August 19, 2022
Over 100 local nonprofit representatives participated in Bayou Community Foundation’s 2022 Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference on Thursday, August 18 at Fletcher Technical Community College. The conference, sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, was designed to help local nonprofit staff and volunteers strengthen their organizations and their community programs, with presentations on disaster recovery, capacity building, emergency planning, fundraising, and grant writing.
“Our Lafourche, Terrebonne and Grand Isle nonprofits have experienced a one-two punch over the past two years, with the pandemic and Hurricane Ida severely impacting their staff, operations, and facilities. Through it all, our local nonprofits have risen to the challenge to meet the ever-increasing needs of residents,” said Bayou Community Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Armand.
“With this year’s Bayou Region Nonprofit Conference, Bayou Community Foundation focused on giving nonprofit leaders a chance to reconnect and recharge, while learning how to build their organizations’ resiliency and impact as our community recovers. It was so wonderful to see everyone in person again, and we are delighted with the tremendous participation,” she said.
The fourth annual event returned to an in-person format this year following a virtual program in 2021, and included six presentations from speakers whose work helps nonprofits thrive, including the gbobal Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The conference also featured a panel discussion with grant funders from the BCBSLA Foundation, Danos Foundation, Entergy, Greater New Orleans Foundation and Bayou Community Foundation, who described their nonprofit grant programs and offered tips to help nonprofits succeed with grant requests.
“Over the last several years, charitable giving and fundraising has changed dramatically and even more so for South Louisiana as we adapt to our new post-Ida environment. Attending the conference allowed fellow nonprofit professionals to come together in-person to share ideas, identify new trends and best practices, and most importantly, collaborate for the betterment of our community,” said conference participant Elmy Savoie, Executive Director of Terrebonne General Health System Foundation.
