Organization helps strengthen philanthropy groups
There’s an organization that provides the services and resources necessary to help keep the state’s nonprofit sector strong and sustainable. It’s the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, founded when two philanthropic leaders got together and decided their organizations were “two sides of the same coin.”
According to Executive Director Ellen Collins, the merger between the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits and the Mississippi Association of Grantmakers (MAG) happened in April 2019.
“The founding executive director was Sammy Moon, who at the time was leading the work of the MAG. Sammy stated that he was meeting with the interim director of the Center for Nonprofits and they were discussing how the two organizations had a special relationship and how the work of both were ‘two sides of the same coin,’” said Collins.
It was from that conversation the idea of the Alliance grew and was approved by the boards of directors of both organizations. There was seed funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to explore the idea of a merger. “So ultimately, the Alliance was founded and I believe at the time, there were five staff members,” said Collins.
She came onboard in September 2019 as the chief operating officer, and since then the organization has grown to nine employees, eight full-time and one part-time. “But, we also work with numerous consultants from across the state with expertise in various areas of nonprofit management to carry out our work,” she hastens to add. “We could not do this work without them.”
The impetus for starting the Alliance stems from the conversation between the two directors, but, Collins says, the theory of creating the Alliance was based on a simple idea—that philanthropy and nonprofits are fundamentally in the same business of using their resources and talents to create better outcomes for children, families and communities.
“The two sides of the same coin again. If that is true, it just made sense to bring the two sectors together so there is collaborative learning, networking and the sharing of ideas before the grant making relationship happens,” said Collins.
The Alliance is funded mainly through grants, membership dues, fees for services and contributions. “At this time, we do not have any state funds, but it is a conversation we are having with our legislators,” the director said. “We know that nonprofits provide critical services in communities across the state and can be a key employer in many communities.
“The Alliance is the only state-wide organization that focuses solely on building stronger nonprofits, so we believe a partnership with the state helps us provide a key service that keeps nonprofits stronger and in business so that government does not have to provide these services directly.”
The primary focus of the Alliance is to provide capacity-building services that include nonprofit management trainings and certification, technical assistance and one-on-one consulting, leadership development and other resources to nonprofits and philanthropic organizations.
“We offer nonprofit management tools and resources in-person and online through our website. We offer monthly and quarterly in-person gatherings to share research and trends in philanthropy and nonprofit services,” said Collins.
Additionally, information is shared through monthly newsletters, The Ally and Under The Dome, for policy, announcements from members through social media and weekly alerts. “Our trainings can be accessed in-person or virtually, and we even offer online trainings for those who need a self-paced option.”
Members of the Alliance range from organizations with budgets of $50,000 to $4 million. They include Canopy Children’s Solutions, Mississippi’s Toughest Kids, the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi, United Way of Northeast Mississippi and Delta Hands for Hope, among others.
Collins said the Alliance has a high level of engagement in their workshops, webinars and meetings. In 2024, they had more than 1,100 individuals participate in trainings, webinars, events and meetings.
“Nonprofits provide key services to children, families and individuals across our state and in some rural communities may be the largest employer,” she said. “At some point, almost every citizen either participates in or uses the services of at least one of our estimated 15,000 nonprofits. Nonprofits are critical to quality of life and citizens’ well being.”
Collins points out that the Alliance provides key capacity-building services to these nonprofits, and not just to their members. Non-members also have access to these services. “We work to bridge nonprofits to the philanthropic sector and individuals to philanthropy,” she said. “If there is a nonprofit not familiar with our work and services, I invite you to reach out to learn more. You can email us at connect@alliancems.org or call us at (601)968-0061.”
