Report from the Independent Sector Conference 2010

After attending the Independent Sector 2010 annual conference, LANO President and CEO Ann S. Williamson prepared a brief report on topics discussed of potential interest and import to Louisiana nonprofits.  Ann shared her experiences with a gathering of nonprofit and foundation professionals in the Shreveport area on October 26, 2010.

"While I had the honor to participate in one of the many panel discussions, I took the opportunity of the trip—along with 800 other attendees from across the country—to appreciate the unique content and impressive speakers this conference offers. I believe much of what was presented there is of crucial and immediate value to Louisiana’s nonprofits and the people we serve."

Key topics discussed included:

• Diversity and Nonprofits
• Effective Leadership
• Shaping the Future of the Nonprofit Sector
• “Couples Therapy” (on relations between foundations and nonprofit grantees)
• Disaster 201

Click here to download a complete copy of Ann's notes.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS: 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service

The National Conference on Volunteering and Service is the largest gathering of service and volunteer sector champions in the country. Convened by the Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service, the conference highlights the power of nonprofit, philanthropic, government, faith-based and business sectors to meet community needs, solve urgent local and national problems, and support lifelong citizen service through civic engagement.

LANO is proud to serve on this year's conference Host Committee.

The Conference is now accepting proposals for workshops, immersion learning sessions and mini-presentations for the June 6-8, 2011 event in New Orleans, LA. Click here to submit a proposal.

Focus areas include:
• Education
• Economic Development and Opportunity
• Disaster
• Health and Wellness
• Youth
• Business
• Veterans and Military Families

Why Should You Submit a Proposal? If your proposal is accepted, you will have the opportunity to:

• Work with new audiences to help identify and meet community needs and effectively solve local problems, and help others by sharing your best practice.
• Share your personal insights and commitments to improving community conditions.
• Use new ideas and information to demonstrate more effective program and volunteer management.
• Provide a new voice in dialogues that will shape the future of service and volunteerism.
• Be part of a national movement!
• Build your network of service professionals and entrepreneurs.

Click here to submit a proposal.

For more information or to get on the mailing list for electronic updates, see the conference website.

The Women’s Philanthropy Network (WPN) Grant Opportunity

The Women's Philanthropy Network (WPN) of The Community Foundation plans to award a grant, with the focus on education, in May 2011. The amount of the awarded grant will be $75,000 to $100,000. The WPN is particulary interested in programs that are aligned with the priorities and strategies of the recent RAND Gulf States Policy Institute publication Priorities for Investments in Children and Families in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. The report identified the following areas of need:

• educational attainment: fourth and eighth grade math proficiency; high school graduate
• child maltreatment: physical abuse; sexual abuse; neglect
• infant health: preterm births; infant mortality

The full RAND report can be viewed online at http://www.nlacf.org/?page=CommunityStudies.

Additional areas of interest for the WPN include, but are not limited to, early childhood education, mentoring programs, and programs that enhance the educational attainment and parenting skills of teenage parents. Proposed prorams must include well-designed benchmarking and evaluation plans and must begin by June 1, 2011 and end by May 2012. Preference will be given to programs that address the needs of underserved populations and that demonstrate collaboration with other nonprofits, faith-based organizations or governmental entities.

Eligible applicants must:

• be a 501(c)(3) organization
• have been in existence for a minimum of three years
• provide services in Caddo parish
• file an annual Form 990 with the IRS
• conduct an annual independent audit

Organizations interested in applying should submit a one-page letter that outlines the proposed program and expected outcomes no later than November 15, 2010 to:

The Women's Philanthropy Network
c/o The Community Foundation
401 Edwards Street, Suite 20
Shreveport, LA 71101

Organizations should also submit their most recent Form 990, audit, and the project budget form. This form can be found on the WPN website (www.twpn.org). If the proposed program is already in existence, provide data relative to the program's past outcomes and the metrics used to obtain those outcomes.

In December, the Women's Phiilanthropy Network Grants Committee will select several proposals for further research and review. Selected organizations will be asked to complete a full grant application. The top grant proposals will be presented to the WPN membership at a group's annual meeting that will be held in May 2011. The recipient of the grant award will be determined by a vote of the membership.

Call for Nominations, Heart in Hand Awards

LANO member Manners of the Heart has announced the opening of nominations for the 2011 Heart in Hand Awards.

The Heart in Hand Awards honor outstanding individuals or groups who have impacted the hearts of children and adults by demonstrating humility, integrity, and respectfulness in all they do.

Nominations are encourage in the following four categories:
(A) Individual or group volunteers
(B) Classrooms or schools
(c) Organizations or businesses

Further information about the Heart in Hand awards and nomination criteria can be found by visiting, http://www.mannersoftheheart.org/ under the “News & Events” section. Winners will be chosen by a committee of past award winners and will be recognized at the Heart in Hand awards gala on Thursday, February 10, 2011 at the LSU Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The deadline for Heart in Hand Award nominations is Monday, November 15, 2010.

Nominations can be faxed, emailed, or mailed. Please fax your nomination to 225-383-3239, email Laura at info@mannersoftheheart.org with Heart in Hand Award Nomination in the subject line, or mail to:

Manners of the Heart
215 Royal Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802

About Manners of the Heart:
Manners of the Heart is a nonprofit organization based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that is dedicated to providing heart education for homes, schools, and communities since 2001. Programs serve children and adults through professional instruction and application–level learning designed to strengthen morals, improve social and emotional skills, and increase respectfulness in society.

Oil Spill Claims Technical Assistance for Nonprofits

Oil Spill Claims

Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster occurred in April, 2010 and throughout its aftermath, nonprofits have stepped up to respond to a wide range of community needs.

Like individuals and small businesses, nonprofits may have experienced a significant business interruption because of lost earnings and redirected their work efforts due to the oil spill disaster. Therefore nonprofits may want to consider filing an oil spill claim with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF).

Nonprofit Technical Assistance

Since the claims process can be cumbersome and complicated, LANO has partnered with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services to provide nonprofits with useful technical assistance around their claims application.

This includes providing nonprofits with one-on-one consultations free of charge about:

• How the oil spill impact might be reflected in their organization’s financial documents; and
• Sharing vital worksheets and best practices to help nonprofits file a claim.

Please keep in mind that while LANO can assist with your questions, we cannot file a claim for your organization.

Emergency Claims

Emergency claim applications are due November 23rd, and one of the benefits of filing an emergency claim is the potential for an advanced payment toward your losses in the near future.

Therefore LANO encourages you to act now because our technical assistance to help with your organization’s emergency claim application is available only for a limited time.

It is important to note that while GCCF has stated on its website that nonprofits can file claims as a type of small business, there is no guarantee a claim award will be given.

Get Assistance

If your nonprofit is interested in taking advantage of LANO’s technical assistance around your GCCF claims application, please contact Alison Neustrom at alisonneustrom@lano.org or 225-929-5266 x220 or Elisabeth Gehl at elisabethgehl@lano.org or 504-309-2081 x317