Help for Chester Area Nonprofits

Contact:  Joan Mintz Ulmer, Nonprofit Center, 215-951-1710                                                                                                   Britton Miller, PANO, 717-236-8584

For Immediate Release

 Nonprofits Invited to Forum on Serving the Needs of Chester City

Chester Mayor to open program that prepares local nonprofits to meet growing
needs

Chester, PA,  July 29, 2013-- In Chester,  where the poverty level is almost three times
higher than the rest of the state, nonprofit organizations face huge challenges
to provide critical  services to their
clients.   To help organizations that
serve the city of Chester, The Nonprofit
Center at La Salle University’s School of Business and the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit
Organizations (PANO) will present a 1/2 day program to help build essential
skills to better enable Chester nonprofits to fulfill their missions. 

On Tuesday, September 24, Chester
Mayor John A. Linder, will welcome executive directors, senior staff and board members
from any nonprofit located in Chester as well as those who provide services to
people in Chester, to a forum that teaches and reinforces critical skills that nonprofits
need to operate effectively.  The program
is scheduled for 9:00am to 12:15pm (registration and continental breakfast start
at 8:30) at the University Center at Widener University, One University Place, Chester.

“Stronger Nonprofits for a Stronger
Chester” is underwritten by The HBE Foundation whose trustee Bruce M. Brown
said, “With 18,000 charities in the five county Southeastern PA region,
including hundreds serving Chester, competition for philanthropic dollars is
fierce.  Demonstrating ‘best practices’
is an essential distinction for nonprofits who truly wish to survive, let alone
thrive.  PANO and The Nonprofit Center, preeminent
nonprofit educational providers of current knowledge about the rapidly evolving
nonprofit sector, are the best equipped to inform regarding operating skills
and governance requirements,” Brown said. 

Topics will include:

·        
Building partnerships between nonprofits and
businesses

·        
Recruiting and managing volunteers

·        
Fundraising practices that ensure compliance and
good stewardship  

·        
Board accountability, risk management and legal
roles

Resource materials that reinforce the learning experience
will be distributed in each session. 

Registration is now open online at www.lasallenonprofitcenter.org/courses
.  More information is available at
215-951-1701.  There is a $10
administrative fee for each attendee and advance registration is
mandatory.  No one will be admitted at
the door.

                                                                                ##

Pennsylvania
Association of Nonprofit Organizations, headquartered in Harrisburg, is the
statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable
nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and other services in
order to improve the overall quality of life in Pennsylvania. PANO helps
charities become more efficient and effective through collaboration,
cooperation and the sharing of resources and information.  Visit their website at www.pano.org

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University helps
strengthen nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia region so
they can better serve their constituents. 
Through educational programs, board development, training and consulting
services and an information and referral network, the center’s team of experts
works with hundreds of organizations to enhance their ability to govern, manage
and perform more effectively in a competitive environment.  Founded in 1981, the Nonprofit Center is a
program of the La Salle University School of Business Administration in
Philadelphia.  Visit their website at www.lasallenonprofitcenter.org/

The HBE Foundation
is a small local private family foundation with Chester roots tracing back to
1902-1906 Mayor Howard Hathaway Houston. 
The Houston family’s Chester-based businesses included coal, steel and
lumber.    Foundation application guidelines are
available by emailing: bmbrown9999@aol.com.