Nonprofit Center at Philadelphia's La Salle University School of Business Plans Conference to Help Struggling Nonprofit Organizations Find New Income
PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 6, 2009 — Greater Philadelphia area nonprofit organizations, struggling with declining donations, grants, and government support, can learn new ways to raise revenue through business ventures that support their missions at the Nonprofit Strategies Forum, sponsored by The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University's School of Business, on April 24. This concept of revenue generation, known as "social enterprise," includes partnerships between businesses and nonprofit organizations to expand the resources available to meet society's growing needs.
The forum, to be held at The Hub Cira Centre, 2929 Arch St., Phila., 8 am to noon, will feature Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share our Strength (SOS), the nation's leading organization working to end childhood hunger in America. He also chairs Community Wealth Ventures, a for-profit subsidiary of SOS, both of which are located in Washington, D.C., that provides strategic counsel to foundations and nonprofit organizations who want to create resources for social causes through profitable enterprises.
Shore refers to this concept as "community wealth" because, in his words, "It is reinvested into the communities that nonprofits serve." He is anxious to help nonprofits find ways to engage in business ventures to support their missions and to encourage businesses to partner with nonprofits to help their bottom lines at the same time.
"As government and foundation funding diminishes," Shore advises, "nonprofits are increasingly looking for ways to generate revenue. Whether through businesses, marketing partnerships, or other innovative practices, nonprofit organizations can learn from pioneers in the field who choose to shape their own destiny rather than accept the priorities of outside funders," he adds.
Shore, who founded SOS in 1984 in response to the Ethiopian famine and renewed concern about hunger in the U.S., also spent several years working in politics on the senatorial and presidential campaigns of former U.S. Senator Gary Hart and as chief of staff to former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey.
His transition from politics to innovative community service and his prescription for community change are documented in his first book, "Revolution of the Heart." His second book, "The Cathedral Within," profiles a new breed of community leaders who are tapping every sector of society to improve community life. His third book, "The Light of Conscience," explores how acts of conscience have changed the world.
Following Shore's Forum keynote, a panel of experts will discuss their experiences in harnessing social entrepreneurship to fund social causes. Among the panelists are David Thornburgh, executive director of the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government; Don Haskin, state director of community relations for Citibank in Pennsylvania; Lucy Kerman, vice president for policy and planning at the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition; Leanne Krueger-Braneky, executive director of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia; and Jennifer I. Rodriguez, director of community & economic development, Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha.
Registration for the Forum is $105 per person for Members of The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University's School of Business and $130 for Non-Members. For more information, call 215-951-1701 or www.lasallenonprofitcenter.org
The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University's School of Business helps strengthen nonprofit organizations throughout the Delaware Valley so they can better serve their constituents. Through educational programs, leadership development, training and consulting services and an information and referral network, the Center's team of experts has been working with thousands of organizations since 1981 to enhance their ability to govern, manage and perform more effectively in a competitive environment.
