Nonprofits look to businesses, each other to cut costs, fill needs

By Alex Gary

BusinessRockford.com

From a bevy of fancy balls in the winter to specialized events ranging from 100 Men Who Cook to the Mud Volleyball Tournament in Roscoe, the Rock River Valley calendar is filled with fundraisers for local nonprofits.

The events ensure that various groups earn at least one headline a year in the Register Star and a chance to highlight their contributions to the community.

And the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence at Rockford College believes the area’s nonprofits aren’t recognized enough for being vital cogs of the local economy.

In a booklet the group compiled, called “Beyond Charity,” it details some of the nonprofits’ economic sway, including Rosecrance, which treats substance abuse, its 312 employees and annual budget of $25 million. Janet Wattles Mental Health Center serves more than 7,000 individuals annually and has a staff of 218, and Lifescape Community Services, which has 111 full- and part-time workers with a payroll of $1.5 million, serves more than 11,000 older adults each year.

Many nonprofits here and nationwide are facing a crunch unique to them. Unlike the retail and service businesses watching their customer bases dwindle, social service organizations are seeing a rapid rise of people in need as unemployment lines grow and funding becomes harder and harder to find.

To start a dialogue on how not-for-profits, government agencies and businesses can work together to meet that need, the nonprofit center and The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois are holding a summit Friday with the theme “Shaping our Future with Social Capital: A New Model for the Future.”

More than 175 people from area nonprofit organizations, taxing bodies and businesses are expected to attend. Pam Clark-Reidenbach, center director, said the goal is to begin working on ways not-for-profits can share costs or work together to increase efficiency and encourage volunteerism.

“Nonprofits aren’t looking for people to serve meals. They need help with professional services — legal, (information technology), human resources,” Reidenbach said.

Reach Assistant Business Editor Alex Gary at agary@rrstar.com or 815-987-1339.

 

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