Office work seen curbing effectiveness of foundation program officers

Program officers at U.S. foundations believe internal challenges at their organizations pose the biggest challenge to doing their jobs, a new report says.

Program officers believe administrative tasks consume time they should be devoting to playing their role more effectively, says Benchmarking Program Officer Roles and Responsibilities, a report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy.

They also believe they are spending too little time on building and keeping relationships, says the report, which is based on responses from 150 randomly-selected program officers at foundations that give at least $5 million a year.

Internal challenges that 84 percent of respondents say pose the biggest obstacles to doing their job include limited resources or capacity; a lack of independence in their role; and the need to manage a “disconnect” between their priorities and the priorities of their foundation’s leadership.

Sixty-two percent program officers who responded say internal administration is a responsibility that takes up the greatest amount of their time, while 75 percent say it should take up less time so they can be most effective in their role.

Only 36 percent of program officers say developing and maintaining relationships is a responsibility that takes up the greatest amount of their time, while 53 percent believe it should take up the greatest amount of their time so they can be most effective.

Ninety-eight percent of program officers believe having strong relationships with grantees is important for achieving their foundations’ goals, and 95 percent believe learning from grantees is an integral part of their jobs.

Seventy-four percent of program officers say they admire the leadership of their CEOs, and 73 percent say they are very or extremely satisfied with their jobs.

Income grows for 7 in 10 fundraisers

Seventy-one percent of 1,738 fundraisers in the U.S. posted higher incomes  in 2016, although average salaries generally were flat, a new report says.

The average salary for survey respondents, all members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, totaled $70,256, down $624 from 2015, says AFP’s 2017 Compensation and Benefits Report.

The median salary, meaning half were higher and half were lower, totaled $65,000 in 2016, up from $62,000 in 2015.

The top 25 percent of survey respondents earned more than $86,5000, while the bottom 25 percent earned $49,000 or less, with the median for both groups growing slightly from 2015.

The year 2016 was the fourth straight year in which the share of fundraisers seeing higher incomes grew, following 68 percent who saw increases in 2015; 65 percent in 2014; and 63 percent in 2013.

The average survey respondent has worked for 3.2 employers as a fundraiser, the report says, while the average number of years a respondent has worked for an employer — the “turnover” rate — was 3.9 in 2016, the same as in 2015.

High Point health funder gives $394,000

The Foundation for a Healthy High Point awarded seven local grants $393,842 to support the advancement of health and wellness for High Point residents.

Nearly half the grants support pregnancy-prevention and early-intervention programs.

The Foundation also awarded $9,000 to NC MedAssist to assist in providing behavioral health medications for High Point patients.Since it was formed in 2013 through the merger of High Point Regional Health and UNC Health Care, the Foundation has awarded a total of roughly $7.1 million in grants to 22 organizations.

Tanger gives $194,000 to schools

Tanger Outlet Centers in Greensboro, through its philanthropic program TangerCARES, awarded 172 TangerKIDS grants totaling $194,000 to schools across the U.S.

Lawyers recognized for pro-bono work

Twenty Triad lawyers are among 170 lawyers recognized by the Supreme Court of North Carolina for donating 50 or more hours of legal services during 2016 through the state’s inaugural voluntary pro bono reporting effort.

Those 170 lawyers make up the first group of the N.C. Pro Bono Honor Society.

All 543 North Carolina lawyers who shared information about their pro bono volunteerism reported more than 25,700 hours during 2016.

New nonprofit aims to boost Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem Ambassadors, a new nonprofit, aims to create and raise awareness of Winston-Salem.

Started and headed by Mackenzie Cates-Allen, CEO of Cates-Allen Connections and former development manager for theDowntown Winston-Salem Partnership, the new nonprofit is recruiting “ambassadors,” who will hold quarterly information sessions and workshops about the city’s strengths and possibilities.

On October 8 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the group will hold its second “Second Sundays on 4th” outdoor event for families, with support from 4CM and Flow Companies.

Food focus of youth summit

Youth ages 10 and older participated in a Youth Food Summit on June 21 hosted by the Greater High Point Food Alliance and United Way of Greater High Point at the High Point University Community Center.

The event included hands-on activities, including gardening, cooking and nutrition, as well as presentations by participants about food insecurity from their perspective, along with their ideas on how to address the issue.

United Way collects hygiene kits for people in need

United Way of Greater Greensboro, during a “Day of Action” on June 21, collected hygiene kits that will be delivered to the Greensboro Urban Ministry, Interactive Resource Center

and United Way’s Family Success Center for distribution to people in need.

The kits include basic items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and shampoo.

Brannock honored for fundraising

Mike Brannock, CEO of WorkForce Unlimited and AREVO Group in Mount Airy, was recognized as Man of the Year Runner Up by the North Carolina Chapter of The Leukemia  Lymphoma Society.

He raised $209,000 as part of a 10-week national fundraising campaign that included 15 other individuals and raised over $1.42 million to support the Society’s goal to find cures for blood cancers and ensure that patients have access to lifesaving treatments.

Brannock joined the fundraising after after two co-workers and a family member battled different types of cancer in 2016.

East Durham Children’s Initiative gets $20,000

The East Durham Children’s Initiative has been awarded a $20,000 grant from Duke Energy to support EDCI BELL Summer Camp in 2017, which works to prepare students in East Durham for college or career and is offered in partnership with Building Educated Leaders for Life.to further its work .

United Way elected chairs of board, campaign

Greg Strader, executive vice president and chief banking officer at American National Bank & Trust, has been elected chair of the board of directors of United Way of Greater Greensboro, and Chuck Burns, corporate development officer and vice president at First Citizens Bank, has been named chair of the 2017-18 United Way fundraising campaign.

Carying Place to host race event

The Carying Place’s will host its Tenth Annual Labor Day “Race for Home” on September 4 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary starting at 8 a.m.

Vance County funder gives $7,000

Vance County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation, awarded five local grants totaling $7,130.

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation setting new course

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem has announced an “emerging direction” rooted in three strategies, respectively, that focus on the state, communities and new ideas, and that aim “to improve the quality of life for all North Carolinians, now and for generations to come.”

The board of trustees of the Foundation also have made a commitment to find ways to increase its participation in “the life of its hometown” of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, the Foundation says in a statement.

Based on year-long effort it launched in 2016, the Foundation says, it will take another 12 to 18 months to full develop and put into place its new strategies.

Its grant cycle this fall will mark the start of its transition and the last grant cycle based on the current focus areas for its grantmaking, and will be closed and by invitation only.

The Foundation says it will not have a traditional grant cycle in spring 2018 so it can focus on designing and putting its new strategies into place.

Giving in U.S. grows 2.7% to $390 billion

Charitable giving in the U.S. grew 2.7 percent to $390.05 billion in 2016, or 1.4 percent adjusted for inflation, a new report says.

Giving by individuals grew 3.9 percent and accounted for 72 percent of overall giving, while giving by foundations grew 3.5 percent and accounted for 15 percent of overall giving, says Giving USA 2017, published by Giving USA Foundation, and researched and written by the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University

Giving by bequest fell nine percent and accounted for eight percent of overall giving, while giving by corporations grew 3.5 percent and accounted for five percent of overall giving.

Giving to religion accounted for 32 percent of overall giving, followed by giving to education, which accounted for 15 percent; to human resources, 12 percent; to foundations, 10 percent; to health, eight percent; to public-and-society-benefit groups, eight percent; to arts, culture and humanities, five percent; to international affairs, six percent; to environmental and animal groups, three percent; and to individuals, two percent.

Duke Energy Foundation gives $2.7 million

The Duke Energy is giving $2.7 million to over 70 initiatives throughout North Carolina that focus on science, technology, engineering and math; childhood reading proficiency; and workforce development.

Elon receives $400,000 estate gift

Elon University has received a $400,000 gift from the estate of the late Mattie Pickett Edwards and John Lee Edwards to endow a music scholarship.

Both were graduates of the school. Mattie Pickett worked as secretary for former Elon President Leon Edgar Smith, and John Lee Edwards was a retired Air Force major.

SAFEchild gets $100,000 from Junior League

The Junior League of Raleigh awarded $100,000 in proceeds from the 2017 North Carolina Governor’s Inaugural Ball to SAFEchild in Raleigh to help end child abuse in Wake County.

SAFEchild, which was founded by the Junior League nearly 25 years ago using proceeds from the the 1993 North Carolina Governor’s Inaugural Ball, will use the funds to expand the number of children it serves at its Advocacy Center.

Baseball event raises $29,000 for kids with cancer

The 4th Annual North Wake Vs. Cancer Benefit Tournament on May 20-21 at the Factory Baseball Complex in Wake Forest raised $28,650 to help children with pediatric cancer.  The tournament, sponsored by DICKS Sporting Goods, has raised over $80,00- for the Vs. Cancer Foundation since it began in 2014.

Event raises $80,000 for veterans

HAECO Americas helped raise over $80,000 at its third annual Purple Heart Homes Charity Gold Fundraiser on May 22 in Greensboro for the Piedmont chapter of Purple Heart Homes, which works to help veterans find homes for disabled veterans.

Proceeds, up $20,000 from last year, will contribute to the work of the chapter, and to renovating the current homes of disabled veterans so they can live independently.

The funds also support stays by homeless Purple Heart veterans at The Servant Center and the Arthur Cassell House, two transitional homes in the Piedmont.

Gift to support annual mammograms

The Becky Baker Foundation donated $10,000 to Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Foundation in Winston-Salem to raise awareness of and encourage women to get annual mammograms.

The gift will be used to cover the cost of mammograms for women who are uninsured or are unable to pay for the breast cancer screening. Forsyth Medical Center’s breast center will provide the mammography screenings.

The Becky Baker Foundation honors Becky Baker, a resident of Clemmons who died in April after a long battle with breast cancer.

Make-A-Wish gets $44,000 from golf event

The 2017 Golf Classic hosted by Balfour Beatty Construction on April 3 at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary raised $44,000 to benefit Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina.

Proceeds from the 140-player tournament will help grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Goodwill receives United Way award

Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina is the recipient of the Joel A. and Claudette B. Weston Award, a bi-annual honor that recognizes excellence in nonprofit management at a local health or human-service organization.

Goodwill will receive $15,000 to support its mission. United Way of Forsyth County managed the application review process.

Winston-Salem Foundation gives $231,000

The Winston-Salem Foundation awarded nine grants totaling $230,700 to organizations serving Forsyth County that support arts and culture; community and economic development; education; health, human services and public interest.

Trauma’s impact on learning focus of new effort

NC Resilience and Learning Project, a new initiative of The Public School Forum of North Carolina, aims to address the impacts of traumatic childhood experiences on student learning.

Founding partners ChildTrust Foundation, The John M. Belk Endowment and The Belk Foundation each invested $100,000 each to help launch the initiative.

The Public School Forum, Massachusetts Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative at Harvard Law School, and Duke Center for Child & Family Policy, plus other nonprofits and academic institutions, will partner with several North Carolina school districts to use an inquiry-based process to create trauma-sensitive whole-school learning environments that aim to improve students’ academic outcomes and social-emotional wellbeing.

Casey gets new role at Transitions LifeCare

Christine Casey, senior philanthropy officer at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, has been named director of annual giving and stewardship.

Blake joins Masonic Foundation

Dee Blake, director of development at Duke HomeCare & Hospice, has been named Western Region director of Development at North Carolina Masonic Foundation.

Allen joins Albermarle Alliance

Brian Allen, executive director and vice president at YMCA of Fayetteville, has been named director of development and community relations at Albermarle Alliance for Children and Families.

Simmons new CFO at North Carolina Community Foundation

Wilson Simmons, former vice president of finance at United Way of the Greater Triangle, has been named chief financial officer for the North Carolina Community Foundation, succeeding David Ryan, who retired in early 2017.

Public School Forum names directors, members

Tom Williams, president of Strategic Educational Alliances, has been elected as chair-elect of the  board of directors of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

The board selected new members, including Damon Circosta, executive director, AJ Fletcher Foundation; Courtney Crowder, president, Crowder Consulting; Charles Francis, managing partner, The Francis Law Firm; Cyndi Soter O’Neil, senior policy advisor, ChildTrust Foundation-Investors Management Corporation; Mark Sorrells, senior vice president, Golden LEAF Foundation; Steve Stephenson, partner, Ward and Smith; Sandra Wilcox Conway, president, Conway & Associates; and Saundra Wall Williams, president and CEO, Vision Building Institute for Women.

New at-large members of the Forum include Sue Burgess, retired superintendent, Dare County Schools; Scott Penland, retired superintendent, Clay County Schools; Philip Price, retired chief financial officer, N.C. Department of Public Instruction; Patti Gillenwater, president and CEO, Elinvar; Dick Daugherty, retired senior executive, IBM; Blount Williams, chairman and CEO, Alfred Williams & Co.; Alisa Chapman, visiting fellow in Public Policy and the Global Research Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jim Phillips, partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard; Chris Bell, region president, SunTrust Bank; Van Isley, chairman and CEO, Professional Builders Supply; Jessica Holmes, Wake County Board of Commissioners; and Norris Tolson, president and CEO, Carolinas Gateway Partnership.

Local funders award grants

The Cary Women’s Giving Network, a program of the Raleigh-based North Carolina Community Foundation, awarded $14,000 in local grants, and the Franklin County Community Foundation and Johnston County Community Foundation, affiliates of the statewide Foundation, awarded $1,350 and $42,050, respectively in local grants.

Support for service dogs focus of event

The Inaugural maCares Tribute 5K Run/2.5K Walk will be held September 9 at Country Park/Jaycee Park in Greensboro to honor service members and first responders, with all proceeds going to support the maCares & faith Cares Service Dog Support Program.

The program aims to ease the financial burden of caring for a service dog for a veteran, child, or adult. It covers initial and re-certification training expenses, plus daily care expenses such as food, supplies, veterinary, medications, and grooming.

Veterans also have sponsored access to a licensed therapist.

Marathon to support ALS research

Durham Sports Commission will serve as title sponsor of the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Marathon and Half Marathon on November 12 at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham to support ALS research, while other sponsors will include Fleet Feet Sports, Sprouts Farmers Market, Lululemon, S&A Communications, Raleigh Brewing Company, and Bull Durham Beer Co.

Event organizer FS Series is teaming with Team Drea Foundation, Team Chris Combs, and Jason Capel to donate proceeds from the event to help fund research to find a cure for ALS.

Animal Shelter gets donations

Tar Heel Basement Systems donated over 75 items to Stokes County Animal Shelter in Germanton, including over 500 pounds of dog food; over 10 dog beds; over 15 food and water bowls; and treats, kitty litter, blankets, cleaning supplies, toys and treats.

Global-health work adds $2.7 billion to state economy

North Carolina is home to over 220 global-health organizations that contributed $2.7 billion to the state’s gross domestic product in 2015, a new report says.

Those organizations — universities; nonprofits; faith-based groups; government agencies; and biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical-technology companies — work in over 185 countries, attract over $1.2 billion to the state for health-research from sources other than state government, and support over 2000 jobs in the state that generated over $1.6 billion in annual wages, salaries and benefits, or an average of about $62,000 per job, says The Global Health Sector’s Contributions to the Economy of North Carolina, from the Triangle Global Health Consortium.

The economic activity tied to the global-health sector generated $182 million in state tax revenue and $433 million in federal tax revenue.

High Point United Way expanding summer lunch program

United Way of Greater High Point, through its BackPack Program, aims this summer to provide food to 715 students while they are not in school, an increase of 420 students from last summer.

During the just-ending school year, the program provided weekend food to 985 students, an increase of 395 students from the previous year.

This summer, the program will provide breakfast at summer care sites, as well as weekend food.

Partner sites for the summer program include Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater High Point; Carl Chavis Memorial Branch YMCA; Community Outreach of Archdale-Trinity; The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club; D-Up Program; Operation Xcel; Triad Food pantry; Helping Hands Ministries; Macedonia Family Resource Center; West End Ministries; and Housing Authority of the City of High Point.

Rex Hospital Open raises $350,000 to $400,000

The REX Hospital Open this year raised $350,000 to $400,000 to support cardiovascular disease prevention and education at the new North Carolina Heart & Vascular Hospital that opened in March on UNC REX’s main Raleigh campus.

Not including those funds, the event has raised $8 million over the past 30 years.

Poteat-Spicer to head The Forsyth Promise

Wendy Poteat-Spicer, former director of government affairs for the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce  has been named director of The Forsyth Promise, an initiative supported by United Way of Forsyth County that works to improve educational outcomes for Forsyth County students.

JDRF chapter honors volunteers

Anne Hummel of Greensboro, who co-founded the Piedmont Triad chapter of JDRF in 1994, and Ken Cochran of Jamestown, received the Volunteer of the Year award from the chapter at its annual meeting on May 25 at Proximity Hotel in Greensboro.

BB&T partners with Heart Association

In partnership with the 2018 Winston-Salem Heart Ball of the American Heart Association, BB&T will be sharing life-saving CPR kits with 75 community organizations and companies throughout Forsyth County to train employees, families and community members.

For 2017, BB&T has created 1,300 Emergency Response Plans; begun training BB&T associates in CPR; and approved plans to place 300 Automated External Defibrillators  throughout the company.

BB&T is investing $1 million in funds and resources to help its associates learn how to save lives with CPR and AED training.

Marsha Alford, Community Bank training manager at BB&T University, is co-chair of the 2018 Winston-Salem Heart Ball.

Community grants available

June 30 is the deadline for nonprofits in communities Truliant Federal Credit Union services to submit to the organization grants up to $1,000 that focus on address needs in the areas of arts and culture; employment and income generation; financial education; and food insecurity.

Kids raise $3,500

Students at Summit School in Winston-Salem raised over $3,500 to help H.O.P.E. of Winston-Salem provide meals to local children who are at-risk for hunger.

Throughout the school year, students grew herbs and vegetables; baked food for H.O.P.E. lunches collected coats, socks and art supplies; and delivered meals.

H.O.P.E. provides 1,200 meals every weekend.

Kids getting free meals

Arby’s Foundation throughout the summer is providing Greensboro children who rely on meal assistance during the school year with meal cards to redeem 10 free Arby’s kids meals.

Women’s network to become nonprofit

The Women’s Impact Network of New Hanover County, a program of the North Carolina Community Foundation, will become an independent nonprofit, effective November 1.

Montgomery County Fund gives $26,000

Montgomery County Fund, an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation, awarded over $26,000 in local grants.

Level of human need holds steady, index says

The level of human need stayed relatively flat in 2016, according to an indicator developed by The Salvation Army and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The Human Needs Index, a joint project of the two groups, tracked the level of American need in 2016 at 1.239, compared with 1.245 in 2015.

In the past decade, the Index hit its highest level in 2012 at 1.331, and several states continue to struggle at levels of need above the national average.

Based on data from The Salvation Army, the Index tracks seven types of services that aim to address basic human needs, including meals provided; groceries; clothing; housing; furniture; medical assistance; and help with energy bills.

Zero on the Index’ scale indicates the lowest recorded level of need.

In 2016, states with the highest Index values were Nevada, 4.409; Wyoming; 4.026; Pennsylvania, 3.234; Alaska; 2.195; and Arkansas, 2.194.

From 2015 to 2016, Wyoming, Minnesota and South Dakota showed the most dramatic increases in need.

Over the past three years, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Kansas remained among the 10 states with the highest level of need.

From 2015 to 2016, the Index shows double-digit-percentage increases in requests for medical assistance — payments for prescription medicine — in 18 places, including Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Hawaii, Maine, Florida, Mississippi, Maryland, Alaska, Missouri, New Hampshire, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, South Dakota, Oregon and Washington, D.C.

Environmental leadership ‘overwhelmingly white,’ report says

Staff, leadership and boards among the top 40 environmental nonprofits are overwhelmingly white, says a new report from Green 2.0 an advocacy campaign to increase diversity among environmental groups.

People of color represent 27 percent of staff, 15 percent of leadership, and 22 percent of board positions at those organizations in 2017, says Transparency Card, the report.

Two leading environmental groups — Oceana and Pew Charitable Trusts — refused to participate in the survey and submit data, Green 2.0 says.

Greensboro United Way raises $10.1. million

United Way of Greater Greensboro raised $10.1 million in its 2016 campaign.

Chaired by Gregg Strader, executive vice president and chief banking officer at American National Bank and Trust Company, the campaign received a total of $9.62 million from over 17,000 individuals, plus $480,000 through grants.

Cumberland funder awards $179,000 in scholarships

Cumberland Community Foundation in Fayetteville awarded 93 scholarships totaling $179,400, and ranging from $500 to $10,000 per student.

Boys & Girls Clubs raise $25,000

Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties netted $25,000 from The Bull City Golf Classic Fore Kids.

Job searching focus of nonprofit business network

Providing support for job-seekers is the focus of sessions hosted each week by the nonprofit Triad Job Search Network.

Sessions scheduled for June 6, 13, 20 and  27 at Covenant Methodist Church in High Point will focus, respectively, on answering difficult questions; setting a salary range; local networking associations; and dressing for networking and interviews.

Each session features a guest speaker, is free and held on the second floor of the education wing at the church.

For information on the Job Search Network, which meets weekly from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesdays at the church, at 1526 Skeet Club Road, contact Glenn Wise at 336.298.1152.

Carolina Center for Cognitive Rehabilitation opens tech lab

The Carolina Center for Cognitive Rehabilitation on May 16 dedicated The Sheets Smith Wealth Management Technology Laboratory, which was funded with a $16,000 grant from Sheets Smith Wealth Management and honors William “Bill” G. Smith, co-founder of the company and an aphasia advocate, stroke survivor and member of the Center’s board of directors.

Eastern Music Festival gets $12,500

Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro received a $12,500 grant funding from the Cemala Foundation in Greensboro to support its 2017 programming initiatives.

School gets bike gear, gift cards

Academy Sports + Outdoors donated 25 bikes and helmets to students at Guilford Elementary School in Greensboro; 25 gift cards of $20 each for teachers to buy physical-education equipment; and 10 additional bikes for the school to give out throughout the school year.

Pre-K students get free book

Sixty pre-K students at Hampton Elementary and Guilford Child Development, both in Greensboro, each received free copies of the book from UnitedHealthCare Children’s Foundation, which since 2013 has awarded over 280 grants totaling over $637,000 to families in North Carolina.

Money management focus of program for students

About 300 seventh-graders and eighth-graders at Philo-Hill Magnet Academy in Winston-Salem participated in a program on budgeting and personal finance management coordinated  by the Woman’s Leadership Council, an affinity group of United Way of Forsyth County.

Arts Greensboro to hold annual meeting

ArtsGreensboro will hold its annual meeting June 21 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Van Dyke Performance Space in the Greensboro Cultural Center at 200 North Davie St. in Greensboro.

Blake to co-chair UNCF event

Tina Blake, a strategy and development consultant vitalink in Raleigh will serve as co-chair for the Raleigh-Durham UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball in 2018.

Community School of the Arts gets $20,000

Community School of the Arts in Charlotte received a $20,000 grant from The Mockingbird Foundation to buy instruments to establish a brass and at a west Charlotte community center that serves at-risk students.