Nonprofits in Greenville County

March 31, 2020

Join Catherine Puckett with NPA and Katy Smith of GPP has they present results from recent nonprofit and funder surveys.  United Way presents the new COVID Relief Fund and updates to the 2-1-1 system.  Hear plans for the federal disaster programs specifically for nonprofits.