The CNN Podcast

In this follow-up chat, let's talk all things GRANTS with David Pyoas of DB & Associates. Sheila and Ericka spoke with David in episode #6, when we discussed strategies to build an impactful nonprofit organization.

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Many new nonprofit founders mistakenly expect to fill their bank account with grant money. Unfortunately, there are very few new nonprofits who can say they that grants were their main source of funding during their first few years.

However, you should still know what a grant is, and good tips and tricks to help get your RFP (Request For Proposal) or grant application approved.

David has been writing grants since the 1980s and has an incredible success rate of 86%. This is certainly a number to compare other grant writers to, if you are looking to hire one.

Of course, even this success rate does not guarantee that your nonprofit will be awarded the grant. It does, however, increase the chance that you will make it to the short list of finalists. David shares other parts of your nonprofit, that grant makers will look at, during the review process.

David, Sheila, and Ericka also discuss different ways a nonprofit can expand, incorporating a for-profit arm of the organization.

Oh, but don't leave before the very end, when David, Sheila and Ericka go way back in time, and dust off the memory banks during the "What would you do" segment of the show.

Here is how you can contact David to learn how DB Pyoas & Associates can help grow your nonprofit organizationor your for-profit business:

Website: http://www.dbpyoas.com

Phone: 404-858-8420 (Direct); 843-905-3558 (Office)

Email: [email protected]

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Do you questions or comments for David, Sheila or Ericka? Please leave them in the comments section below, or you may contact us. Thank you!

Sheila and Ericka enjoy an eye-opening discussion, with Salik Sohani of Georgia Muslim Voter Project, and learn about they're creative ways to increase registrations.

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Georgia Muslim Voter Project (GAMVP) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization founded in 2015 in response to the growing anti-Muslim rhetoric that was prevalent in mainstream politics and the low rates of civic engagement in the Muslim community.

GAMVP aims to activate and empower Muslim voters in order to elevate the collective power and voices of all Muslims. We stand for equal representation and justice in all forms.

Salik Sohani, the son of Pakistani-American immigrants, is a Senior Community Organizer with Georgia Muslim Voter Project. Salik graduated from New York University in 2018, where he received a degree in Education. He leads GAMVP's education and policy/advocacy efforts and also supports GAMVP's field organizing team during election seasons.

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Salik, an avid Atlanta Hawks fan, enjoys playing tennis and golf, working out, traveling, and exploring everything Atlanta has to offer in his free time.

Ways to contact Salik and the Georgia Muslim Voter Project

Website: www.gamvp.org

Email: [email protected]

Do you have a question or comment for Salik, Sheila or Ericka? Please write it below. You may also visit the Contact Us page. Thank you!

Until next time... Be awesome and be blessed!

Listen in as Sheila and Ericka have a high-level business discussion with Ben Woodward, co-founder of Nonprofit Elite. Learn about nonprofit organizations - formation and staartup.

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Nonprofit Elite was founded in 2006 to help you explore the benefits of starting a nonprofit organization (public charity or private foundation) and to provide you with assistance during the early stages of planning, formation, and 501c3 tax exemption.

We are a consulting firm that provides document preparation, and we are proud to represent both large and small-budget organizations who understand the value of an efficient, mistake-free startup. We also work directly with law firms and CPA's who outsource their work directly to us.

Much of our work involves the preparation of 501c3 formation documents, including your Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, EIN, and IRS Form 1023–Application for Recognition of Exemption. We also provide expertise in the areas of state and federal compliance, including nation-wide charitable solicitations registration and your annual IRS Form 990 filings.

Ways to contact Ben and Nonprofit Elite:

Website: nonprofitelite.com/contact

Email: [email protected]

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If you found anything in this episode helpful, we kindly ask that you like, share and subscribe to our podcast.

Do you have a question or comment for Ben, Sheila or Ericka? Please write it below. Thank you. Until next time... Be awesome and be blessed!

Volunteers can make or break a community nonprofit organization. We sat down with Rashia van den Ende, a Volunteer with LifeChangers, Inc. What keeps her passionate, and how can nonprofits attract millennials to help out? Let's talk about it!

Rashia van den Ende volunteers as the Communications Organizer with LifeChnagers, Inc., a Cobb County-based 501(c)3 community nonprofit organization. Rashia handles onboarding, training, supervises Interns and Volunteers, and she ensures everyone is aligned with the organization's mission statement.

Rashia is one of the founding staff members of LifeChangers, Inc., as well as our Communications Organizer. Rashia quite literally has her hands in almost every aspect of the organization.

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This young woman has many great responsibilities within our organization, maintains all our social media accounts, takes care our graphic design needs, and tracks our analytics to name a few.

After years of providing customer service in the work force, Rashia decided to join the LifeChangers team to continue to help others in a way that she never thought she would.

Helping those in need has always been a life goal for Rashia, which is part of what drew her to LifeChangers, Inc. This opportunity has not only been a learning experience, but also, has given her a way to put her talents to great use.

Do you have questions for Rashia, Sheila or Ericka? Please write your question or comment below. Thank you!

Listen in as Sheila and Ericka have a candid discussion with Irene Barton, Executive Director of Cobb Collaborative. Topics include childhood eduction and the impact of the pandemic on children and families. This episode is chock-full of information to raise awareness of needs Cobb Collaborative is filling.

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About Irene and the Cobb Collaborative:

Irene Barton was named the Executive Director of the Cobb Collaborative in September 2018 after serving as the organization's Resource Manager since July 2017.

Since becoming the Director, Irene has diversified the Collaborative's funding streams, doubled its membership roster, hired a full-time Program Manager as well as a Communications Director to overhaul and grow the communications channels.

Using the collective impact model, the Collaborative convenes community stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and families in Cobb County and is the local presence for the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. The Collaborative focuses on three priorities:

• 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency as the local contact for the Get GA Reading Campaign
• Mental Health through its Mind Your Mind (Cuida tu Mente) work
• Civic Engagement – voting and engagement at the grassroots level

Irene is a member of the East Cobb Civitans and is the President-Elect. She was recently appointed to the Georgia PTA Board of Directors as the mental health chair and has been presenting to PTA leaders across the state on the importance of mental health, risk factors, protective factors and local resources.

She is the Co-Chair of the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Behavioral Health Workgroup which is charged with implementing the strategies of the current Community Health Improvement Plan and was appointed to the Regional Advisory Committee for DBHDD's Region 1.

In 2022, she was named a Woman of Achievement by LiveSafe Resources. Prior to joining the Collaborative, Irene held numerous volunteer leadership positions with Georgia PTA at the local, district and state level and served on several nonprofit boards in a variety of positions, including as Board Chair.

Irene was selected as a member of the 2021 Regional Leadership Institute Class and was an Education Policy Fellow for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in 2016-17. She is an alumni of the Cobb Chamber's Honorary Commanders program. She worked in the financial services field for a number of years prior to joining the Cobb Collaborative.

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Irene and her husband Steve have resided in Cobb County for 30 years and are the proud parents of a daughter who is enrolled at Georgia Tech and a son who is a freshman at Auburn University. Her "favorite" child is their rescue dog, Harper. The Bartons are parishioners at the Catholic Church of St. Ann. Irene enjoys reading nonfiction and running in her spare time.

Do you have a question or comment for Irene, Sheila or Ericka ? Please leave your question or comment below. Feel free to contact us privately. Thank you!

Enjoy a boat load of laughs as Sheila ad Ericka have a blast while sharing innovative funding ideas that you can implement in your community nonprofit organization TODAY!

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Learn what and how you can use various funding platforms - crowdfunding campaigns, grants, public donations and other sources.

DISCLAIMER: Sheila Hardy, Ericka Scott, their respective nonprofit organizations nor The CNN Podcast are professional accounting or legal professionals. All information shared in this podcast, is from our own experience. Please do your own due diligence.

In this episode discuss the difference between a nonprofit on the state level, and a 501(c)3 - or whichever type of nonprofit organization you plan to form.

We also discuss crowdfunding options, bank fees to be aware of, ways that a nonprofit without a 501(c)3, could raise money for their organization.

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We are here to shine the spotlight on your community nonprofit organization. We want all the good work you and your organization are doing, to be heard.

Feel free to contact us with questions.

In this episode, Sheila and Ericka continue the heartfelt discussion about the hurdles that community nonprofit organizations face, whether they are new or seasoned, but have hit a plateau.

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Let us discuss:

1. The technical hurdles Founders face
2. Networking, or lack thereof, with other community nonprofit organizations
3. How does the 80/20 rule, Pareto's Principle, play a major role in in the nonprofit world?

Listen up and grab a few golden nuggets that can help you see the hurdles you are facing, as a great lesson learned. You will get past xyz if you learn to borrow lessons from others.

This is a BIG reason The CNN Podcast was created. There really is NO reason for each new or struggling community nonprofit organization to go through the EXACT SAME issues as the seasoned nonprofit organizations.

Ericka shares many similarities between owning a business in the for-profit space and now, founding a nonprofit organization. She describes a solution that would help ALL nonprofit makes a hearty contribution to solve many of the world's problems… Yes!

Sheila shares some of her woes as it relates to attempting to network with other nonprofits, large and small. This has been a major hurdle for Sheila's nonprofit, Because It is Personal.

How to contact and support Sheila and Ericka:

Sheila Hardy, Founder and CEO, Because It is Personal, Inc.

Transformation Life Coach, Common Sense TransformationalLC.com

Ericka Scott, Executive Director, LifeChangers, Inc.

Christian Life and Business Coach, Life by the Book Coaching

Please like, share, and subscribe to our podcast. Thank you!

Did we miss anything? Do you have a question or comment for Sheila or Ericka? Please leave it below. Thank you!

In this awesome, fun-filled "Just Us" episode, Sheila and Ericka share a boat load of goodies in this impactful episode of The CNN Podcast!

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Whether you are still in the planning stages of starting your nonprofit organization, or you have been a community nonprofit organization for years, but have hit a plateau, you will find something in the episode helpful.

Sheila and Ericka discuss the hurdles many nonprofit organizations faced, and they share helpful information on how to get through them.

Although Sheila and Ericka face their own hurdles from a Godly viewpoint, they also share how those who are not Believers can deal with the hurdles they face in their nonprofit organization.

Please subscribe to our podcast from your favorite podcast player. We ask that you share this podcast with your family, friends, and online community. Thank you!

Is there anything you would add to this discussion? We love input! Please leave your comment below. Thank you!

In this episode, Sheila and Ericka discuss homelessness with Dr. John Morgan of Cobb Hope Park. What are some of the biggest hurdles facing organizations that want to create solutions?

Listen up because you might be surprised at what Dr. John Morgan shares about why Cobb Hope Park came to a screeching halt a few years ago..

A native Texan, retired university professor and dean, Dr. John Morgan has volunteered many years with metro charities serving the homeless, including Cobb's Center for Family Resources, MUST Ministries, the Samaritan House (now Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency), and more recently, Marietta First United Methodist Church's Good Samaritan Outreach, where he started a job search and bike ministry.

As a member of Cobb's Faith Partnership, and Cobb Collaborative's Homelessness Awareness Strategy Team Effort, he leads the latter's Homeless Shelter subcommittee and regularly performs at its Memorial/Vigil for deceased homeless/veterans.

He led a team of citizens, social workers, faith representatives, officers and teachers in presenting the county with "A Feasibility Study for an Unsheltered Homeless Outreach Portal Program in Cobb County" that envisions a Cobb Hope Park.

With the onset of the pandemic, he now supplies more than 35 regional charities with weekly lists of job fairs/events, training opportunities, including hundreds of various postings/notices and other helpful employment resources.

He lives in Marietta, GA, with his wife Shirley, a retired special education/reading teacher; they have a grown daughter, a social worker, and son/computer entrepreneur in Washington, D.C.

Contact Dr. John Morgan: [email protected]

Do you have a question or comment for Dr. John Morgan, Sheila or Ericka? Please leave your comment or questions below. You may contact us privately by visiting our Contact Us page. Thank you!

Volunteer, Grand/Mother, former addict and felon… Candace Williams shares how she turned her life around. She also shares the hurdles facing people in her same situation.

In this episode, Sheila and Ericka speak with Candace Williams, a Volunteer with Because It's Personal, Inc. While working and living at the YWCA, I implemented several programs.

One was My Sister's Closet. It was created and used to dress the women in business attire for job interviews. All the clothing came through donations from the community.

The second program I started, was the Monthly Meet and Greet. Once a month we met to introduce new residents and to check in on some of the long care residents. During my time there I realized that it can be uncomfortable to meet new people and also you can slip into a depression or be going through something and not know how to reach out for help.

The third and final program I started, was Movie/ Game Night. One night, every two weeks, we all played cards or watched a movie in a family type setting.

To connect with Candace, reach her via email: [email protected]

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