An Evening at Morton's
There are always pleasant fragrances wafting through the air around Morton’s Steakhouse in Shockoe Slip. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, however, there was something that smelled even better than filet mignon. It was the smell of Richmonders working together for the greater good.
Five Richmond non-profit leaders converged on Morton’s for a steak dinner and conversation about the current state of affairs for their organization, and the non-profit sector in general, in Richmond. The dinner was the third in a series of discussions with Richmond-area leaders called An Evening at Morton’s.
Although closed to the public, questions for the panelists in the discussion were sent over Twitter using the hashtag #steakchat. A live blog of the event was also updated on the Web site of the Hodges Partnership, who co-sponsored the event.
The panelists included Reggie Gordon from the Red Cross, Sherrie Brach from United Way, Lynne Washington from Peter Paul Development Center, Jeanine Harper from Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now), Robert Bolling from William Byrd Community House and Mary Lou Decoussaux of the Neighborhood Resource Center.
As the discussion progressed, the leaders of these diverse organizations discussed the intricacies of running their non-profits, especially during tough times. They all seemed to concur that they’re being frugal with their funds, but by taking extra care to funnel that money into their core services, they’re still receiving funding from donors.
Other strategies include eliminating overlap by merging organizations or some of their services. Jeanine Harper of Greater Richmond SCAN spoke about how her organization was in the midst of merging with Richmond CASA, an organization very similar to SCAN in terms of their services to help abused and neglected children in the metro area.
All of the panelists agreed that their focus needs to be on children as much as possible. Mary Lou Decoussaux from the Neighborhood Resource Center on Fulton Hill drove this point home, saying "children are 20 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future." All of the panelists were either in the process of implementing or already had programs in place for youth.
The panelists said getting young people involved in their organizations is integral on many levels. Greater Richmond SCAN has had great success appointing a board of young professionals to their organization, breathing new life and new ideas into the non-profit. Youth programs also benefit both the organization and the community because those who use the services often return the favor, coming back to volunteer later.
The Neighborhood Resource Center has seen many instances where children come back as adults to provide the same mentoring services they received as a child. Several panelists said their organizations often see adults who were served as children give back financially later.
Despite tough times, Richmond’s non-profits have banded together to continue their missions and further their causes, even as the recession has caused more to need their services than ever before. So what’s to come? More collaboration, streamlining of services and increased youth programs to tackle the city’s biggest problems at the root, in families and at young ages, to curtail problems later on down the road.
Trevor Dickerson is the founder and managing editor of DowntownShortPump.com and a regular contributor to Richmond.com.
Please sign in to respond | | Register