Capacity Building

New Tools Provide More Than $250,000 in Added Value for Grantees

October 17, 2024By

Nonprofits can now access Foundation Directory Pro (FDP) and GuideStar Pro through the Candid Community App at the United Midcoast Charities (UMC) offices in Camden.  As a Funding Information Network Location, UMC can help nonprofits access hundreds of thousands of potential funders. Previously, those without a pro subscription would have to go to Portland to access this information. 

Utilizing FDP, nonprofits gain comprehensive and current insights to drive their searches. The extensive profile of each grantmaker provides valuable insights into their past grants, the causes they fund, how much they typically give out, and who is connected to each organization. This helps identify and prioritize the most suitable funders. Since 90% of U.S. foundations lack websites, finding funders through a standard internet search is nearly impossible. FDP connects nonprofits with philanthropists eager to support their missions.

GuideStar Pro is the most comprehensive source of nonprofit information available, with access to 1.8 million+ nonprofits. With the most advanced search and analysis tool for researching nonprofits, organizations can search and filter by organization, type, size and location, detailed cause areas and populations served, and see in-depth organizational financial information.

New to Foundation Directory? The staff at UMC are trained to assist organizations in getting started. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, email admin@unitedmidcoastcharities.org, or call the UMC office at 207-236-2299.

A recent workshop was held for 2024 Grantees to be introduced to the tools with opportunity for hands on experience. Thirteen grantees attended this first L.E.A.R.N. @ UMC event and left saying things like “`Many thanks to you for a super enlightening morning!” and “It was a great workshop! I am excited to take advantage of all these resources!!”

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Learn with UMC: Effective Relationships with Wealth Managers

February 27, 2020By

Our March offering in the Learn with UMC series, Effective Relationships with Wealth Managers, will take place from 9-11 am on March 13, at 16 Bayview in Camden. This event is sponsored by First National Wealth Management.

Invested funds are a critical tool in nonprofit finance. They allow the organization to adapt to situations of rapid change, address emerging needs, and plan for the long term. Portfolio managers Gary E. Stone and Christopher J. Shelton will discuss how to know if an endowment is right for your organization and answer important questions about how to start. Who is the best investment manager to oversee the administrative and fiduciary requirements to properly maintain the endowment? How do you find services to manage your endowment? What other things should you consider?

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KCareyWorkshopCapacity Building

United Midcoast Charities offers Grantseeking: Goals & Objectives

February 5, 2020By

UMC’s next free Learn with UMC event, Grantseeking: Goals & Objectives will be offered at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb 28 at the Picker Room of the Camden Public Library. UMC program coordinator Kelly Carey will offer hands-on coaching about writing a winning grant application with concrete goals and objectives.

All around the nation, funders are increasingly moving to data-informed, outcome-focused grantmaking strategies. That means that it’s critical for nonprofits to clearly and concretely explain what they expect to do, and why they expect their activities will make difference to a social problem.

This workshop is recommended for anyone with grant-writing responsibilities, but especially for those who plan to apply for a UMC grant in 2020.  Pre-learning resources and post-workshop support are included in registration.

The workshop is free but we request that attendees register here to assist in planning. Refreshments will be provided.

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Agency Events

UMC Offers Board Boot Camp for Beginners

September 6, 2019By

A Learn With UMC event
Board Boot Camp for Beginners will be held at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast from 9 a.m. -3 p.m. on October 17. This event is offered in partnership with Maine Association of Nonprofits.

Do you ever worry about whether the board you’re on is covering all of its bases – or whether there’s some outstanding risk or liability that you’ve overlooked? This workshop will provide participants with a working understanding of the legal, fiduciary and governance obligations of nonprofit boards of directors. Attendees will gain clarity regarding the “must do” and “should do” tasks that every board faces and acquire strategies for engaging current and potential new board members in sharing the workload. Everyone will leave with an action plan for increasing the effectiveness of their board and heightened confidence regarding nonprofit board governance in an increasingly complex environment.

This session is for you if you are new to nonprofit governance, if you wonder whether your board is covering all its bases, or if your organization has grown beyond its grassroots origins but the board has not.
This program is intended for current board members, including new board members with little to no experience serving on boards as well as more experienced board members who want a refresher. Executive directors are welcome to attend with other board members, and it is strongly suggested that teams of 2-3 from the same organization attend together for most benefit. A maximum of three participants will be allowed to register from each organization.

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Capacity Building

UMC offers Benefits Options for Nonprofits Workshop

May 17, 2019By

 A Learn with UMC Event

The June offering in our free educational series, Learn with UMC: Benefits Options for Nonprofits, will be held at the Picker Room of the Camden Library at 3 p.m. on June 6.  This two-hour workshop will discuss options for a variety of nonprofit employee benefits packages.

Nonprofit boards sometimes consider employee benefits an unnecessary expense and avoid including them in their budget. However, Maine Association of Nonprofit’s 2018 nonprofit compensation report indicates that Maine’s nonprofit wages are stagnant despite a cross-sector labor shortage. Nonprofit employees may be forced to look to other sectors to keep up with the rising cost of living.  A strong benefits package can help recruit and retain the top-quality staff that nonprofits rely on to accomplish their mission.

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Learn With UMC: Track Your Impact data workshop

April 5, 2019By

We are pleased to announce the next offering in our new free educational series for local nonprofits, Learn with UMC. Presenters from USM’s Data Innovation Project will offer a Track Your Impact workshop, designed to help nonprofits use data to achieve their intended impact, on May 8 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the United Farmers Market in Belfast.

Funders of all kinds increasingly expect nonprofits to demonstrate their impact through program data. As nonprofits are expected to take on more work previously funded by the public sector and competition for charitable dollars increases, effective data can give crucial strength to a nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. Effective use of data can improve every aspect of nonprofit impact, from guiding strategic direction and program development to dramatically improving fundability.

Learn with UMC: Track Your Impact will guide participants from Knox and Waldo county nonprofit organizations through the purpose and processes of developing a performance measurement approach. Attendees will define what they want to measure, set priorities, craft quality measurement objectives, and learn how to foster a data-informed culture in their organizations. Attendees will leave with a firm foundation in how to build a performance measurement plan, a clear next step, and a workbook to support them going forward.

There is no cost to participate, but space is limited so registration is required. Please register here.

About the presenters:

The Data Innovation Project was founded with support from the Maine Economic Improvement Fund and is housed within the Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy at the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine. The Data Innovation Project improves Maine’s capacity for data-informed decision making by providing access to affordable information and instruction, skilled technical assistance, and open access to a growing body of resources.

SIGN UP FOR THIS WORKSHOP

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Nonprofit Marketing and Branding 101 & 102 Workshops Offered

February 11, 2019By

A Learn with UMC Event

We are pleased to announce the next offerings in our free educational series, Learn with UMC: Nonprofit Marketing and Branding 101 on March 8 and Nonprofit Marketing & Branding 102 on April 5. Presenters from United Midcoast Charities’ communication committee will offer an interactive and hands-on series of workshops, drawing on their 190 years of combined experience in the field to help address current marketing needs of local nonprofits.

Please join the United Midcoast Charities’ Communication Committee for a series of two workshops designed to help your organization develop a marketing plan or enhance your marketing efforts. Whether organizations don’t know where to start, or have started and would like some guidance as they take next steps, this workshop series can help.

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Gift Acceptance, Investment & Spending Policies Workshop Feb. 7

January 28, 2019By

First in Educational Series

United Midcoast Charities will offer a series of free educational opportunities on topics essential to nonprofit sustainability and impact throughout 2019. This series was developed in response to needs expressed by UMC’s nonprofit grantees and is made possible with support from donors and sponsors. Our goal is that attending nonprofits will emerge equipped to make a stronger impact than ever!

Midcoast nonprofit representatives are invited to register for UMC’s inaugural workshop in the series, Gift Acceptance, Investment & Spending Policies. Join us on Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. at Allen Insurance and Financial, 34 Elm St. in Camden to learn the hows and whys of developing your gift acceptance and investment policies with experienced gift planners, Abe Dugal and Sarah Ruef-Lindquist. This opportunity is open to nonprofit board members and executives who have a hand in developing organizational polices. Space is limited so registration is requested in advance. Call UMC at 236-2299 with any further questions.

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