Shoals Nonprofit Center guides community organizations toward success

FLORENCE — “Do you have the passion but need the skills to make your organization successful? You’re in the right place.”

That’s the tagline for the Shoals Nonprofit Center, a local organization that helps people learn to set up and manage their own nonprofits.

“We provide training and resources in board development, grant writing, networking and how to get federal funding,” co-founder Bethany Green said. “People have passion but don’t realize that (creating a nonprofit) actually means running a small business, building boards, writing grant proposals and marketing your organization.

“In order to be successful, you have to be skilled in all areas.”

And that’s Shoals Nonprofit Center’s goal – offering ways to build those skills.

The center brings in experts to conduct workshops about various functions of a nonprofit. For example, during the pandemic, the center offered workshops on how nonprofits could utilize the CARES Act to stay afloat. And, in 2021, it launched membership options for both individuals and companies. 

“The membership cost is based on a company’s gross profit for the previous year,” Green said. “Membership benefits include discounts on tuition at UNA, and access to legal, accounting, and design services. Joining also gives members the opportunity to collaborate with other nonprofits on projects to benefit the community.”

Green said Shoals Nonprofit Center came about as the result of her thesis for a master’s in education with a focus on nonprofit leadership.

In fall 2019, Green and a friend pitched the concept at the Idea Audition, where they came in third and won $1,000 of seed money. That prize money was used to file paperwork, set up a website, and pay other fees, and helped lay the foundation for the SNC. 

“For my master’s, I studied with the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville, and that’s what we modeled our nonprofit on,” Green said. “North Alabama did not have an organization to provide these services, so we created our own.” Sarah Ann Evans is Green’s partner in the Shoals Nonprofit Center.

If you want to get your nonprofit going but are unsure how to start, email [email protected] or visit the Shoals Nonprofit Center at this link.