The newly merged Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum has implemented several changes and enhancements in the new year to expand the organization’s impact in the nonprofit community. In August, the Alliance announced that Kristen Wilson, previously CEO for Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, would become the CEO for the newly merged organization and … [More]
Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits Debuts New Staff Structure, Enhancements to Executive Program and New Website for New Year
Fresh off merger with Arizona Grantmakers Forum, organization looks to expand impact
Organization Name: SOUNDS Academy
Teaching, mentoring, and providing musical experiences and opportunities for underserved youth
SOUNDS Academy believes that the zip code of a child should not dictate their access to quality music education. But sadly, it is not the belief and practice in many parts of our country and state. Since its founding in 2014, SOUNDS Academy has been laser-focused on removing the barriers that talented underprivileged youth face to accessing the dynamic opportunities music … [More]
Continuing to Support Arizona Nonprofits through the Highly Anticipated Statewide Event, Arizona Gives Day
Hopefully, by now you’ve heard of Arizona Gives Day, a statewide online giving event to benefit nonprofits managed by the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits + Arizona Grantmakers Forum. Arizona Gives Day is approaching its 11th anniversary on Tuesday, April 4. The first ten years have raised more than $36.4 million for thousands of Arizona nonprofits. These funds are critical … [More]
Organization Name: Dsquared Homes for the Homeless
On a mission to prevent homelessness for the Serious Mentally Ill population
In 2009, Dsquared Homes for the Homeless founder Juan Te Dailey’s son was diagnosed with a severe mental health condition and was told he would never work again. He was denied disability but, thankfully, he recovered, returning to work full-time and school part-time. Six years later, still maintaining his full-time job, apartment, and vehicle (something they were told he could … [More]
Nonprofits and Grantmakers Unite for Greater Good
Three years ago, I delivered a keynote message to hundreds of nonprofit professionals at our annual ENGAGE Nonprofit Conference in Phoenix about the importance of nonprofits having a “seat at the table” on issues impacting Arizona. In fact, we decided together that it isn’t enough to have a seat at the table. We dreamed of building a new table where everyone has equal voice in … [More]
Combining Nonprofit Organizations Provides Additional Strength and Cohesion
The nonprofit sector is not immune to mergers and acquisitions. And, more often than not, the nonprofit sector is seeing this occur when organizations envision a stronger, cohesive voice and improved outcomes by bringing existing organizations together. Arizona continues to see more organizations finding this to be true including the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and … [More]
Speaking with One Voice: Merger Brings Together Nonprofits and Grantmakers to Advocate for Policy Solutions
The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits and Arizona Grantmakers Forum’s merger unlocks unlimited possibilities for nonprofit and philanthropic leaders to explore solutions to some of our state’s most pressing challenges. That kind of problem solving calls for the creativity, scrappiness and innovation nonprofits and philanthropy are known for. And it often requires cross-sector … [More]
New Director of Rural Programs Focuses on Numerous Goals
Angelica Hernandez-Williams is our new director of Rural Programs. She has a background in nonprofit management and workforce training specializing in rural communities. She has a passion for elevating the heart of nonprofits in the many rural communities throughout Arizona. Here is a highlight of the areas she will working on in her role. Since 2010, the Alliance has held … [More]
It’s OK Not to Zoom, Zoom, Zoom All the Time
Flashback to January 2020 — ahh, what a time of ignorant bliss. None of us were aware of the beast that was about to be unleashed in just a few more weeks. Oh, I’m not talking about COVID, but yes, that was indeed, and still is, a beast. I’m talking about Zoom. Yes, yes, I know. Zoom has been around for years. And video chat has been around for decades. It’s nothing new. … [More]
Top 5 Financial Management Best Practices for Nonprofit Boards
While nonprofit board members are not usually involved in the day-to-day activities, they are ultimately responsible for managing the organization and making important decisions that fulfill fiduciary duties to both the organization and public that it serves. In this article, we’ve compiled five of our top financial management best practices for nonprofit board members. 1. … [More]
The Power of Partnerships
A new report released by the Arizona State Board of Education revealed what many of us working with youth had anticipated: that COVID-19’s impact has been “significant and broad.” Those are the words used in the study to describe the devastation the global pandemic has wreaked on our kids. Deficiencies in reading and math were most pronounced, particularly among young … [More]
Nonprofit Policy Priorities
Reprinted with permission from the National Council of Nonprofits Feb 7, 2022 Nonprofit Advocacy Updates As the pandemic has dragged on beyond all expectations, charitable nonprofits of all types report at least three areas of challenges that must be addressed by policymakers. The first is resources; charitable giving is down and giving incentives enacted by Congress … [More]
10 Ways to Get Started on Your DEI Jouney
As a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant, I get to work with a lot of amazing organizations. I also have learned there are a few things I can count on, like the questions that are asked. The question I get the most is, “Where do we start?” with a close second being, “What can we do right now?” I get it. When you start to dig into all the ways to become more inclusive … [More]
Remote Control: Changing the Channel on How Work is Structured in a Post-Pandemic World
The impact of COVID on our communities has been far reaching and continues to evolve as we move into year two of this global pandemic. It has changed forever the way we view things like human connection, safety, education and even our work. Organizations have had to quickly adapt their service delivery models to a virtual environment, and millions of employees have made their … [More]
Arizona Gives Day 2021 Raises A Record-Breaking $7.1 Million For Statewide Nonprofits
Donors in communities across the state came together once again to show their incredible collective and heartfelt support for nonprofit agencies by raising $7.1 million on Arizona Gives Day on April 6, generating $1 million more than during last year’s record-shattering event. More than 40,000 donations supported 982 nonprofit organizations, both large and small, serving … [More]
Policies, Practices and Procedures That Reflect Your Culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
I am often asked by organizations, “Where do we start?” when they want to integrate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into their company culture. There are a lot of places to start on your journey and reviewing your policies, practices and procedures (PPP) is a great one. Think about your employees first. The employee experience and being able to retain top talent should always … [More]
The JEM Foundation Fights for ‘Jake’s Law’ and Wins
Ben and Denise, founders of the JEM Foundation, lost their son, Jacob Edward Machovsky (JEM), to suicide and vowed to do whatever they could to ensure that no one else lost a loved one in the same way. Jake’s story is, sadly, not uncommon in Arizona. Prior to his death, he had been hospitalized twice in under two months for suicidal ideation. Both times, Jake was released in … [More]
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones Shows Provides Much-Needed Support during COVID-19
Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, or PAL, started in Phoenix in 2006 as a weekly support group but, due to intense demand, grew quickly and became a nonprofit in 2015, fully supported by volunteers. The first paid staff member was hired in 2018 — CEO/Executive Director Kim Humphrey — and now, just a few years later, PAL has 167 meetings in 41 states. The genesis of the … [More]
