Nonprofits Team Up at Summit in Lincoln

Lincoln, Calif. – Placer Community Foundation’s Fifth Annual Nonprofit Leadership Summit was held on March 20th at the Orchard Creek Ballroom at Sun City, Lincoln.

Board members and key staff from 60 Placer County nonprofit organizations gathered to learn about board governance and fundraising from nationally known and respected nonprofit expert Chuck Loring. “Today’s fundraising is not about growing your donations, it’s about growing your donor retention,” Mr. Loring stated. “Fundraising is not cold calling, it’s relationship building. Simply put, we must friendraise before we can fundraise.”

The nonprofit sector in Placer County is a major employer and contributor to the local economy. At the summit, Chuck pointed to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, in 2000 there were 196 Placer County public charities, not including private and family foundation, with revenue of $140 million. Fourteen years later, in 2014, there are 461 public charities with revenue of $1 billion. Even with this significant increase in nonprofits, successful board development is a challenge for many organizations, no matter their mission or size.

“Purposeful and involved board leadership is essential to the well-being of our local nonprofit community,” said Pam Constantino, Placer Community Foundation Board Chairman. “The Summit is the ideal setting for our boards and key staff to learn strategic skills and work together to develop effective fundraising practices.”

The Summit’s focus on intentional board recruitment and how to involve board members in effective fundraising was a wow for all attendees. Susie Rodgers with Child Advocates of Placer County agreed with the message of the day when she said “We are really about friendraising. The fundraising will follow!” Friends of Auburn Library board member, Jacquie Flecklin added, “This training is very relevant to us because we are a grassroots organization and we need new ideas on fundraising and getting people to come out and play with us.”

The Community Foundation offered this all-day summit free of charge to nonprofits operating along the western slope of Placer County through gifts made to the Foundation’s Community Leadership Fund and through the generosity of the following local sponsors:

First 5 of Placer County, JMC Homes, Robert Kemp Community Fund, Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region, Wells Fargo, Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, The Charles and Gail Muskavitch Endowment, Rabobank, Teichert Foundation, U.S. Bank, Westpark Communities, Placer County Employees Fund, Armrod Charitable Foundation, AT&T, Azevedo & Associates Inc., Bank of America, ClipperCreek Inc., Community 1st Bank, First Northern Bank, Five Star Bank, HomeTown Realtors, Leo W. Ryan and Geraldine Suskin Community Fund, PRIDE Industries, Propp Christensen Caniglia LLP, Tri Counties Bank, Placer County Water Agency, and Recology Auburn Placer.

The following nonprofits participated:
A Touch of Understanding, Above All Adventures, Acres of Hope, Advocates for Mentally Ill Housing, American Association of University Women- Auburn, Art League of Lincoln, Assistance League of Greater Placer, Auburn Interfaith Food Closet, Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center, Auburn Ravine Terrace, Auburn Symphony, Blue Line Arts, Changing Lives Together, Child Advocates of Placer County, Community Recovery Resources, Excel Roseville (formerly North Roseville R.E.C.), Friends of Auburn Library, Friends of the Granite Bay Library, Friends of the Roseville Public Library, Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, Health Africa Resource Team (HEART), HomeAid Sacramento, Keaton Raphael Memorial, KidsFirst, Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center, Lilliput Children’s Services, Lincoln Community Foundation, Lincoln Theatre Company, Literacy Support Council of Placer County, Me-One Foundation, Nor Cal Mental Health America, Nonprofit Resource Center, North Tahoe Family Resource Center, Placer Breast Cancer Endowment, Placer Food Bank, Placer Food Closet Collaboration, Placer Land Trust, Placer Nature Center, Placer People of Faith Together, Placer-Sierra Railroad Heritage Society, Rocklin Historical Society, Rocklin Residents Unite for Fido (RRUFF), Roseville Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (RCONA), Roseville Crime Stoppers, Roseville Library Foundation, Roseville Police Activities League, Senior LIFE Center, Seniors First, Sierra College Foundation, Sierra State Parks Foundation, St. Vincent de Paul Roseville, Stand Up Placer, Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Foundation, Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Sutter Yuba Community Foundation, The Eternity Challenge, The Gathering Inn, The Salt Mine, The Taylor House, The Western Neuropathy Association.