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North Park Hosts Fifth Annual Nonprofit Symposium
CHICAGO, IL (May 14, 2004) - A shelter for homeless women and a center that
helps the disabled received the third annual Alford-Axelson Award for
Nonprofit Excellence Wednesday at North Park University. The awards were
presented as part of the fifth annual symposium for nonprofit
professionals held at North Park. The theme for this year's symposium
was "Measuring and Managing for High Impact." Roxanne Spillett,
President of Boys and Girls Club of America, was the guest speaker for a
symposium luncheon attended by more than 200 participants.
Melissa Morriss-Olson, director of The Axelson Center for Nonprofit
Management at North Park, said that 48 organizations were nominated for
the 2004 Alford-Axelson Award, which recognizes Chicagoland businesses
and organizations for efficiency, dedication and impact on the local
community. Deborah's Place, led by executive director Audrey Thomas,
earned the first prize for nonprofits with budgets under $5 million.
Sequin Services, Inc., led by president John Voit, was presented with a
first prize award for organizations with larger than $5 million budgets.
Deborah's Place, which was founded in 1985, serves over 400 women by
raising monies with a diverse funding base and offering food, shelter
and support services. Award presenter Frances Grossman of ShoreBank
noted the agency's tireless work with homeless and previously homeless
women as she introduced the Deborah's place. Other organizations
recognized in this category were Young Women's Leadership Charter School
of Chicago (2nd Honorable Mention) and St. Leonard's Ministry (1st
Honorable Mention), which was founded in 1954 and helps those who are
trying to restart their lives after leaving prison.
Sequin Services, Inc. was founded in 1949 and originally did ministry
out of a church basement, stated presenter Steve Abbey of Bank One. Its
foster care, training, other services help children and adults with
special needs to build lives of productivity and joy.
Abbey mentioned that the organization has increased its income base by
70 percent over the past six years, a rare feat in hard economic times.
Other organizations honored included Heartland Alliance for Human Needs
and Human Rights (2nd Honorable Mention) and Chinese American Service
League, Inc. (1st Honorable Mention), the largest and most comprehensive
service league in the Midwest, according to the presenters.
Paul Light, Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at New York
University and Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow at the Washington D.C.-based
Brookings Institution, was the opening plenary speaker at Wednesday's
symposium. He discussed the need for nonprofits to grow in "capacity
building" a process of streamlining and reorganizing to best utilize
their infrastructure.
Light said that nonprofits can improve their odds of success by planning
ahead; seeking funding; making better contacts; creating realistic yet
ambitious metrics (outward data measures); assembling resources and
continuing to practice good business habits. He said that strategic
planning is critical to the overall process, even if the initial flux of
re-organization might slow the process down at the beginning. He added
that it's worth the investment of time and money to provide a solid
planning foundation to build from.
"I don't care if a business has a nice boss or a good working
environment," Light said. "I want to know if the company is doing its
job and following its mission. And it should cost a business something
to do it."
Participants had opportunities to attend three separate one-hour courses
during the day. They also attended a late morning plenary session as
Light, Janet Froetscher, (President/CEO of United Way of Chicago) and
Sandra Guthman (President of Chicago's Polk Bros. Foundation) served on
a Question and Answer panel with Les Silverman, a director of McKinsey &
Company, moderating.
The fifth annual symposium was sponsored by The Axelson Center for
Nonprofit Management. The symposium also received support from the
Alford Group, Inc. (whose founder and chair Jimmie Alford is a North
Park graduate) and ShoreBank, Bank One Covenant Ministries of
Benevolence (CMB) and Covenant Retirement Communities.
The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management was established in 1999 in
honor of Nils G. Axelson, former president of CMB. Axelson served for 40
years and directed the CMB's expansion to 13 CRC facilities and two
hospitals. More about the Center can be found by calling Chris Nicholson
at 773-244-5518 or emailing him at cnicholson@northpark.edu. The
Center's web site is www.northpark.edu/axelson.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
