OKLAHOMA CITY – House Majority Leader Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, on Friday commented on Oklahoma's new First Access program that will allow Oklahoma nonprofits, school districts and governmental entities the opportunity to purchase State Surplus items before they are made available at auction to the general public.

West initiated conversations with the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which resulted in modernizing the business model and marketing plan around the state’s surplus program. The program launched Feb. 1.

"I saw the needs of many of our nonprofits and our schools as they try to provide vital resources and help to children and families throughout our state," West said. "I also realized we often have a surplus of state goods that are auctioned off to the public on a regular basis. This seemed like such a natural fit to connect these low-cost resources with those who need them most.

"I'm incredibly grateful to our partners at OMES for their work in making this program a reality. I know that many Oklahomans will benefit. This truly is a great way for the government to be able to help meet needs without having to raise additional funding."

The goal of First Access is to provide items such as office furniture, technology devices, and even vehicles to qualifying organizations. This allows nonprofits to prioritize investments in their missions with the retained money and resources.

West encourages as many nonprofits as possible to sign up and utilize these resources to support their services that make a positive impact for Oklahoma citizens.

To qualify for First Access, organizations must register as a buyer through GovDeals, the state's surplus auction website, and prove they represent an authorized state agency, school district, nonprofit or political subdivision as defined by 74 O.S. § 62.3-C.

First Access is free to join, and interested entities can visit the First Access webpage to learn how to request membership.

For questions or more information about First Access, please email firstaccess@omes.ok.gov.

Endings and Beginnings

The end of 2022 is almost upon us, and what an ending it’s been! This quarter has been filled with a flurry of activity and news for our state’s nonprofit sector. After more than 18 months of advocacy efforts, Oklahoma nonprofits finally received a $25 million grant program to help ease the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I want to thank everyone who worked diligently on these advocacy efforts, especially the members of my staff at the Center.

Speaking of funding, November 29 marked the 10th anniversary of the global philanthropic phenomenon known as Giving Tuesday. People and organizations in every single country in the world set new records, with a 25% increase in giving since 2020. The United States alone raised $3.1 billion in support for causes and nonprofit organizations. There is a spirit of generosity at work in the world right now that astonishes me, and I cannot wait to see the growth in 2023 that results from seeds planted this year.

A project I am personally very excited about will see some of that growth next year. It has been a dream of mine for years to create a state-of-the-art hub of training, advocacy and collaboration for our members, as well as for other nonprofits around the state. The October 4 groundbreaking of the future home of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits represents a huge step forward in realizing that dream. By this time next year, the Center will be able to serve you on a whole new level.

Service was the word of the night at our annual Visions Awards, which were held on Giving Tuesday. This ceremony never fails to thrill me as I witness the work being done by our honorees, and I invite you to hear their stories. We were fortunate to have a very special guest this year: Tim Delaney, my good friend and President of the National Council of Nonprofits. Tim holds the Oklahoma nonprofit sector in high regard and shared very uplifting words about the work being done here. You and I know the magnitude of need in our local communities, and there is some gratification in knowing that your dedication to the mission has been noticed and appreciated across the country.

As neighbors and as communities, we have all been through so much over the past three years. I truly believe, however, that we are entering a period of new growth and boundless potential. It is in that spirit that I share the words of English author G.K. Chesterton:

“The object of a New Year is not that we should simply have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. For unless one starts afresh, one will certainly do nothing effective. Let us make New Year resolutions, but not only resolutions to be good. Also resolutions to notice that we have feet, and to thank them for carrying us.”

In the year to come, remember to care for yourselves, so that you may have the strength to care for others. I look forward to seeing all the good you will do.

With Gratitude,

Marnie Taylor

President and CEO, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits

Building Our Future

I have been thinking a lot about the words of American philosopher and theologian, Leonard I. Sweet lately. “The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create,” he said. Where we will be largely depends on what we are doing now. The past few weeks have been marked by a bevy of future-creation events at The Center, with the most notable being the groundbreaking at our soon-to-be new headquarters.

Earlier this week, dozens of Oklahoma City leaders, nonprofit professionals, Center members and friends gathered to officially kick off our renovations of the former American Red Cross headquarters. Nearly 60% of the 31,000 square-foot building will be devoted to and open for nonprofit use. It’s important to have a home, a place to call your own, and that is exactly what this space will be – a home for the entire nonprofit sector. My thanks to all of you who attended the ceremony and to all our speakers – Oklahoma City Mayor, David Holt, Director of the Oklahoma Commerce Department, Brent Kisling, Former Governor Frank Keating and his wife Cathy, Devon Energy co-founder, Larry Nichols and his wife Polly, The Center’s board chair, Brooke Townsend, as well as our capital campaign co-chairs, Sarah Roberts and Kathy L. Williams. Each shared beautiful remarks about the importance and vitality of our state’s nonprofit sector. I cannot wait to have all of you over for a tour when it opens in fall of 2023.

The Center is continuing to strengthen the sector’s voice at The Capitol. This year, we are involved in 5 interim studies. Our nonprofit experts are testifying on volunteerism, donor intent, tax exemptions and Open Meetings Act. It is exciting that state leaders are looking to nonprofits when thinking about and creating their personal legislative agenda for the 2023 session.

As always, our training and consulting teams are busy educating nonprofit professionals across Oklahoma. This year’s Fundraising Curriculum cohort is as diverse as our state’s landscape and embodies the spirit of The Center’s work – bringing nonprofits together to learn, collaborate and solve problems. The team is also planning our Law & Finance Conference, which is scheduled for May of 2023. Not a day goes by that they are not thinking of new ways to serve and uplift our sector. 
The Center’s future is bright because of you. We could not do our work without our members and donors. Each decision we make has you at the heart of it. Thank you for the work you do for Oklahoma. Thank you for supporting our work. We applaud you and stand ready to serve you.

With Gratitude, 

Marnie Taylor

President & CEO, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits

Guest post by Clemons & Associates

Four Tips for Feeling More Comfortable (when making an in-person "Ask")

Co-contributed by Craig Clemons and Joe Garecht

Here’s a secret you won’t hear in the market or read in most fundraising books… most fundraisers get nervous when making asks in person. Even those grizzled development veterans at the Foundation or leading fundraising seminars sometimes get nervous before a big ask. Of course, that feeling of nervousness subsides, and many times even disappears, with practice.  Once you have made dozens of asks per year for a couple of years, asking (the solicitation) will come as second nature. Until it does, here are four practical tips to help you feel more comfortable when making an in-person ask for your charitable cause:

#1: Ask Personal Questions

When sitting down with a prospect, don’t feel like you must launch right into your fundraising pitch. In fact, it is better that you don’t.  Instead, start off with some small talk, and ask some personal questions, like:

• How are your kids?
• How do you stay connected to our institution?
• How is business?
• Do you follow the e-newsletter updates?
• What are your plans for the upcoming holidays?
• What do you know about the Campaign and the Capital Project?

Treat your prospect like a real person and have a real conversation with him or her. Hopefully, there have been cultivation activities (e.g., House Party) before your ask, but it’s always a good idea to have a casual and positive conversation before you get to the ask.

#2: Bring a Prop

One great way to feel more comfortable when meeting with a prospect is to bring a prop to talk about. It can be as simple as a copy of the fundraising campaign folder, visual renderings of a new project or perhaps some pictures of the on-site construction work.

Think creatively. Use the fly-through video, turn down the audio track and add your own narration. Use the prop or props you bring to stimulate conversation about the organization’s work, achievements, awards, impact -- elicit questions and aim for an emotional response from your prospect.

#3: Prepare Three Stories in Advance

Before going in to meet with a prospect, think about all of the stories you have heard about the organization’s work. Which are the most compelling?  Which do you enjoy telling the most? Prospects love to hear true stories about how the organization has made a significant and positive difference in X number of lives.

Prepare to tell three such stories in advance of your meeting. Tell them to yourself, your spouse, and/or a friend.  Be ready to tell them at the meeting. Once you are sitting across from your prospect, you’ll know whether to tell them or not. Perhaps you’ll use one, perhaps two, maybe all three. No matter how many you end up using, you’ll feel better knowing you have three great stories in your back pocket.

#4: Have a Plan; Have a Script

If you have a plan for the conversation, you’ll feel much better going in to make an ask.  
Great fundraising volunteers write out a plan, at least until you get comfortable with asking for donations.  See sample ‘Script’ for inspiration. 
Your plan should include personal questions you can ask the prospect, stories you can tell, and a general flow of conversation that culminates in an ‘ask’.  If helpful, put all of this into a flow chart so that you know what to do when you get into the room.  It will make you feel much more comfortable than walking into an ask and winging it.

TIPS: 

 Before the 'ask', warm up prospective donor discussing old memories, funny stories, 'connections' made by and through the fraternity.

Before the 'ask', talk about how excited you are about the momentum of campaign (e.g., 20% giving percentage has eclipsed $3,000,000 in campaign gifts and pledges...).

Before the 'ask', show the prospective donor the branded folder (show visuals, house renderings, case for support, pledge form...).

Before the 'ask', open laptop or iPad and show visual 'fly through' (mini movie) of new, completed facility.

Before the 'ask', open laptop or iPad and show website dedicated to campaign (show the testimonies of program recipients or other donors).

Consider (if applicable), showing prospective donor where they are in Campaign's strategic GIFT TABLE (what gift amount the committee believes the prospective donor might align with in strategic design of Campaign Goal).

Consider (if applicable), showing prospective donor which NAMING OPPORTUNITIES align with their stretch gift. 

I first read Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum in 2000 as part of required reading for a course in graduate school. The book had come out just a few years earlier in 1997 and it was still groundbreaking scholarship on the psychology of racism and discrepancies experienced by significant groups of people in America. As a young professional, it was also the first exposure to the rigorous exercise of academically understanding and unpacking the role that racism has played in creating our social experiences with each other and what we could do about it.

It’s over twenty years later and Dr. Tatum’s work is still needed and hearing her in this week’s AdvancingOklahoma session reinforced how essential it is that we talk about race and racism. She asked us to remember our earliest race related memory – how old were we – and what emotion was attached to that memory for us? And then she asked, who did you talk to about that?

For me, it was no one. And for many of us, that’s the same answer. It costs us something to be silent. If we’re not talking about the reality that we have created a hierarchical structure for society in our family, in our work places, and with our friends, then we are compromising relationships and reducing workplace productivity. Being a leader in an organization, or our community, means to serve people – and we can’t serve them if we don’t know them, which includes understanding their cultural backgrounds. How much less productive is the employee who goes by “Hey you” because no one has taken the time to learn how to pronounce their name? How much more involved, engaged, and equipped are we when everyone on the team feels like they are contributing, seen, and understood?

For me, the benefit of having programs like Advancing Oklahoma is that we’re making space to have a conversation that we learned a long time ago wasn’t safe to talk about. And, the sponsorship of this programs by businesses like Paycom, tell us that inclusion and diversity is good for business and the economy of Oklahoma.

Having a conversation about race isn’t about converting people to “my” way of thinking, or asking everyone around me to agree with me so that we reduce all the conflict and differences on the topic of race or racism to the few points we can all agree on. Having a conversation about race is an acknowledgement that we can all experience the system of racism because it is the “smog we breathe” as Dr. Tatum said, and we all experience those realities in different ways. We have different histories and are a part of different groups of people and come from different generations where attitudes and opinions reflected the social construction of that time -- and talking about our experiences builds connections between people – not the other way around.

There is no one view on race because no one person can speak for everyone, even a person who belongs to the same group as another. We’ve all had different experiences with this system and only through dialogue will we begin to understand the many shapes and sizes and forms that racism can take. For me that means that as a white/Caucasian person I can talk about my experience with racism because I’ve breathed the smog in our air. I am not immune to the toxins and the dis-ease that result. I also believe, however, that the best filter for cleaning out our social constructs is the illumination that occurs when our experiences are exposed to the light of day in conversation. And for that, I’m personally excited to be talking about race and racism in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) is celebrating 11 years of Visions Awards (Visions) on November 30, 2021, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Visions honors those who act as agents of change in the community, providing leadership to enrich and enliven those whom they serve.

Doctor George E. Young, Sr., who also holds the titles of Reverend and State Senator, will be honored with the President’s Award. This award will go to an individual as a special recognition of the president and CEO of OKCNP.

 “George’s many titles alone qualify him for this award,- but his true title is servant leader,” said Marnie Taylor, president and CEO, OKCNP. “George has taken initiative in so many corners of this community through his board service and countless efforts to bring diverse groups of people to the table to solve problems. He believes that if we aren’t moving forward than we are losing ground, and George works in all of his leadership roles to move our community and State forward with compassion and respect for all.”

George, born in Memphis, Tenn., was the eighth of nine children. He graduated from Lambuth University before he earned a Masters of Arts in Ministry and a Masters of Business Administration from Oklahoma Christian University, as well as a Masters of Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary. In 2013, he retired after 30 years of pastoral service, however his service to the community would continue. In 2014, George was elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives, and in 2018 was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate.

As a State Representative George was elected as the Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair and served as the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus Chair, a position he kept when he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate. 

In addition to his public service, George authored “Christology: A Look at Practical Christianity.” He is a certified medication specialist in family and divorce issues. He has been a member of Oklahoma City Law Enforcement Task Force, the Governor’s Legislative CARES Advisory Group, Oklahoma Christian University Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Community Task Force, District Chair, New Horizons District, Council of State Governments Healthy Task Force, among many others.

His lifetime memberships include: National Association of Colored People (NAACP), Oklahoma Academy, Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City, Kappa Alpha Psi Province, Kappa Alpha Psi National and Leadership Oklahoma.

George credits his parents for his inspiration to continue being vigilant and persistent in the furtherance of the communities he serves.

“They encouraged me to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” said George. “I have maintained to the best of my ability, the same dedicated work ethic espoused by my parents throughout my life. The catalyst to servant leadership is realizing the work is far greater than you. Because of the many years of opportunity to serve, has provided me the privilege to be a part of that which has truly kept me grounded, open to progress and has benefited me in ways that I can only describe as awe inspiring. All of this inspires me daily to stay the course; do the work.”

To learn more about the 2021 Visions Awards, visit the OKCNP Visions Award Page: https://okcnp.org/Visions. 

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) is celebrating 11 years of Visions Awards (Visions) on November 30, 2021, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Visions honors those who act as agents of change in the community, providing leadership to enrich and enliven those whom they serve.

Robert W. Block, MD, retired will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award goes to an individual who dedicated a lifetime of philanthropy and volunteer leadership to charitable causes and has been instrumental in the success of one or more charitable organization(s).

“Dr. Block is a second generation pediatrician, and his love of working with children began early on,” said Laura Orwig, marketing manager, Write on Fundraising. “Seeing his dad work tirelessly to improve the lives of children was incredibly impactful and started Dr. Block on a career path fueled by passion.”

After earning his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania, Robert went on to complete his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He has since served as President of the American Association of Pediatrics, become the first doctor to earn the title of Board Certified Child Abuse Pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics and been named one of the Best Doctors in America.

In 1992, the Dr. Karl Jurak Foundation worked with a team of professionals, including social workers, child development specialists, detectives and pediatricians, as well as Robert, in partnering with the University of Oklahoma to create the Justice Center which has become the Child Abuse Network.

“Now, although he is retired, Dr. Block serves on countless boards, while working to improve conditions for the children of Tulsa,” said Laura.

To learn more about the 2021 Visions Awards, visit the OKCNP Visions Award Page: https://okcnp.org/Visions. 

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) is celebrating 11 years of Visions Awards (Visions) on November 30, 2021, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Visions honors those who act as agents of change in the community, providing leadership to enrich and enliven those whom they serve.

Sally Nichols Starling, Oklahoma City Ballet, will be honored with the Shirley Shanker Volunteer Award. The award is named after an Oklahoma legend of volunteering, the late Shirley Shanker. The award honors the ongoing work of a champion volunteer in the nonprofit sector.

“Sally is a busy mom, dedicated community leader, and she has led the transformation of the Oklahoma City Ballet,” said Jo Lynne Jones, executive director, Oklahoma City Ballet. “Without Sally’s vision and fearless drive, Oklahoma City Ballet would not be in its current facility, which has gained it immense publicity and brought about a much-needed renaissance. She is a force of nature and a true visionary.”

Sally has volunteered with the Oklahoma City Ballet since 2014, co-chaired the annual campaign and Turning Point Capital Campaign, and served on education outreach, finance, facilities, resource development, human resources and marketing committees. She served as president of the board of trustees from 2017 to 2019 and is currently an advisory council member.

In addition to her service with the Oklahoma City Ballet, Sally has served on the board of trustees for the Oklahoma City National Memorial, Presbyterian Health Foundation, Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and on the board of directors for Sunbeam Family Services.

“Sally has served on numerous committees for dozens of organizations and is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City Class 35,” said Jo. “Any leader in these organizations would confirm Sally’s tenacity and drive for excellence.”

To learn more about the 2021 Visions Awards, visit the OKCNP Visions Awards page: https://okcnp.org/page/Visions.