The Impact of Capacity Building for Two Boone County Nonprofit Organizations
2019 was the second year for the Capacity Building program with the Community Foundation of Boone County (CFBC). The goal of this program is to help build stronger nonprofits benefiting the whole county through capacity building opportunities. In February 2020, the 2019 participants, Boone County Cancer Society and the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County, presented how the grant funds impacted their organizations to CFBC staff, board, and grants committee.
Boone County Cancer Society
The Boone County Cancer Society (BCCS) received a $13,000 grant to focus on technology needs to support operations. “The most significant impact of this grant is how it will continue to enable our staff to work more efficiently”, says Joy Kaylor, Executive Director for BCCS. “Our staff may be small but we have a passionate Board and a wonderful community of people who always support our mission. We are so, so grateful for this opportunity.”
BCCS serves an average of 85-100 Boone County cancer patients per year and gave out $70,000 in direct assistance in 2019. They assist cancer patients with paying bills, partner with Witham Memorial Hospital to identify patients who need assistance and to offer wellness and yoga classes, hand out comfort kits to cancer patients, and are now starting to offer music therapy during chemotherapy sessions.
The BCCS Board was unified in focus for this grant: improve technology, raise awareness of services provided, make services more accessible, and utilize new technology for donor stewardship. Through this grant, BCCS purchased and implemented a new donor software program, allowing staff to monitor fundraising goals, donor retention rates, and save time when sending donor acknowledgment and memorial letters to families. “The database allows us to better track our volunteers and the services our patients receive”, says Kaylor. They also updated their website, focusing on education and prevention, and easier navigation for patients and the public. In looking forward, the Board and staff plan to establish analytics and quarterly goals for donor development and fundraising, as well as for all marketing and social media activities, along with sending out their first ever e-newsletter using Bloomerang.
Boys & Girls Club of Boone County
The second organization from the 2019 program, the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County, received a $12,500 grant to provide support for board and staff through the time of transition when the club was without a CEO. The grant funds were used for interim CEO support, resource development through leadership development of Katie Reasoner (Resource Development Director for the club), and financial understanding, transparency, and community.
Named the 2019 Boone County Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year, the Boys & Girls Club of Boone County has three units in Boone County and serves over 450 kids daily. In addition to daily programming, they offer sports leagues, summer camps, community programs, and feed dinner in Lebanon to an average of 100 kids/week. In their most recent member survey, they scored higher than the national average in three areas: on track for graduation, optimal conflict resolution skills, and physically active 5+ days/week. “We are more than just an after-school safe place”, says Mark Branch, CEO. “We work with our kids and teens to help them develop life skills and build self-confidence.”
Through the grant and with the new CEO on board October 2019, the Club focused on unifying the organization. For the first time since the clubs merged in October 2018, they conducted a staff training with all employees in December 2019. Consistent financial policies and practices were established across the units and the financial scorecard was enhanced for the Board to monitor critical data like income/expenses, cash flow, and budget projections. They expanded their Finance Committee and created a Resource Development Committee, consisting of Board and non-Board members. These efforts have already shown a 30% increase in annual campaign contributions and a 30% increase in donor transactions.
“The Boys & Girls Club of Boone County is committed to developing its staff and continually working to enhance program quality and expand its fundraising capacity”, said Mark. In looking at the future, the Club plans to provide staff with opportunities for professional growth and development, progress resource development and marketing strategies to the next level, and develop an action plan to improve members’ overall Club experience.
Susan Rozzi, president & owner of Rozzi & Associates, shared with us, “Both of these organizations have strong leaders who take continual improvement and innovation to heart. It was a pleasure to work with both organizations and I expect to see them serving Boone County in new and expanded ways.”
As needs change throughout local communities, these two organizations will be able to implement what they learned through the capacity building grant, to help their nonprofits and the residents of Boone County through future chapters. For the 2020 Capacity Building program, seven organizations applied and three nonprofit organizations were invited to participate: Boone County 4-H, LOVE, Inc., and Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center. We look forward to working with these nonprofits!
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF BOONE COUNTY
Since 1991, the Community Foundation of Boone County has granted over $25 million from its various funds to nonprofit organizations and programs working to solve critical challenges in Boone County. Through the generosity of donors, the Foundation currently holds over $25.5 million in assets and awards an average of $1 million back into the local community each year. In the past 27 years, we have worked with donors to create permanent funds for charitable giving. The establishment and growth of permanent endowment funds will strengthen Boone County for generations to come.