The Bayou Community Foundation, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Fletcher Technical Community College hosted the inaugural Bayou Region Conference for Nonprofits on Thursday, July 26, 2018 at Fletcher’s campus in Schriever. More than 100 representatives from area nonprofits learned how to strengthen their fund development efforts at the “Focus on Funding” learning event that featured renowned speakers and trainers on topics such as Building a Culture of Philanthropy, Marketing on a Shoe String Budget, and Using Social Media to Fundraise.

“The Bayou Community Foundation is happy to have partnered with the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Fletcher Community College to offer this exciting new conference for Bayou Region nonprofits, and we are grateful to our sponsors for their help. To have so many local nonprofits come together for one day to learn, to share and to grow was truly incredible,” said Bayou Community Foundation Coordinator Jennifer Armand.

“Each attendee represented an organization that is doing something really amazing to help our neighbors in need or advocate for a critical issue, and doing that work well depends on donor support. By investing in our local nonprofits, we are making our precious coastal community stronger, and that’s what the Bayou Community Foundation is all about,” she said.

The nonprofit conference also included booths with nonprofit service vendors and culminated with a panel discussion by representatives of local grant funders including Chevron, Danos Foundation, Entergy Louisiana, the Louisiana Bar Foundation and the Bayou Community Foundation. This panel was moderated by Greater New Orleans Foundation CEO Andy Kopplin. The panelists discussed their institutions’ grant programs, how nonprofits can apply for grants, and tips for strengthening grant requests.

“As the community foundation serving the 13-parish region of Southeast Louisiana, the Greater New Orleans Foundation is proud to support Bayou region nonprofits and help strengthen their fundraising skills,” said Greater New Orleans Foundation CEO Andy Kopplin. “We believe this conference will drive positive impact in the community thanks to the new and improved skills and techniques that Bayou region nonprofits will take home with them.”

“Fletcher Community College was honored to serve as host for the inaugural Bayou Region Conference for Nonprofits,” said Dr. Kristine Strickland, Chancellor of Fletcher Technical Community College. “The educational and training opportunities provided at the conference are directly aligned with Fletcher’s mission and our participation is fundamental to who we are as a community college. The nonprofit organizations in our region work diligently to provide services and opportunities for residents, uplift our community and promote an enhanced quality of life for all,” she said.

“The conference was a wonderful opportunity to network with other nonprofits that have similar challenges and visions for meeting the needs of our communities as we do. Hearing from the panel of local foundation members was especially beneficial, providing insight on their selection process,” said Lafourche ARC Executive Director Wendy Eschete.

Sponsors for the Bayou Region Conference for Nonprofits were Cenac Marine, Digital Insyte LLC, Synergy Bank, Simply Nonprofits and Buquet Distributing. Planning committee members included Kellie Chavez Greene, GNOF; Jennifer Armand, BCF; Chandler LeBoeuf, Fletcher; Wendy Eschete, Lafourche ARC; Julie Pellegrin, The Haven; Rebecca Thibodeaux, Simply Nonprofits; Kevin Champagne, MacDonell Children’s Services; and Paul Labat, The Foundation for TGMC.