By Kathryn Schiliro
Managing Editor

    In a discussion several weeks ago, representatives of many of Morgan County's non-profit organizations came to one conclusion.
    Communication. They needed it. Bad.
    "One of the main things that came out of that gathering...of the Morgan County non-profits is the fact that we needed more communication between us because we do share donors, we share clients, we share volunteers," Friends of the Library chair Patsy Harris said. "There's lots of things going on. We wanted to get the information out to all the non-profits."
    So, they elected to begin a newsletter. And, three weeks to the day of the meeting, the first of these newsletters was e-mailed to those non-profit organizations in attendance.
    "What was discussed in the non-profit forum was a lack of communication," Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta regional outreach director Tamara Richardson said.
    "I think this is going to be a giant step in closing the gap in communication."
    Harris took charge of putting together the first newsletter.
    "I sent out a call to the non-profits that I had contact information for, and they sent me information," Harris said.
    The publication includes a letter from Harris, event announcements and organizational notifications from local non-profit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity for Morgan County, the Humane Society of Morgan County, the Morgan County Library, Camp Twin Lakes, Camp Kudzu, the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy, the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art, the Madison-Morgan County Boys & Girls Club, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, Plant a Row for the Hungry and the Morgan County African-American Museum.
    So far, the newsletter has been popular with those involved.
    "I think it's a brilliant idea for us to come together and have one vehicle," Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy executive director Shauna Van Hanstein said.
    Richardson shared the newsletter with the Community Foundation office and, because of its success, the Community Foundation may be taking the idea to other areas.
    "I have shared it with other non-profit collaboratives in other counties," Richardson said. "I think we might see some copying of a good idea in other counties."
    Currently, the library has printed the newsletter out and has it available to customers, Von Hanstein plans to publicize it in the Ferst Foundation's newsletter and Camp Twin Lakes will keep copies in hand and dole them out as appropriate.
    As of right now, the publication is set to be distributed on a quarterly basis.
    Camp Kudzu development director Amber Medley is set to put together the June issue.
    "I believe in sharing the responsibility, and this is going to benefit all of us," Medley said.
    Any Morgan County non-profit organizations interested in receiving the newsletter can e-mail Harris, patsydudney@yahoo.com, or Richardson, trichardson@atlcf.org.

Printed in the March 19, 2009 Edition.