December is a great time for nonprofits. It's traditionally a month of giving in America, and many of us see the month as a great time for philanthropy, connecting with our donors and celebrating at the end of the year. 

And this year, I'm proud to say we can celebrate one more big milestone. Several weeks ago, I contacted the Governor's office to ask about designating a month to celebrate and honor nonprofits. And last week, they responded with a wholehearted "YES!" 

This month, Oklahoma will celebrate our first (and certainly not last) Nonprofit Month. Gov. Stitt proclaimed it for December (and a copy of that proclamation is on our website). The month will begin with GivingTuesday this week and we will celebrate our work through the end of the year. 

The Governor's proclamation included a few very important numbers. There are 20,523 registered nonprofits in Oklahoma. And last year, those organizations generated $16.9 billion (with a b) in revenue. We also hold more than $53.5 billion in assets, many with our generous foundations around the state. 

And Oklahomans went to work as volunteers. Our citizens donated 94.5 million hours of service to nonprofits to change lives, enrich lives and save lives throughout the state. 

But beyond the numbers, our nonprofits serve as a vital business sector that puts money back into communities and provides services that save our state and municipalities money. Our sector transforms communities. 

This year, please give and give generously. And celebrate with us. Tell a friend about your favorite nonprofits. Talk about giving on your social media. Celebrate the work and the power of the sector. 

 This December, let's continue to do the most good across Oklahoma. And thank you, Gov. Stitt, for your important proclamation. We are working together to honor our incredible nonprofits. 

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) is celebrating 10 years of VISIONS on December 1, 2020, virtually.

The Visions Awards honors those who act as agents of change in the community, providing leadership to enrich and enliven those whom they serve. These men and women are thoughtful, passionate, tenacious, and creative in seeking out solutions to problems that affect change. They inspire others with their conviction and drive, give a voice to those without, and act with the highest integrity to provide Oklahomans with resources otherwise not available. Visions recognizes these great men and women as passionate champions of service to Oklahoma.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the event, we will spotlight each of the honorees.

Michael Brose has been serving as the Chief Empowerment Officer at Mental Health Association of Oklahoma (MHA-OK) since 1993 and plans to retire in December 2020.

Under his leadership, MHA-OK has grown from five to 180 employees. Their programing provides housing, mental health education, support groups, pro bono counseling, mental health screening and referral, suicide prevention, peer-to-peer recovery services, employment placement and support, integrated mobile medical intervention, criminal justice advocacy, and more.

When they first started providing housing, they had eleven beds in the Walker Hall Living Center. Their Housing First model has grown to provide access to safe, decent and affordable housing with 133 units Oklahoma City and 1,433 units in Tulsa. The housing is available to individuals who have experienced mental illness, homelessness, substance use and justice involvement.

Throughout his career, Michael has not only taught and mentored social work practicum students, he has empowered them to advocate for change when the system has failed those who experience mental health issues or homelessness.

Because of his dedication to social work, Michael was inducted to Oral Roberts University’s Social Work Hall of Fame, as well as the University of Oklahoma’s Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work Hall of Fame.

Michael is being honored with the Pat Potts Visionary Award. Named in honor of the founder of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, this award will go to an individual executive leader who, through focus, tenacity and leadership, has inspired the success of a singular organization in carrying out its charitable mission.

Past honorees include Pam Newby, Miki Farris, Albert Gray, Rodney Bivens, Lauren Branch, Danny Cavett, Kevin Evans, Joanna Trimble Smith and Jean Winfrey.

For more information about Visions 2020, visit: https://oklahomacenterfornonprofits.site-ym.com/page/Visions

In this crazy year of the global pandemic, you might want to call Ghostbusters to rid the world of the wild ups and downs of 2020. With all of the challenges nonprofits have faced in 2020, most of us cannot wait to ring in a new year. Bring on 2021! Since Ghostbusters is a classic 1984 movie and not reality, who else can you call?

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is the place to call. OKCNP provides a toll-free helpline for any nonprofit in the state of Oklahoma for simple, to the most complex situations. On the other end of the phone, will be a nonprofit professional with years of experience to assist you with your questions. With a staff with over 125 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, we truly live out our mission every day; “Empowering Nonprofits to Achieve Excellence in their Missions.”

When a small nonprofit called in a state of panic because they had been notified that their nonprofit status was about to be revoked, we provided guidance on how to keep their exempt status in place. When a long-term executive director called in tears because she was having difficulty with that “one” board member making her life miserable, OKCNP was able to provide guidance on how to deal with conflict in the board room. Many times our helpline calls turn into a simple listening session. Nonprofit leaders often feel like they are alone on an island. Public charity work is difficult and complex and each of us need a place to be heard, appreciated, and advised. Mission fatigue is real. Working with difficult challenges and sometimes difficult people, can be exhausting. We want you to know that you are not alone. Oklahoma Center for Nonprofit professionals are just a call away and ready and anxious to help.

We cannot count the number of times nonprofit professionals have reached out to OKCNP for a sample of a policy, internal form or a “best practice” guide to help them in their time of need. We are always willing to help you achieve excellence in your mission. OKCNP may not have all of the answers, but we can be your first and perhaps best resource for the help you need.

Here are just a few of the topics we can help with:

• How to deal with COVID in the workplace and continuing your mission
• Fostering a productive and connected remote work force
• Human resource issues
• Board development and keeping your board members engaged
• Budgeting and financial questions

You don’t have to be a member of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits to call. Any nonprofit public charity can call to receive assistance or guidance. If you need assistance beyond a 15-20 minute conversation, we can also help with full service, professional consulting services.

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Helpline

1-800-338-1798

It was only 35 years ago when many of us didn’t wear seatbelts. Car seats for babies and children weren’t the norm. We laugh about the days when family road trips included riding in the rears of station wagons untethered. America had a problem — high death rates in accidents. Safety was a big issue. And the only solution was to get people to wear their seatbelts.

It was the nonprofit sector that came together to challenge policymakers to enact laws that protected people, particularly our children. Just think, without nonprofits, people would likely still be smoking in offices and we would not have the Americans with Disabilities Act. Today, every nonprofit in Oklahoma could have a “seatbelt story.” Whether that is strengthening laws to protect families from domestic violence or ensuring every child has access to food, health and education services, nonprofits have the power to create lasting change.

But these “seatbelt stories” don’t come without work or seats at the table to create this important change. This election, especially in Oklahoma, means that like our recent past, our legislative composition, budget issues and policy challenges will remain. Therefore, the nonprofit sector continues to need a bigger seat at the table. We are an incredibly large employment and business sector, yet we often continue to be unheard at these tables — even when we pull up our folding chairs. I’m urging our Legislature and governor to invite us wholeheartedly to the table, and to please listen and consider the importance of our sector in decision-making.

While we will welcome a number of new and eager policymakers, the challenges we face at the state level — particularly with regard to the state budget — will dominate the work of nonprofits in the next year. I always tell nonprofits that the time to meet with legislators is not when we are in the middle of a session or facing a crisis. I urge all nonprofit leaders and particularly board members to reach out to current and newly elected members of the House and Senate now. Introduce yourself if you haven’t already. And most of all, fill them in on what your nonprofit is doing and why it is so critical to the needs of your community and our state. Establish yourself as the expert on your mission. Legislators will rely on you for your stories and impact data.

On the federal level, central Oklahoma will have a new congresswoman in state Sen. Stephanie Bice. The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits worked with U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn on nonprofit issues the past two years and we look forward to working with Bice. Additionally, we expect to also work closely with Sen. James Lankford and his staff on stimulus for nonprofits and furthering charitable giving incentives.

Finally, I am asking nonprofits — particularly board members and leadership — to put politics aside and to engage in real policy work. We will come to the table together and be vocal on the issues and policy positions that we stand for as a sector. This is our time to be leaders. This is our time to create those “seatbelt stories.” This is our time to be bold and effect change in Oklahoma.

Build relationships. Advocate. Change the future. This is a perfect time for all of us to work hand-in-hand to create the lasting change that Oklahoma needs. To all of our hardworking nonprofits and the people who empower them through leadership, volunteerism and philanthropy, I say thank you.

*Read the original post on Oklahoman.com

Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) is celebrating 10 years of VISIONS on December 1, 2020, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

The Visions Awards honors those who act as agents of change in the community, providing leadership to enrich and enliven those whom they serve. These men and women are thoughtful, passionate, tenacious, and creative in seeking out solutions to problems that affect change. They inspire others with their conviction and drive, give a voice to those without, and act with the highest integrity to provide Oklahomans with resources otherwise not available. Visions recognizes these great men and women as passionate champions of service to Oklahoma.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the event, we will spotlight each of the honorees.

Lance Lang has been serving as the Chief Hope Dealer at Hope is Alive Ministries (HIA) in Oklahoma City since 2012, when he founded the nonprofit. HIA’s mission “is to radically change the lives of drug addicts, alcoholics and those that love them.”

Lance saw a need and found his calling after he received treatment for his own struggles. As he was immersed in the Oklahoma recovery community, he found there was not much structure for newly sober individuals.

HIA is an eighteen-month, three-phase program for men and women that focuses on mental, spiritual, physical, emotional and financial health for newly sober individuals.

HIA has grown to support 174 individuals in eighteen homes across three states: Oklahoma, Kansas and North Carolina.  Though their program provides housing for the individual, HIA prides themselves in supporting the family unit as a whole. Over 1,000 families have utilized the HIA program, with a 100% success rate, according to their website.

“Many people have been and will continue to be positively impacted because of Lance’s decision to live out his calling and help those struggling with addiction,” said Blake Wieland, graduate and director of development, HIA. “I know, because I am one of them.”

Lance is being honored with the Rodney Bivens Innovation Award. This award goes to a visionary leader(s) or volunteer(s) in the charitable sector who has burst on the scene with a new, dynamic and innovative idea that inspired groundbreaking changes, bringing newfound success to the mission of an organization or pioneering, exciting program that changes lives.

The honoree will receive a $10,000 award, thanks to a generous contribution from the Donald W.

Reynolds Foundation in honor of Rodney Bivens’ lifetime achievements with the Regional Food Bank.

Past honorees include Christy Counts, Bob Ross, Tim McLaughlin, Jennifer Abney, Desiree Doherty and Christie Luther.

For more information about Visions 2020 visit: https://oklahomacenterfornonprofits.site-ym.com/page/Visions

OKLAHOMA CENTER FOR NONPROFITS RECOGNIZED

AS SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

RECERTIFICATION PROVIDER

October 26, 2020

Contact:
Jeremy Hoffpauir
Director of Creative Marketing
Jhoffpauir@okcnp.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oklahoma City, Okla.–The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) announced they are recognized as a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Recertification Provider. Being a Recertification Provider allows OKCNP to award SHRM professional development credits (PDCs) for human resource knowledge and competency programs related to the SHRM Body of Competency and Knowledge (BoCK).

“I am so excited to hear we will be offering SHRM credit hours,” said Matt Cordray, vice president of operations, OKCNP. “Finding PDCs at an affordable rate is vital to SHRM certified individuals, especially to the nonprofit sector. It is required to have a minimum of 60 PDC hours annually to maintain certification, so you can imagine the time and finances required to stay current.”

OKCNP began the application process of becoming a Recertification Provider in August 2020 and competed the process in September 2020. The application process required OKCNP to provide documentation of the HR courses they have been providing for at least a year that meet the SHRM BoCK standards. OKCNP is approved as a SHRM Recertification Provider through September 2022.

According the SHRM website, “The SHRM BoCK organizes eight behavioral competencies into three clusters: Leadership, Interpersonal and Business. Additionally, the SHRM BoCK organizes 15 areas of HR knowledge which comprise the technical competency HR Expertise into three domains: People, Organization and Workplace.”

List of courses, class dates, how many PDCs are offered

• Standards for Excellence: October 28, 2020 – October 29, 2020, 12 PDCs
• Embark Coaching Academy: November 3, 2020 – December 10, 2020, 18 PDCs
• Boot Camp for Boards: November 4, 2020, 6 PDCs
• The Partnership: November 5, 2020, 4 PDCs
• Standards for Excellence: December 2, 2020 – December 3, 2020, 12 PDCs
• Cultural Consciousness: December 2, 2020 – December 3, 2020, 12 PDCs
• The Partnership: December 16, 2020, 4 PDCs, 4

To learn more about SHRM PDCs offered through OKCNP contact the OKCNP Training Department at training@okcnp.org or visit the OKCNP website www.OKCNP.org.

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About the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is the state’s preeminent organization convening charitable entities from throughout the state for training, consultation, networking, advocacy and recognition. Comprising more than 1,000 members from throughout Oklahoma, OKCNP’s primary mission is empowering nonprofits to achieve excellence in their missions. Since 1981, the organization has assisted thousands of individuals and organizations through various programs designed to build capacity and positively impact the lives of Oklahomans. www.OKCNP.org

Dale K Graham Veterans Foundation from OKCNP on Vimeo.

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits (OKCNP) hosted the 2020 Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards on Thursday, August 27, 2020 (rescheduled from Friday, April 24, 2020). The event took place virtually and can be viewed on the OKCNP ONE Awards page. We are spotlighting the 21 finalists in seven categories.

The Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation has served United States veterans in all 77 Oklahoma counties, 45 states and 4 countries, including more than 19,000 total individuals, since their founding in 2016. The Foundation has followed the lead of Vietnam War veteran, Lance Corporal Dale K. Graham, U.S. Marine Corps.

Graham has personally been helping veterans file benefits claims for 30 years. He started volunteering with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 1990, learning the rules of veteran benefits procedures. He has since become a federally accredited agent.

“Our mission is to serve military veterans and their families,” according The Foundation’s website. “Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation’s primary focus is to share its collective knowledge and experience to help with the Veterans Administration claims process. The Organization also provides assistance and guidance for temporary sources of food, rent, utilities, shelter and transportation to and from medical facilities when necessary for veterans and their families.”

The Foundation is run completely on a volunteer basis, allowing it to offer services free of charge. Services include helping veterans and their families file claims, temporary food services through their food pantry and assisting veterans with medical testing.

“This is a way of opening doors and providing opportunities to others,” said Stanley L. Evans, retired US Army Colonel and board member. “The way we make others self-sufficient is to provide them with the opportunity and resources to build for successful and strong lives.”

To learn more about Dale K. Graham Veterans Foundation, visit their website: https://dalekgrahamveteransfoundation.org/ or view their ONE Awards video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7509642/video/454075640.

The Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards is dedicated to honoring the outstanding work of Oklahoma nonprofits statewide. The ONE Awards also serves as the primary fundraising event for the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Proceeds from the ONE Awards enable OKCNP to serve communities throughout Oklahoma.

To learn more about the OKCNP ONE Awards or to watch the event, visit: https://www.oklahomacenterfornonprofits.org/connect/one-awards/

You’ve already heard that Kuma Roberts, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with the Tulsa Regional Chamber, will be our main event for the upcoming Members’ Meeting. We’re asking our nonprofits to “Be Bold” as we talk about equity and how to fight racism and bias. And Kuma is the right woman to lead the charge.

But we thought we needed to highlight Kuma for another reason. She took the #venmochallenge recently and surprised various food workers and delivery drivers with some impressive tips.

Kuma raised more than $1,000 for the viral challenge and then set off to make the days of several people. Showering them with big tips, she made big differences for many of the recipients. One in particular had just moved and the extra tip will help greatly for her settling in.

Kuma was all smiles in her videos as she watched people take envelopes of cash from her front door.

That’s some serious heroism and “doing good,” Ms. Roberts!

To learn more about Kuma and the heroic work she does, join us on Tuesday, September 29, 2020, for the 2020 OKCNP Virtual Members Meeting. Kuma will share how TOGETHER we can BE BOLD and take steps toward action and strengthen the future of nonprofits by building an inclusive, diverse and equitable community.