Mississippi Center for Nonprofits

"Every week somewhere on the Gulf Coast the MS. Center
for Nonprofits is offering a workshop on grant writing."

February 2008 Newsletter:

1) MS VOAD Conference February 14th and 15th in Ocean Springs.

2) Outcomes Measurement Trainings I February 22 in Gulfport and February 27 (repeat) in Pascagoula.

3) Case Management Summit, February 29th, Beau Rivage, Biloxi

4) Conflict Day of Dialog, March 5th, Beau Rivage, Biloxi

5) RFP from Gulf Coast Community Foundation

6) Nonprofit Congress Town Hall Meeting March 12, 9am to 12 noon, DeMiller Hall, Biloxi

7) Open Doors Homeless Coalition schedules meetings for remainder of 2008.

8) Housing Mississippi alliance proposes a statewide Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing.

9) Grant Writing Working Session Schedule through June 2008-attached.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) The first Statewide Conference of Mississippi Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (MS-VOAD) will be held February 14th-15th at the Gulf Hills Resort and Conference Center in Ocean Springs. Please see attached registration form for more information or contact Jay Huffstatler with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation at 228-897-4841 (desk), 228-265-2969 (cell) or jhuffstatler@mgccf.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2) The Mississippi Center for Nonprofits is offering an introductory class on Outcomes Measurements on two dates at two locations on the Gulf Coast: Feb. 22 from 9am to noon at the Nonprofit Center, 11975 Seaway Road, in Gulfport OR Feb. 27 from 1pm to 4pm at United Way of Jackson and George Counties, 3510 Magnolia Street in Pascagoula.

Outcomes Measurement involves the regular measurement of the outcomes and efficiency of services and programs. A demonstrated understanding of Logic Models and Outcomes Measurements is being required more and more by funders who want solid evidence that the programs they are funding are indeed creating the change that was targeted. Do not miss this opportunity to develop your skills in this key area of nonprofit management.

You may register online for this workshop at www.msnonprofits.org. Outcomes Measurements II workshops will be offered in April.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3) Disaster Case Management is at a crisis point- FEMA funding for Case Managers will end March 31. On February 29th, the Katrina Recovery Summit, Mississippi Crisis in Katrina Recovery: Sustaining and Rebuilding for the Future, will be held from 8:30 to 4:30 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. The purpose of the conference is to spotlight the critical services of case managers in the Long Term Recovery process and the impending crisis, to showcase the roles of LTR case managers and Best Practices, and to explore alternative funding strategies of case management services. Please see attached flier on the Case Management Summit. You may register online at the website of the MS Interfaith Disaster Taskforce at www.msidtf.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4) The Mississippi Mediation Project and Mediators Beyond Borders will present A Day of Dialog on Community Conflict: A New Road to Resiliency on Wednesday, March 5th, from 9am to 5pm at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. The keynote address will be provided by Rodger Wilder, President of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Mississippi Bar Foundation. This event will provide a unique opportunity for Gulf Coast community members to discuss the conflict they are experiencing in the recovery effort and explore options to create positive change. Please see attached flier for more information. Register online for this important event at www.msnonprofits.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5) The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for building projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to meet demands created by Hurricane Katrina. Deadline for submission is Friday, March 14, at 2 pm. Please contact Jay Huffstatler, Project Manager of the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund/Gulf Coast Community Foundation, for a copy of the RFP at jhuffstatler@mgccf.org.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6) The Mississippi Center for Nonprofits is convening a Nonprofit Town Hall Meeting on March 12 to gather the input of Gulf Coast nonprofits on the needs and concerns of the nonprofit sector in our community and to explore ideas on how we can collaborate more closely and effectively. Hundreds of similar meetings are taking place across the country in preparation for the Nonprofit Congress to be held June 1-4 in Washington, D.C. The Gulf Coast Nonprofit Town Hall Meeting will be held March 12 from 9am to 12 noon in DeMiller Hall/Church of the Redeemer at 610 Water Street, just off Highway 90, in Biloxi. To register for this event, email Sue Weishar, MCN Gulf Coast Coordinator, at sue@msnonprofits.org or call 228-575-9148.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7) The mission of the Open Doors Homeless Coalition is to coordinate and improve service delivery, community outreach and advocacy among the private and public organizations and institutions serving people experiencing homelessness on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Anyone interested in working collaboratively on the homeless crisis in our community should attend the ODHC general membership meetings, which are held on the third Thursday of the month at 11 AM at the Gulfport WIN Center, 12121 Highway 49 N., Gulfport. The General Meeting dates for 2008 are as follows: Feb. 21, Mar. 20, April 17, May 15, June 19, July 17, Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Oct. 16 and Nov. 20. For more information contact ODHC President Stacey Meyers at smyers@gcwcfn.org or 228-432-2358.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8) Housing Mississippi, an alliance to promote housing opportunities in Mississippi, is working to introduce legislation to develop a Housing Trust Fund for Mississippi that would provide a continuous source of revenue for affordable housing for low-income families in Mississippi. To become a part of this important initiative, please contact Natalie Presley at npresely@hfhmgc.org or 832-226-4309. Please write to us for a flyer with more details.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9) MCN continues to offer weekly workshops on the basics of grant writing at convenient locations on the Gulf Coast. Please see attached schedule for dates and times of these free workshops.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you!

Mark McCrary

Sue Weishar