SHREVEPORT – Perfect timing.

For young nonprofit organizations finding their way or mature nonprofits that have a legacy in northwest Louisiana, organizational leaders said they couldn’t have picked a better time to participate in the intensive Nonprofit Capacity Building Cohort.

The 10-member cohort celebrated the culmination of the eight-month professional development journey with a final project presentation in which they shared the impact the cohort and the project had on their nonprofit.

The cohort was offered through LSUS’s Institute of Nonprofit Administration and Research and funded by a grant from the Carolyn W. and Charles T. Beaird Family Foundation.

Rae Phillips of HARK was facing a crisis as the vast majority of her funding comes from federal grants.

“All of our grants seem to be disappearing as I was accepted into this cohort, so I was able to come in here and form a plan,” said Phillips, who leads an organization designed to celebrate Ark-La-Tex history by fostering communication between youth and elders. “The grants landscape is changing, so we’re diversifying our revenue streams.

“We’re developing a sponsorship campaign with unique opportunities tied into our Reading Huddle program and creating an annual fundraiser. I have new hope for the future.”

Nonprofit leaders participated in 10 workshops around various topics like fundraising, board development, organizational efficiency and marketing and brand recognition.

Paired with local nonprofit mentors and with assistance from LSUS faculty members, nonprofit directors identified organizational needs and created a project to address at least one of those needs.

Keep Bossier Beautiful knows what it’s like to lose its main funding source as volunteers called “Greenies” kept the organization alive from 2011 to 2020, when the organization regained its funding.

Now executive director Lynn Bryan said lessons from the cohort is rejuvenating an organization five years into her stewardship.

“This cohort has come at a perfect time, and we’re gaining momentum from tools and resources to keep growing,” Bryan said. “We need renewed visibility for the organization and for the city, so we developed a plan to bring a gateway sign.

“We developed a messaging and storytelling strategy to create a campaign for a bold entrance sign for Bossier City.”

Veteran nonprofit leader Terri Mathews knows about community connection with Downtown Shreveport Unlimited, which puts on celebrations like Mudbug Madness, Rockets over The Red, and Paddy in the Plaza.

Visibility isn’t necessarily DSU’s main challenge, it’s identity and brand awareness from related downtown entities like Downtown Shreveport Development Authority.

“We needed a little refreshing, and our new logo which features our prominent festivals (includes a mudbug, fireworks, clover, and a beer mug) tells our story better,” Mathews said. “We’ve got a new standalone website that features press releases, podcasts and interviews.

“All of this supports our mission of being the quality-of-life arm for Downtown Shreveport in charge of cultural events and beautification.”

Emerie Holtzclaw is using music and culture to reach a different part of Shreveport as the leader of Highland Area Partnership, whose signature event is the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival in Columbia Park.

The organization reclassified this past year to become eligible for grants related to culture and the arts.

“We’ve updated all of our bylaws (some of which hadn’t been touched since the organization’s start in 1992) and reworked our policies and procedures to more accurately reflect who we are,” Holtzclaw said. “Our festival is free, so what comes with that is limited staff and funding to operate.

“But we identified a new event app that streamlined everything from volunteer and vendor coordination to managing our sponsorships. We’re using that extra time saved to focus on our organization and not have all our time spent on the festival.”

Music is a social connector for Bennie Dotie and the MLK Neighborhood Association. The organization has a choir as one method to connect the community’s senior citizens to its youth.

But the retired educator said he needed a lot of education in operating a nonprofit, something he’s found through the cohort.

“We want to establish different streams of income so we’re not totally dependent on grants, and part of that is identifying and partnering with people who have certain skills,” said Dotie, who is an accomplished photographer. “We’ve developed programming like a tennis shoe design workshop through Caddo Parks and Recreation and a technology literacy workshop where teenagers teach our seniors how to use iPads and cell phones.

“We’re looking for people who see the same needs that we do and want to help, and I can’t thank (INAR executive director Dr. Heather Carpenter) and her staff enough for the opportunity to be in this cohort.”

One indicator of a neighborhood’s health is the condition of residents’ teeth.

Dr. Anneka Alexander with Miles for Smiles D.E.P.O.T. is aiming to expand her dental health education program to be a consistent force in schools across northwest Louisiana.

That journey begins with a single step, which Alexander is planning to take with one Shreveport school this spring.

“The need for dental care is something I see on a daily basis,” Alexander said. “Some of our children’s teeth are nothing but pebbles, and the pain caused by dental issues is immense.

“We’re expanding on two projects – delivering toothbrushes to go with our education clinics and funds for sedation when restorative procedures are needed. We’re showing children how to advocate for themselves when it comes to brushing and flossing but also the foods and drinks they consume.”

Processing grief and trauma is another method to improve neighborhood health, and that’s where Martha Tyler and Moms on a Mission steps in.

Her organization assists mothers who’ve lost a child to gun violence, creating a support community that includes access to professional counselors and wellness coaches.

The organization has branched out to other support activities like throwing community baby showers for expecting mothers.

Tyler used cohort knowledge to create a promotional video.

“This has been an amazing experience, and I’ve learned so much from board development to using tools like Canva and AI to creating plans for marketing and financial management,” Tyler said. “I’m so grateful to (Carpenter) and her staff.”

The Junior League of Shreveport Bossier and Volunteers for Youth Justice focus on the betterment of women and children, and cohort member Alex Person wanted the organization to turn some of that focus on self-improvement.

Person said a fast-growing Volunteers for Youth Justice staff didn’t feel as connected to each other while the Junior League is attempting to improve membership retention through meaningful social media engagement.

“Feeling recognized and connected was the central issue in both organizations, although for different reasons,” Person said. “We implemented things like staff spotlights at meetings and happy birthday posts to recognize our members.

“The engagement from those simple actions has been incredible.”

Internal improvement was also the focus of Jessica Gorman and the Dorcheat Historical Association & Museum, a Minden entity that preserves and promotes Webster Parish history.

Gorman pinpointed board development as the key.

“We didn’t have established expectations or clearly defined roles and responsibilities, which resulted in frustration,” Gorman said. “We’ve clarified those responsibilities and put policies and procedures in place to create a sense of ownership.

“Our board is an asset to carry out our mission, and we’ve put in place a structured onboarding process to help new board members become successful.”

No matter what actions these nonprofits put in place, the ability to measure results of those actions is essential to organizational growth.

Jazmin Jernigan of the LSUS Alumni Association is instituting a membership drive to capture more of LSUS’s 41,000 alumni.

“Our goal is to deliver meaningful programs that inspire our alumni to remain connected to our university and invest in its future,” Jernigan said. “Part of that is to clearly communicate membership benefits through new marketing strategies and campaigns.

“We’re creating a more robust feedback loop to better meet the needs of our members and foster an increased sense of community.”

For more information about how to apply for the next nonprofit cohort, visit INAR’s website or connect via email at inar@lsus.edu.