Fundraising, Nonprofit Management
PR Newswire | February 02, 2024
The American Camp Association® (ACA) is honored to announce that Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded ACA a $45,535,623 grant to support the creation of a new, multiyear initiative to grow, improve, and celebrate character development at camps across the United States.
Character at Camp is an innovative initiative anchored in the belief that summer and year-round camp programs provide an unparalleled opportunity to promote the character development of young people. While camps vary greatly in their mission, size, activities, programming, and location, many are run with an intrinsic focus on youth development and character-building skills and traits. ACA's recent National Camp Impact Study demonstrated that camp experiences support social connectedness among youth and the development of skills and traits such as perseverance, responsibility, and the willingness to try new things. This study also found that these skills and traits last over time. Individuals who attended camp as children demonstrate these skills and traits throughout academic environments and well into their early careers.
For more than a century, character development has been foundational to the camp experience, as each camp distinctively offers a variety of opportunities to develop important character skills and traits. Camps provide young people with experiences in less-distracting settings, often surrounded by nature, that can help support character development through social interactions with peers and counselors, time for reflection and other activities. For example, campers learn responsibility as they help set tables in the dining hall, engage in leadership when guiding groups during hikes, and practice empathy when they support fellow campers who are missing home.
In today's world, the benefits of building character skills and traits such as gratitude, kindness, creativity, curiosity, perseverance, resiliency, empathy, courage, and teamwork could not be more important.
The Character at Camp initiative will be conducted during the next six years. ACA will make available in-person and virtual training opportunities, educational tools, and other resources to camps to strengthen, expand, or establish character development programs at the more than 15,000 year-round and summer camps across the US. As a direct result of this new initiative, ACA will invite camp leaders to participate in educational and peer-learning opportunities, networking, training, other experiences to learn how to help develop character skills and traits at camp. ACA will work with camp professionals, youth-development experts, and others to create new educational resources, training, and assessment tools to provide camps with opportunities to engage in this important initiative.
Starting in 2025, all eligible nonprofit camps will have the opportunity to apply for competitive one-, two-, or three-year grants to support their character development programs. Eligible organizations will be able to apply for funding in amounts ranging from $50,000 to up to $300,000 based on the length of the grant period. Funds may be used for staffing, training, curricula, assessment, communications, and/or outreach and partnership efforts to support camps' specific goals related to character development. The initiative will support a broad range of camps serving young people from varied backgrounds and experiences, including under-resourced and underrepresented youth, as well as provide funding for developing character-based programming that is culturally relevant and values the diverse perspectives of youth and families.
"We are deeply grateful for Lilly Endowment's support of ACA and our shared commitment to support camps across the country with the funding, tools, resources, and education to expand and prioritize character development programs," said Tom Rosenberg, ACA president/CEO. "This Character at Camp initiative recognizes the diverse needs of children and youth. We know camp experiences build a world of belonging and growth, and we're excited to engage camps as they work to strengthen their character development programs."
"Lilly Endowment's founders firmly believed that developing the character of young people was vital to the future of communities and our country, and they supported many efforts to understand how character is formed," said N. Clay Robbins, Lilly Endowment's chairman and CEO. "For decades, well run camps have had a positive impact on the character development of thousands of campers. We believe, with the commitment, leadership, and expertise of ACA, its Character at Camp initiative can meaningfully enhance and expand character development from a variety of perspectives and in a diverse array of young people throughout the nation."
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Nonprofit Management, Financial Management
PR Newswire | January 03, 2024
Recognizing the escalating demands faced by community nonprofits, the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union (USSFCU) in Alexandria, Virginia, proudly announces its recent distribution of $65,000 to seven deserving nonprofits. These funds are poised to amplify the significant impact these organizations have both locally in the metropolitan Washington region and on a broader national scale.
USSFCU President and CEO, Timothy L. Anderson, emphasized the credit union's longstanding commitment to community welfare, stating, "Giving back to the communities in which we live and work has always been integral to our mission. Through these donations, we aim to express our gratitude to these organizations for their tireless efforts in strengthening our communities."
The donations, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, have been strategically allocated to support regional food pantries, shelters, and disaster relief programs. Each beneficiary was carefully chosen by USSFCU's leadership team, reflecting a deep connection to the hearts and minds of credit union staff.
The initiative commenced in mid-December, as Anderson and a select group of USSFCU representatives embarked on a series of check presentations at local locations. During these visits, they gained insights into the impactful work undertaken by each organization and presented them with a symbolic check.
Beneficiary organizations and their respective donations include
Capital Area Food Bank - $20,000
SOME (So Others Might Eat) - $10,000
Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation - $10,000
ALIVE! (Alexandria) - $5,000
Carpenter's Shelter - $5,000
American Red Cross – $15,000
In addition to the monetary contributions, USSFCU actively engaged in hosting holiday donation drives, collecting toys, food, and winter essentials for the mentioned organizations. USSFCU members and staff were encouraged to participate by bringing their donations to the Credit Union's Bowman Branch location. The collected items will be delivered to the respective beneficiaries in the coming weeks, further reinforcing USSFCU's commitment to community support and well-being.
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Nonprofit Management, Financial Management
PR Newswire | January 10, 2024
In a remarkable leap towards a community-led energy future, Energy Allies, the startup energy justice nonprofit based in Boston and New York, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
Renowned for actively involving and working alongside communities most impacted by climate change, Energy Allies imagines a future where every person lives in flourishing, resilient homes powered independently by clean energy. At the heart of their strategy lies the innovative Community Advisory Board (CAB), a collective of community members and organizational representatives compensated for their essential role in developing and endorsing local green energy solutions.
"In our quest for equitable access to sustainable power sources, this grant represents a significant step toward building sturdy, self-reliant communities. It enables us to expedite our community-driven initiatives while reinforcing the conviction that given opportunities, communities are best positioned to lead progress towards clean energy," says Sara Chandler, Chairperson of Energy Allies' Board of Directors.
The first CAB established in Boston ensures that community-led solar projects align with the specific needs of the locality. In partnership with PUSH Buffalo in Buffalo, NY, another CAB was formed under Energy Allies' guidance, with community leadership designing an energy project to create intergenerational wealth for those living in communities most impacted by climate change.
"Yesenia Rivera, Executive Director at Energy Allies, adds, "This funding propels us into new heights of fulfilling our mission objectives. Our approach centered around communities, exemplified by Community Advisory Boards, is pivotal in making lasting impacts. We appreciate the support that allows us to expand our efforts to build equitable clean energy solutions."
Being a significant contributor to the movement towards fair access to clean energy, Energy Allies strategically partners with community members, local organizations, and property owners. Together, they pinpoint ideal locations for green energy projects and devise programs to democratize the power system for all community dwellers.
Community-driven power represents an innovative solution addressing challenges posed by unreliable, costly, and potentially dangerous traditional grids. Energy Allies emphasizes the importance of a movement led by communities advocating for energy justice while highlighting the risk of worsening existing issues without it.
With its roots in research, Energy Allies has emerged as a leader concerning income-eligible community solar access. In collaboration with the Department of Energy, MIT, and Stanford University, this nonprofit developed 'Energy Score,' an accurate predictor of energy payments inclusive to all households. Through alliances with the Department of Energy Solar Technologies Office (SETO), it advocates policies promoting equal inclusion across all income brackets, emphasizing communities' vital role in co-designing local power.
This $100,000 funding from Liberty Mutual Foundation places an already impactful organization - 'Energy Allies', into a position where it could further amplify its contributions towards cleaner and more balanced prospects. This financial boost will kickstart community-led solar initiatives while strengthening efforts to eliminate historical disparities in access to clean energy resources.
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Fundraising, Nonprofit Technology
PR Newswire | January 11, 2024
Bloomerang, the complete donor and volunteer relationship management platform for thousands of small and medium-sized nonprofits, today announced that they acquired Qgiv, a leading provider of fundraising technology solutions. This strategic acquisition accelerates Bloomerang's vision to build the giving platform of the future.
Nonprofits currently face a shifting donor landscape, dwindling donations, disconnected technologies, and increasingly limited resources–making it difficult to engage supporters and deliver better outcomes. The addition of Qgiv's best-in-class fundraising solution to Bloomerang's leading donor and volunteer relationship management platform will accelerate nonprofits' ability to raise more money and improve fundraising outcomes through stronger relationships with supporters.
"Both Qgiv and Bloomerang are top-rated solutions that lead the market in addressing some of the common challenges that nonprofits face today–raising funds, finding new donors, and cultivating existing donors," says Dennis Fois, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Bloomerang. "Together we can deliver an expanded solution that exceeds the needs of the nonprofit sector–intuitive, easy-to-use donor management, volunteer management, and deep fundraising capabilities–in a single place. By bringing together the best of fundraising and donor relationship management, we can help nonprofits maximize the full potential of their donor communities and ultimately raise more donations, time, and support."
"The integration between Qgiv and Bloomerang is wonderful," said Maggie Mestrich, Director of Business Development at Carmel Swim Club. "It eliminates duplicate tasks, makes our stewardship more seamless, and helps our organization work more efficiently."
Since 2020, fundraising software has seen a big shift in importance for nonprofits. Together, Bloomerang and Qgiv fill a need in the market to accelerate innovations in donor engagement and help nonprofits realize their full potential. The combined solution will provide numerous benefits for nonprofit organizations:
Increase fundraising revenue: Uncover high-performing campaigns and strategies to maximize giving potential and improve fundraising outcomes through the unification of data, people, and tools in one place.
Enable deeper relationships: Automated constituent insights allow for personalized engagement and deeper relationship-building with supporters.
Employ dynamic fundraising: Automatically tap into supporters' strengths and passions in order to maximize their gifts–whether it's time, dollars, or talent.
Save administrative time: Automate repetitive tasks, spend less time on data entry, and access a wider range of solutions, more support, and additional educational resources.
Achieve better outcomes: Deepen supporter engagement to generate long-term giving relationships and more funds raised.
"For 15 years our focus at Qgiv has been providing best-in-class fundraising technology to help nonprofit teams raise more in support of their missions," says Todd Baylis, Qgiv CEO. "By adding Qgiv's end-to-end fundraising solution to Bloomerang's leading donor relationship management platform, we can help nonprofits raise more by supporting the entire donor journey. We recognize that our technologies, people, and skills complement each other, and we have a tremendous opportunity to build the sector's first and most efficient giving platform."
Bloomerang's long-standing integration with Qgiv is available today with plans for more enhancements in 2024 and builds on a continued phase of exciting growth for the company. In 2023, the company launched Bloomerang Volunteer following the acquisition of volunteer management software. The company also released several product updates and enhancements including a refreshed self-serve Donor Portal, dynamic segmentation with its Groups functionality, contactless payment options with Tap to Pay, and a variety of new reports and dashboard updates to support more than 16,000 nonprofit organizations.
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