Nancy Wolanski is the inaugural director of the new, statewide Alliance for Nonprofit Impact at the United Way of Rhode Island Inc. On Jan. 18, United Way officially launched the alliance, culminating years of work and research to create a singular entity to serve Rhode Island’s entire nonprofit sector. Wolanski spoke with Providence Business News about what the alliance will offer the nonprofit community moving forward.
PBN: With the alliance now launched, what will be its official first step to start aiding local nonprofits?
WOLANSKI: This month, we’ll be launching Pro Bono Office Hours, which will offer nonprofit staff time with content experts in areas such as finance and accounting, human resources, marketing, legal, information technology, conflict resolution and more. We know organizations have different needs and different resources, and that it often can be cost-prohibitive to pay for access to professionals in these fields, and especially when you have only a few questions.
The Volunteer Center platform, where nonprofits can post their volunteer needs and manage their volunteers, is already available. We also have offered several webinars, and our next one will be an introduction to the no-cost Impala platform for foundation research. We have an ongoing training calendar to help keep nonprofits in the know about additional webinars and workshops offered by other local and national providers, many of which are free. It can be
found here.
PBN: How many members have signed up to be part of the alliance thus far, and how many do you hope to get signed up?
WOLANSKI: In the first few weeks since launch, we have had around 100 organizations sign up for membership. We hope to have several hundred members and right now is a great time for nonprofits to register since the membership fee is waived for organizations who join before April 1 of this year. Nonprofits can register at rialliance.org.
PBN: Fundraising is a critical element for a nonprofit’s operation. What workshops and/or clinics on fundraising will the alliance offer to help organizations raise money to fulfill their missions?
WOLANSKI: The alliance has already launched a partnership with Impala, which is a new data platform for nonprofits and funders. We are providing nonprofits with free access to the premium level of Impala through May and then no-cost access to the standard level for life. Impala offers detailed, insightful profiles of every funder and nonprofit in the U.S., and supports deeper collaboration driven by social impact metrics. For this, we are offering regular orientation sessions on Impala and all session registration can be done at rialliance.org.
In partnership with Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, we’re planning a series of training cohorts, including one focused on fund development. That training, for example, will be led by United Way [CEO and] President Cortney Nicolato, who teaches a similar course at Northeastern University. There also will be virtual classes and certificate programs offered through MindEdge, and workshops on philanthropic trends and applying for state and federal grants. And we’re publicizing existing programs offered by Rhode Island Foundation, Philanthropy Massachusetts and Candid.
PBN: As part of its advocacy, will the alliance serve as a voice supporting nonprofits toward grant makers? In other words, if a nonprofit is seeking money from a grant maker, will the alliance serve as a voice to the grant maker in support of a nonprofit seeking said money?
WOLANSKI: It is critically important that we increase the amount of funding available to nonprofits who are the anchors of our communities. And to that end, the alliance will be focused on growing overall investment in nonprofits across the state, rather than advocating for an individual nonprofit to receive funding.
We want to introduce national and regional funders to the impactful work being done across the Ocean State, particularly by organizations led by people of color and smaller nonprofits. There are incredibly innovative models and collaborations making a real difference in our state and deserving of greater levels of support.
We will push for more capacity-building support and funding for general operating from the state and philanthropic funders. And we will encourage and foster a culture of giving in Rhode Island, which consistently ranks at the bottom of national lists for individual charitable giving. We also want to create more opportunities for our nonprofits and funders to learn and collaborate together.
PBN: You mentioned on Jan. 18 during the official launch of the alliance that the alliance will launch a year-round giving platform to support nonprofits after 401Gives Day. Can you elaborate what that platform might look like?
WOLANSKI: One of the great things about 401Gives is that it enables smaller organizations, who may not normally have the ability to receive online donations, the opportunity to participate in a statewide online giving effort. And because 401gives.org has a search function, it can also introduce Rhode Islanders to new nonprofits doing good work in their community or focused on an issue meaningful to them.
While 401Gives is just one day a year, this new platform – which was created by the same company that made the 401Gives platform – will provide nonprofits with year-round online giving capabilities. This means nonprofits will be able to receive and process online gifts without having to pay for their own online system. The platform will also serve as a reference for those who want to learn about nonprofits in their area and connect with organizations addressing issues that they care about. We’re really excited to be able to provide this important capability and the visibility it comes with, especially for smaller organizations and those with limited resources.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
