Good advice from Ms. Cheap in today’s Tennessean:

Every day in this lousy economy, I hear or read about non-profits struggling to survive.

I was out at St. Luke’s Community House in West Nashville earlier this month and learned that they’re seeing the need for their food and services surging out of control. At the same time, donations from businesses and individuals are on a downward spiral because everybody out there is hurting – or at least feeling wobbly about their future financial well being.

But that doesn’t mean we’re totally powerless to help the agencies and organizations that help the less fortunate in our community – like St. Luke’s, Second Harvest Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Bethlehem Center and countless others.

Continue reading ‘Ms. Cheap: Find Creative Ways to Support Nonprofit Community During Recession’

You may have already heard that the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has released its annual pork report. According to TCPR, grants to the nonprofit community are part of the fat that needs to be cut. Here is a summary of the “pork” that TCPR sees in the nonprofit community:

• $6,000 to Nashville Public Radio and $3,240 to Nashville Public Television. TCPR states that these grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission are “creating a glaring conflict of interest for the two mid-state media outlets.”

• $500 grant to the Maury County Public Library.

• $3,600 to Tango Nashville for the nonprofit’s annual event at Centennial Park.

• $15,200 to the “Arts at the Airport”  program that subsidized the hanging of local art on the walls of terminals.

• $3,000 to the Houston County Arts Council for a production of Hello Dolly.

The report then leads into a section called “Tax Dollars for Dirty Movies” and highlights $29,040 the Tennessee Arts Commission “handed” to the Nashville Film festival.

As members of the nonprofit community, you should know that this is being written…

The Tennessee Foundation Databook is the grantwriting resource your organization can’t live without! The highly anticipated 2nd Edition published in May 2009 includes 896 pages of need to know information about the largest grantmaking foundations.

Click here for more information on this must have resource.

WSMV reports:

The doors close will close on Friday for a popular fitness and rehabilitation center in the Green Hills area of Nashville.

The Easter Seals center located on Woodmont Boulevard is closing as part of a bankruptcy plan to shed $10 million of debt. Two-hundred people who relied on the center found out about the closing two weeks ago.

Donations to Easter Seals this year are about 40 percent below expectations.

The people who use the Easter Seals facility are being told their best option is to look for a similar program at a YMCA.

WSMV reports on the career assistance Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee is providing to recent college graduates:

“When you graduate college, your dream is not to move back in with your parents and search for a job four hours a day,” said Amanda Cherry, who graduated from University of Tennessee-Martin three weeks ago but started her job search in January.

Cherry applied at Goodwill for a public relations job.

“We’ve seen a lot more people with higher skills and maybe even a college degree come into our career centers throughout middle Tennessee,” said Betty Johnson of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.

“I’m a little surprised, but I guess it makes sense. People just need work, and where there are jobs, people are going to apply,” said Johnson.

As many adjust their career dreams for the time being, Goodwill helps in more ways than one.

“My hope right now is just to find a job anywhere, and it may not be my ideal job and it may not be exactly what I want to do, but I just want to find a job,” said Cherry.

From today’s Tennessean:

Eighth-graders Madison Pinsinski and Olivia Wilkerson are delivering a PowerPoint presentation on automation and systems to a dozen classmates as part of a new curriculum called Project Lead The Way, designed to inspire a future generation of engineers.

“It’s a very relevant and very strenuous course,” said teacher Todd Livesay, who’s been getting kids excited about science and technology for a decade. “Just to watch them work. I think that they’re so interested in it. I think it’s really letting them see they can do this.”

Project Lead The Way is an Albany, N.Y.-based nonprofit group born out of industry concern that the United States is not producing enough qualified engineers to meet the needs of the economy – today and tomorrow.

The Tennessean has the story on the Rutherford County adult literacy program and its achievement:

Suzy Newton, executive director of the Tennessee Literacy Coalition, presented the 2009 Award for Excellence in Adult Literacy Service for “Families That Read, Succeed,” a program within the Read to Succeed organization, along with a $500 check.

The award recognizes adult literacy programs throughout the state of Tennessee and was also awarded to Read to Succeed in 2006, she said. The focus of the winning program is on improving and strengthening the literacy skills of parents by engaging them in a reading program that emphasizes collaborative reading with one’s child or children.

“We’ve been working so hard to help local families, and to have somebody on a state level acknowledge our works is just touching,” said Ronni Shaw, executive director of Read to Succeed.

NewsChannel 5 has the story on how Easter Seals is continuing to provide important services to the community in spite of  filing for bankruptcy:
Continue reading ‘Nonprofit Continues to Fulfill its Mission in Spite of Bankruptcy’

On CNBC last week, Bob and Lee Woodruff discussed a partnership with Twitter that allowed them to raise funds this past Memorial Day weekend for their nonprofit, ReMIND:

From WSMV:

The Nashville Zoo is offering evening picnics designed to bring families together for food and fun. Zoo-rific Family Romp & Chomp takes place after zoo hours from 6 to 8 p.m. and will be offered on June 7, July 12, Aug. 9 and Sept. 6.

The event includes a family-friendly, all-you-can-eat buffet, free carousel rides and access to the zoo’s popular Jungle Gym playground.

Each Romp & Chomp will have a different theme to the event:

June 7 – Mexican Fiesta

July 12 – Southern Style Barbeque

Aug. 9 – Classic American Fare

Sept. 6 – Fish Fry

Admission to the Romp & Chomp is $29 for adults and $20 for children ages 2 to 12. Price includes zoo admission all day as well as the after-hours event, which includes buffet, unlimited carousel rides and Jungle Gym access from 6 to 8 p.m.

Zoo members can attend for $15 per adult and $10 per child.

Discounts are offered for those registering for three or more evenings. Reservations are required and can be made at http://www.nashvillezoo.org or by calling 615-833-1534.