Casey, Gentry urge 73 nonprofits to Collaborate for a Cause

Janel Shoun | 

 

Shaun Casey

Author and Christian ethics professor Shaun Casey urged representatives of 73 local nonprofit organizations to “engage in ego disarmament” and come together to serve the poor better in the coming years, during his lunch keynote speech at the Collaborate for a Cause conference Tuesday.

Leaders from nonprofits, government, social service departments, faith-based groups and businesses gathered Tuesday in Lipscomb’s Ezell Center to foster stronger collaboration as they work to make a difference in Nashville. The event was coordinated by Lipscomb’s  Institute for Law, Justice & Society, The SALT Program and Nashville’s Center for Nonprofit Management.

Casey, who served as the senior advisor for religious affairs for the Obama presidential campaign, was joined by Howard Gentry, Jr., CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber Public Benefit Foundation, and Larry Bridgesmith, director of the Institute of Conflict Management at Lipscomb, to address the nonprofit leaders throughout the day.

(l to r) Shaun Casey talks with Charla Long, LJS Institute director, and Beecher Frasier, chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis.
(l to r) CNM Director Lewis Lavine, Long, Howard Gentry, CEO of the Public Benefit Foundation, and Shaun Casey, expert on government faith-based initiatives.

Participants heard from a panel of leaders at five of Nashville’s major foundations, heard three case studies of collaboration or merger among local nonprofits, and developed their own ideas for working together in dialogue session with similar nonprofit organizations.

“In our minds we want to collaborate, but we get busy in our day-to-day operations and sometimes lose sight of the importance of collaboration. When we sit down with other organizations, we realize that our missions are similar and there are many reasons to work together,” said Gentry, whose organization was a co-sponsor of the recent the Homeless Project Connect.

“It's exciting to see the diverse group that is assembled here and the discussion that we had on collaboration with both the funders and the recipients of the funding. I applaud Lipscomb University and the Center for Nonprofit Management for being forward thinking,” he said.

At the lunch keynote, Casey offered four bits of advice for maneuvering the tough economic times philanthropies now face, engage in ego disarmament, push educators hard to involve their students in service, look for faith-based groups to partner with, and find ways to partner with government resources at all levels.

Casey presented plenty of statistics to show the value of the non-profit sector to the nation and the danger it faces in 2009 as donations drop off and demand increases:

  • There are 1.5 million nonprofits in America;
  • They contribute $1 trillion to the economy;
  • Nonprofits employ 9.4 million people;
  • Forty-four percent of nonprofits expect to see increased demand in 2009 (that was before the stock market crash); and
  • Forty-one percent expect to downsize, close their doors or lay off workers in 2009.


“It would be so easy to be depressed and fearful,” Casey told the crowd. “But if your community sees you lose hope, they will lose hope.”

(l to r) Tricia Musser, director of development, and Sallie Hussey, president and CEO, both of the EAR Foundation and the the League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Janet Jernigan of Fifty Forward and Jan Shipp, of the YWCA, Nashville & Middle Tennessee.

“Last year our member organizations recognized the importance of maximizing resources by working together in a slowing economy. A collaborative attitude will be even more important and valuable in 2009,” said Lewis Lavine, president of The Center for Nonprofit Management. “This conference provided organizations with essential equipping and networking opportunities.”

The participants presented a number of interesting ideas for new and innovative collaborations, such as an all-purpose training center for service workers, one organization that provides food boxes could partner with another organization that can work to eliminate the need for food boxes, an executive directors breakfast to share information and ideas, or more resources listing all the nonprofits and their services in Nashville.

Panelists for the Collaborate for a Cause event included:

  • Pat Campbell, SunTrust
  • Eric Dewey, United Way Metro Nashville
  • JD Elliott, Memorial Foundation
  • Paul Haynes, Nashville Career Advancement Center
  • Joanne Pulles, HCA Foundation
  • David Byrd, Bellevue YMCA
  • Janet Jernigan, Fifty Forward
  • Collette Bercu, Free for Life Ministries
  • Sallie Hussey, League for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing/Ear Foundation


“As a new year begins and a new president is inaugurated, our city faces new challenges and opportunities. Middle Tennesseans have a long history of tapping into the transformational power of grassroots initiatives. Collaborate for a Cause is an opportunity for our region’s great organizations to continue to find creative solutions that capitalize on their unique competencies,” said Dr. Charla Long, executive director of the Institute for Law, Justice & Society.