Brunswick County Community Foundation hosts nonprofit seminar to help local charities build fundraising capacity

The Brunswick County Community Foundation recently partnered with the Ocean Ridge Charities Association to present a seminar for nonprofits on accessing corporate matching gifts. The seminar was facilitated by OCRA founding president and BCCF board member Mike Gildea.

The seminar emphasized best practices for working with donors who are current employees or retirees of over 4,000 U.S. companies and foundations. These essential donors can oftentimes double or even triple their contributions to nonprofits. Such corporate matching gifts can have a significant impact on funds that target community needs. Gildea provided additional information on how local nonprofits can access the Ocean Ridge Charities website, orcharities.org, to determine if donors can obtain matching corporate gifts.

“The program was fantastic,” said Brunswick Family Assistance Executive Director Stephanie Bowen. “Anytime nonprofits have an opportunity to maximize available resources, we must take advantage.”

Twenty-three representatives from 19 local charities attended the seminar, which was hosted by the Brunswick Electrical Membership corporation. Seminar participants also received a comprehensive toolkit designed to help nonprofits launch their matching gift efforts. The seminar concluded with Gildea emphasizing the importance of tapping all available resources to help Brunswick County’s nonprofits realize the needs of its citizens. J.C. Lyle, executive director of the Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry Inc. said, “The Ocean Ridge Charities Association and the Brunswick County Community Foundation strengthened nonprofits’ ability to help themselves.”