United Midcoast Charities (UMC) is pleased to announce the next session in its popular LEARN@UMC series: Unlocking Success: Choosing the Right Fundraising Counsel for Your Organization. The workshop will be led by Sarah Emerson, Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising, and will take place on Wednesday, October 8 from 9am – 10:30am at the UMC offices in Camden. This is one you won’t want to miss.
In today’s competitive nonprofit landscape, choosing the right fundraising consultant can make all the difference in achieving development goals. During this interactive workshop, Emerson will guide participants through the key factors to consider when evaluating and selecting fundraising counsel. Topics will include:
The role and benefits of hiring a consultant
How external partners differ from in-house development teams
Criteria for assessing the best fit for your organization
Real-world examples of successful partnerships
The session is designed to equip nonprofit leaders, board members, and development staff with practical tools to make informed decisions that support sustainable fundraising success.
About the Presenter Sarah Emerson has more than 20 years of experience helping nonprofits maximize their impact. Since joining CCS Fundraising in 2015, she has led dozens of organizations through major campaigns, development assessments, and strategic planning processes. Her expertise spans areas such as campaign management, donor trend analysis, and board training. A Maine native, Emerson is passionate about partnering with nonprofit leaders to design comprehensive plans that drive long-term growth.
Registration is now open. The workshop is free for current UMC grantee organizations and available to other area nonprofits for a $20 fee. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. To RSVP, call 207-236-2299 or email admin@unitedmidcoastcharities.org.
Thank you for participating in our June LEARN@UMC self-care session! We hope the time gave you space to rest, reflect, or reset.
Now we’d love to hear about your experience. Upload a quick selfie and tell us in one or two sentences how you used the time and what it meant to you.
We’ll compile all responses into a shared resource for the nonprofit community—and enter you into a drawing for a 60-minute massage!
LEARN @ UMC: Self-Care Reflection Form
Don’t forget: One entry per person, and each entry needs both a selfie + reflection to be entered into the massage giveaway. Entries due by midnight June 20.
Nonprofit work is never easy, and this year has stretched all of us. From shifting funding landscapes to increasing community needs, the stress can be relentless—and it’s taking a toll.
So this month, LEARN@UMC is doing something different. Instead of a traditional workshop, we’re dedicating this time entirely to you.
On Tuesday, June 18, from 9:00–10:30 AM, we invite you to use this time—however you choose—for self-care. That might mean:
Taking a mindful walk outdoors
Sitting in silence with a cup of tea or coffee
Journaling, meditating, or reading something inspiring
Getting outside and gardening
Doing absolutely nothing for 90 whole minutes
Whatever feels restorative to you. The point is, give yourself permission to pause.
This session is free and open to all nonprofits. Please RSVP as usual so we can track participation—and because we’d love for you to be part of what comes next.
Afterward, we invite you to share a quick selfie and a sentence or two about how you used the time and how it made you feel. We’ll compile your reflections into a collective resource and share it with all participants—something uplifting to remind us that we’re in this work together.
Bonus! Every reflection we receive will be entered into a drawing to win a 60-minute massage gift certificate. Because you deserve it.
You always show up for your community. This time, show up for yourself.
United Midcoast Charities’ next installment of our LEARN@UMC workshop series will be held on Monday, May 12th from 12noon – 1:30pm in the Jean Picker Room at the Camden Public Library. Please note due to scheduling conflicts May’s workshop will be held on a Monday, not our typical Wednesday. We are really excited about this one! Presented by Patrick Gotham, Vice President at CCS Fundraising, this hands-on session will introduce nonprofit professionals to practical ways AI can enhance their daily work–from writing prompts that yield better results to integrating AI into workflows for content creation, donor strategy, and more.
Participants will explore key AI tools and terminology while learning how to build confidence and momentum around AI adoption within their organizations. This interactive session is designed to make artificial intelligence accessible, actionable, and immediately useful. Make sure to bring your lunch as this will be a brown bag session!
Free for 2024 UMC grantee organizations. $20 for anyone else wishing to attend. We are expecting a great turnout for this one, which is why we are moving it to a larger space. Please email admin@unitedmidcoastcharities.org to register. Your registration confirmation email will include a link to a google form with a couple of quick questions to gauge the audience’s comfort level with AI so Patrick can better tailor the presentation and hands-on examples to meet folks where they are – whether that’s beginner level or a bit more advanced.
United Midcoast Charities (UMC) would like to announce its next LEARN@UMC workshop, “Event Planning for Nonprofits”, which will be held on Wednesday, April 9, from 9 am to 10:30 am at the UMC office in Camden. UMC is partnering with Kristen Winters, former owner and creative director of Beehive Creative. Kristen brings over 13 years of experience in designing meaningful and timeless events in Maine. Known for her deep love of coastal beauty and her ability to create elegant celebrations, Kristen collaborated with talented teams to bring her clients’ visions to life. Her expertise has been featured in various print and online publications, showcasing her success in the wedding industry.
In addition to her professional achievements, Kristen has generously shared her event planning expertise with local nonprofits through her involvement in board affiliations and community initiatives. In 2023, she made the bittersweet decision to step away from wedding planning to focus on her family and spend more summers with her daughter. Today, Kristen continues her work as a dedicated clinician, supporting children, adolescents, adults, and families through her roles in school-based settings and private practice. She is also an active member of the Sundog Outdoor Leadership Initiative board.
Join with other Little Green Light users to plan the user group topics for 2025. We all have our favorite ways of using our favorite little CRM. Now’s your chance to share your expertise, and learn from others how they’re using the tools available. You’re sure to come away with new information every time!
Discover the benefits of Foundation Directory, how to get your GuideStar seals of transparency, and preview a couple other tricks we’ve got up our sleeve.
Funders often ask nonprofits to demonstrate their impact through internal data. Nonprofits trying to meet this expectation sometimes collect disorganized, unwieldy information that is expensive and difficult to use. In the best cases, well-conducted and managed data can radically improve program results and improve funding prospects.
Your own program research can return robust information to inform and improve your program’s impact, but lean organizations know it is critical to make research efforts count. In this workshop you will learn how to design simple and effective interviews, focus groups, and surveys that get the information you need.
Join us at United Farmer’s Market in Belfast from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 to learn how to design simple, low-cost data collection methods with the Data Innovation Project. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited so pre-registration is required.
***CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY
Please note that while this event is free, the experience is valuable and wait-lists are long. We require cancellation at least 48 hours in advance to fill your seat from the wait-list. If you are unable to attend at late notice, please arrange for a substitute to attend in your place. If you cancel without a substitute within 48 hours or otherwise don’t show, you will be charged a fee of $50.00.
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
**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED, LOOK FOR A NEW DATE SOON.
This interactive panel will take place at 16 Bayview (downstairs) in Camden on Friday, Mar 13 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Breakfast will be provided. This session is sponsored by First National Wealth Management.
Once you’ve determined an endowment is right for your organization, there are a number of questions to be asking yourself like: Who is the best investment manager to oversee the administrative and fiduciary requirements to properly maintain the endowment? How do you go about finding services to manage your endowment? What other things should you be considering?
In this session, First National Wealth Management panelists, along with the Treasurer of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, will share insights and lessons on how effective a successful relationship with your investment manager can be for the nonprofit.
***CANCELLATION/NO SHOW POLICY
Please note that while this event is free, the experience is valuable and wait-lists are long. We require cancellation at least 48 hours in advance to fill your seat from the wait-list. If you are unable to attend at late notice, please arrange for a substitute to attend in your place. If you cancel without a substitute within 48 hours or otherwise don’t show, you will be charged a fee of $50.00.
About the Panel:
Shareen Palmacci: Shareen is a Senior in the firm’s Not-For-Profit Group. She works with a variety of clients throughout Maine, where she helps them with audits, accounting, Uniform Guidance, and MAAP compliance audits. With a specialization in federal and state compliance auditing, Shareen helps her clients understand the complex requirements unique to their specific funding models. She utilizes internal and external resources to determine and focus on the elements that are crucial to the organization’s audit. Shareen is an active volunteer in her local community. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.
Gary E. Stone, Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Senior Business Development Officer: Gary joined First National Wealth Management in 2010, bringing with him 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry including stints at Liberty Brokerage and Cantor Fitzgerald Securities in New York, Banknorth Investment Management and Camden National in Maine. A graduate of Bowdoin College, Gary serves on the board of and is active in many local non-profits including the Salt Bay Chamberfest, Camp Kieve, Rising Tide Cooperative Market, and the Damariscotta Newcastle Rotary Club. Gary and his family reside in Newcastle.
Christopher J. Shelton, Portfolio Manager: Joining First National Wealth Management in 2019, Chris is pleased to be back in the Ellsworth area after living and working in Southern Maine. Prior to joining FNWM, Chris worked as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Portland for over 7 years. Chris graduated from the University of Maine with a BS in Business Administration with a Finance Concentration in 2010. Chris has completed his Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses. Chris currently resides in Ellsworth with his wife, son and their two dogs.
Nazrin Dixon, Vice President, Business Development Officer: Nazrin Dixon joined First National Wealth Management with the opening of First National Bank’s Bangor branch in 2013. Nazrin brought five years of retail banking experience to her new role. Prior to joining First National Wealth Management, Nazrin worked as a Branch Manager in the Key Bank system, overseeing the Skowhegan, Waterville and Newport locations during her time at Key. Nazrin has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College and enjoys volunteering in the Greater Bangor community. Nazrin and her family live in Newport.
Necole Dabrio Janczura, Business Development Officer: Joining First National Wealth Management in 2017, Niki Dabrio Janczura was born and raised in Mid-coast Maine. Niki attended the University of Maine and brings 25 years of non-profit experience to her role as Business Development Officer. During her career at two world-class museums, Niki played a vital role during transitions of leaderships and in many new initiatives. Donor cultivation, volunteer resource and event management round out her experience and underscores her commitment to building relationships. Niki and her family reside in Cushing.
UMC program coordinator Kelly Carey will offer hands-on coaching on how to write a winning grant application with concrete goals and objectives at 3pm, February 28th, at the Picker Room of the Camden Public Library.
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 in advance to assist in planning. Refreshments will be provided.
Kelly Carey is program coordinator at United Midcoast Charities. She is the primary contact for questions about the 2020 grant cycle and may be reached at kelly@unitedmidcoastcharities.org.
