News Release

Nonprofit conference gives tips on surviving in current economy
 

Southaven, May 7, 2003 - SOUTHAVEN -- Theresa Coleman was glad she didn't have to drive to the state capital.
"I'm glad they had this conference close to home," said the Oxford native. "It's very good I didn't have to travel to Jackson."
Southaven, May 7, 2003 - SOUTHAVEN -- Theresa Coleman was glad she didn't have to drive to the state capital.
"I'm glad they had this conference close to home," said the Oxford native. "It's very good I didn't have to travel to Jackson."

"We're drawing people, seeing them travel from all over the northern part of the state," said William Bailey, director of community development for the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi.
"I'm pleased to see a lot of faces of people who were here last year," he continued. "It lets me know we're doing something right."
The one-day seminar featured classes ranging from grant writing to building community partnerships to accounting and fundraising.
"I found the conference very educational and informative," said Bea Hunsucker of Hernando, who serves as DeSoto Youth Theatre treasurer. She spent the morning attending a class on basic grant writing.
"There's so much money out there," she added. "We want to know how to receive that money as a non-profit. The class introduced us to the basic skills of grant writing. Now we know what the do's and don’ts are."
The conference was hosted by the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits and underwritten by the Maddox Foundation.
"They sent a mailout to all nonprofits in DeSoto County," Hunsucker said of the sponsors. "We thought some of our board members needed to attend."
Attendance at this year's conference, Bailey noted, equals the numbers from the 2002 event. If interest remains high, he observed, the conference could return next year.
"If we have the same level of interest, I don't see any reason why we can't keep doing this," he stated. "As long as there's an interest there, we'll keep going."
Making the conference an annual event is good news to Coleman.
"This conference is helpful to everyone, especially anybody in the nonprofit sector," she said. "I'm always looking for new ways to raise money; I found the conference very educational."