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however, could fully prepare McAninch and the nonprofits he serves for the paradoxical dilemma posed by COVID-19: how to address pressing community needs for food, shelter and other necessities with nonprofit staff and volunteers sapped by the extreme need, scarce resources and changing and uncertain times. What prompted you to leave the media world? My last job in television was as the chief marketing officer at News 9 San Antonio. In 2004, the station was pulled off the air. Because of my work with nonprofits over my broadcasting career, I received a call from the chair of The Nonprofit Council (TNC) to talk about a part-time contract position to help with the day-to-day operation of the board and committee work. In 2006, I was hired full-time as the only paid employee to expand my role as executive director. And as the council grew in member organizations and budget size, I was promoted to CEO in 2012. Since my first position with TNC, the organization has grown from 29 nonprofit members to over 200, expanded our operating budget from under $25,000 to $500,000, and grown the staff from one full-time person to three.
Nonprofit Champion If Scott McAninch learned anything during a difficult 2020, it’s that San Antonio needs nonprofits more than ever INTERVIEW BY KATHERINE STINSON
ike many of us, Scott McAninch never had a reason to join a Zoom call before the COVID-19 pandemic. But on the menu of stresses prompted by an unprecedented 2020, new modes of communication ranked pretty low. Before becoming CEO of The Nonprofit Council, which organizes the annual citywide donation day the Big Give, McAninch spent nearly two decades working in TV. Since leaving the media universe, he’s supported hundreds of South Texas nonprofits by helping them navigate the inevitable funding, logistics and staffing challenges. No experience,
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Education: Bachelor of Arts, Marketing/ Communications, California University of Pennsylvania Proudest Big Give Moment: Repurposing thebiggivesa.org last March four days before the scheduled Big Give to host a COVID Emergency Relief Fund, which raised nearly $1 million.
What was last year like for nonprofits? I think overall it was fairly devastating. The majority of in-person fundraising came to a halt in the middle of March 2020. It really hasn’t gotten back to normal since. I know quite a few nonprofits have been successful in pivoting to online fundraisers and dinners but the lack of in-person fundraising was a huge blow. It was a huge impact when the nonprofits had to have employees work from home and figure out how to work with clients virtually. There was a lot of expense to do that upfront with equipment, PPE, etc. Not having Fiesta in 2020 was obviously a blow for many nonprofits that count on those events to raise a lot of their annual funds. Were general donations also down as people tried to save money in uncertain times? Or did people see the need to be more generous? A lot of the sponsor dollars for Fiesta events were already in the door prior to March, but revenue from ticket sales and attendance was lost. The Brighton Center, for example, lost hundreds of ILLUSTRATION BY VICENTE MARTÍ
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