Non-profit Expo brings a multitude of county organizations together under the same roof

Sometimes an idea needs to germinate over a period of time before taking root and becoming a reality – in this case an idea became the first annual Non-profit Expo for Mineral County.

Over a year ago, Cathy Cooney, Montana Community Foundation director, spoke at a Board meeting of the Mineral County Community Foundation (MCCF).

She suggested ways that MCCF could better support local non-profit efforts, and later the Board decided to host an Expo.

The speakers and topics were the result of responses to a questionnaire that non-profit leaders provided to MCCF during the winter months.

The most common theme: groups wanted help with fundraising and volunteer retention and recruitment.

Other topics were networking, grant writing, and communication skills.

The date was set, with evening talks given on May 3rd, and a full day of presentations and workshops on May 4th.

The venue of the St. Regis Community Center offered separate rooms for concurrent workshops, with a kitchen and counter space for serving food and copious cups of coffee and cold drinks.

It didn’t hurt that the weather turned nice after a spate of cold weather.

Leaders from twenty-nine non-profits attended, and many commented that it was beneficial to learn from each other’s experiences.

The presenters were Peggy Owens, Sage Solutions Non-profit Consulting, LLC; Julia Gustafson, Governor’s Office of Community Service; Liz Moore and Brad Robinson, Montana Non-profit Association; and Sharon Bladen, Retired Senior Volunteer Program.

All speakers had excellent presentations and the materials and handouts were very informative.

During the networking session on Saturday, non-profit leaders provided suggestions for future gatherings and ways to build on relationships developed at the Expo.

MCCF plans to host two half-day workshops for mid-July and October.

There’s not enough space to include many comments, but this one summed it up:

“First non-profit Expo I’ve attended so I can’t compare it, but I enjoyed everything. From the format, to the subject matter, to the speakers.”

So Non-profits -- stay tuned for future events and networking opportunities!