By Andrew Biscoglia
Staff Writer     

    In hopes of educating local non-profit organizations on available resources and starting a dialogue in an effort to address the needs of the community in the most efficient manner possible, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta held an open forum and discussion at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center on Monday.
    A non-profit organization founded in 1951 that operates in 23 metro-Atlanta counties, including Morgan, the goals of The Community Foundation are “engaging our community, strengthening our region’s nonprofits, advancing public will, and practicing organizational excellence,” according to the organization's Web site. “Donors have beliefs and values," Community Development Program Associate Shawn Finnell said.
    "They want to be sure that this is reflected in their charitable donations. The Community Foundation facilitates this desire by doing the legwork.” Representatives from Morgan County included: Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, Keep Morgan County Beautiful, the Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, the Caring Place, Madison Artist Guild, Friends of the Morgan County Library, Plant a Row for the Hungry, Conservancy of Morgan County, the African American Museum, Boys and Girls Club, Children First, Habitat for Humanity, Camp Twin Lakes and several others.
    The forum aimed to answer two questions: “What are the issues and challenges that non-profits are facing?” and “What are the most important roles that the Community Foundation could play in your nonprofit community?”
    After brief introductions, it was discovered that over half of the non-profits in attendance had received funds from the Community Foundation. It was also discovered that all in attendance were eligible to receive grants due to their 501c3 status. Spurring discussion, Community Foundation representative John Abercrombie asked the organizations gathered, “Why are you still hopeful? In spite of the bleak economic forecast, what makes you continue working and operating?”
    Many attendees responded by saying that they believed in their respective causes and felt strong support from the community. In the current economic climate, many of these organizations’ representatives feel that their collective work becomes more important than ever. The collective group agreed that funding, communication, infrastructure, community support and community awareness were all areas that could use extra attention.
    “You would be surprised at the effects of truly getting the community involved,” one attendee said. Further, all of the attendees agreed that the non-profit community in Morgan County needs to be more connected.
    Many possible solutions were discussed, including an online newsletter, a blog, even partnering with similar agencies in Newton County. The Community Foundation offered to provide funds, classes, even personal assistance to the community, all of which would work in concert to enable the non-profits to create their own newsletter. A deadline of mid-July is set for organizations that would like to submit a Letter of Intent to receive a grant from the Community Foundation. For more information on how to obtain non-profit status or make donations to the Community Foundation, please visit www.atlcf.org.

Published in the February 19 edition.