2022 Charleston Regional Business Journal Giving Guide

Giving Digging in Lowcountry nonprofits do the hard work as demand for services surges during pandemic

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Sponsored by:

Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry | 2021 - 22

CONNECT con•nect [kuh-nekt] verb

to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind* Life is about connections. South Carolina Federal Credit Union is proud to support local nonprofits that connect people and resources in times of need. South Carolina Federal was established in 1936 for the benefit of its members. As our membership grew and gave, we did too. Today, we are honored to support the following organizations.

SC FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

*Source: Dictionary.com

LOWCOUNTRY NEWSROOM Executive Editor - Andy Owens aowens@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3142 Editor, Custom Publishing Division Steve McDaniel smcdaniel@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3123 Staff Writer - Teri Errico Griffis tgriffis@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3144

contents

Research Specialist - Paige Wills pwills@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3125 News Editor - Alexandria Ng ang@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3124 Digital Editor - Rob Lyle rlyle@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3119 MIDLANDS NEWSROOM Editor - Melinda Waldrop mwaldrop@scbiznews.com • 803.726.7542

VIEWPOINTS

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11

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A look at unrestricted giving

The SECURE Act and philanthropy

Meeting challenges brought on by the pandemic

UPSTATE NEWSROOM Editor - Ross Norton rnorton@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1222 Associate Editor, Custom Publishing Division Jim Tatum jtatum@scbiznews.com • 864.720.2269 Staff Writer - Molly Hulsey mhulsey@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1223 LOWCOUNTRY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Account Executive - Amanda Alford aalford@bridgetowermedia.com • 843.849.3109

FEATURE STORIES

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Grants help nonprofits weather pandemic

Resource Connection Centers bring help close to home

Literacy program aims to enhance schoolage success and beyond

DEPARTMENTS 4 QUICK FACTS 6 AWARD WINNERS 21 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHTS 38 HELPING OUT

South Carolina’s Media Engine for Economic Growth Group Publisher - Rick Jenkins rjenkins@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1224 Director of Advertising - Robert Reilly rreilly@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3107 Creative Director - Ryan Wilcox rwilcox@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3117 Events Account Executive - Melissa Tomberg mtomberg@scbiznews.com • 864.720.1220 Events Manager - Kim McManus kmcmanus@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3116

About the cover

Special thanks to:

Volunteers help out at a Keep North Charleston Beautiful event in Park Circle.

(Photo/Trident United Way)

Accounting - Robin Tillotson ar@pbmbrands.com • 336.605.1025 Subscription Services service@bridgetowermedia.com • 877.615.9536 CUSTOM MEDIA DIVISION Director of Business Development - Mark Wright mwright@scbiznews.com • 843.849.3143 www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 3

QUICK FACTS

GIVING

AMERICANS GAVE IN 2020

$471.44 BILLION

BY THE

NUMBERS

19%

$324.10 BILLION The total of giving by indviduals in 2020

Giving by foundations grew 17 percent in 2020, and has grown for 10 consecutive years.

CHARITABLE GIVING BY SECTOR $131.08 B

$71.34 B

$65.14 B

$58.17 B

$48.00 B

$42.12 B $25.89 B

Religion

Education

Human Services

Foundations

Public-Society Benefit Organizations

Health Organizations

International Affairs

$19.47 B

Arts, Culture, and Humanities

$16.14 B Environment and Animal Organizations

Source: Giving USA

4 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

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AWARD WINNERS

NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON CHARITABLE EFFORTS

T

he philanthropic community of the Lowcountry has a long, honored tradition of helping those in need. Whether it is an outreach program for underserved people at risk, a fundraiser for disease research or bringing aid to disaster victims, charitable organizations in and around Charleston serve a vital function.

Much of the attention for charities and nonprofits is focused at the forefront of their work – the dramatic photos of disaster relief, the wellattended and festive galas or the multimilliondollar donation media events.

But those are the end results of countless hours of planning, preparing and fundraising.

The challenge of creating and maintaining dependable revenue streams, the solicitation and retention of donors at all levels, and the administrative functions to support ongoing initiatives are tireless and often thankless tasks.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter is made up of all those kinds of people. They are there when others need them the most, and they are the ones working daily on all those behind-thescenes functions that keep their organizations

running smoothly.

National Philanthropy Day is the special day set aside by the Lowcountry Chapter of the AFP to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy — and those people active in the philanthropic community — have made to our lives, our communities, and our world.

This year’s ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Nov. 16 at the Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St., Charleston. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and tickets are available at thankfulcharleston.org.

This year’s event features a local keynote speaker, Chris Singleton. Singleton played baseball at Charleston Southern University and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017, where he played in the minor leagues for two seasons.

Following the loss of his mother in the Mother Emanuel church mass shooting in 2015, Chris has become an inspirational speaker and bestselling author who has shared his message of unity and racial reconciliation with corporate clients, professional sports teams and many others.

THE 2021 LOWCOUNTRY AFP NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARD RECIPIENTS ARE: Todd and Emily Abedon Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year

Home Telecom Outstanding Corporation of the Year

Crab Bank Coalition Outstanding Foundation/Community Organization of the Year Winners were determined by an AFP committee that evaluated each individual nomination. Many nominations were collaborative, with several nonprofit organizations working together to nominate an individual or foundation that has made an impact on more than one group.

2021 AWARDS CEREMONY When: 11 a.m. to noon, Nov. 16 Where: Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St., Charleston.

Tickets: Available at thankfulcharleston.org.

For more information and to see a list of past winners, go online to www. afplowcountry.afpnet.org.

6 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

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AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING PHILANTHROPISTS

TODD AND EMILY ABEDON Todd and Emily Abedon have been generous not only with their means, but they have taken philanthropy to the next level by creating organizations that are filling critical needs within the community. Almost 25 years ago, they founded Operation Home by helping one family. Today, 3,055 tri-county families remain safe in their homes because of Operation Home. What started as a “project” for Todd’s Liberty Fellowship experience 12 years ago has evolved into a fully developed, sustainable model for deep approaches to disrupting cycles of poverty through the nonprofit Kids on Point. Their involvement in local nonprofits not only inspires others to become philanthropic, but to have a deeper empathy for the human condition.

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Photo/Provided

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 7

AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING CORPORATION

HOME TELECOM

Home Telecom has been a beacon of true community support with charitable contributions across the tricounty area in addition to corporate investment in internet access for rural communities. Home Telecom and its employees regularly volunteer time and skills for a variety of causes, as well as make charitable contributions to Carolina Youth Development Center, Dorchester Children’s Center, HALOS, Clap Your Hands, Habitat for Humanity of Berkeley County, Camp Happy Days, and Ark of SC, among many others. Seeing an extraordinary need during COVID-19, Home Telecom also worked with Lowcountry Local First to fund a small business relief grants program and with Trident United Way to support the Berkeley Resource Connection Center that helped residents who needed assistance with their internet bills.

Home Telecom president and CEO Will Helmly (Photo/Provided)

Help Support the Monthly LIFT Camp!

Ad Sponsored By:

The monthly camp that encourages students to get interested and involved in the aviation industry.

Students will:

•

•

•

Meet volunteers from Boeing South Carolina, Tuskegee Airmen Inc., and Women in Aviation International.

Receive ground, simulator and flight instruction from an FAA-certified flight instructor in a modern training aircraft.

Leave the camp with a logbook endorsement for their first training flight

8 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

Sponsored By:

Lowcountry Aerospace Academy’s mission is to educate, inspire and empower diverse high school and college students through formalized aviation, aeronautical, and STEM education, professional aviation training, and special events. www.charlestonbusiness.com

AWARD WINNERS

OUTSTANDING FOUNDATION / COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION

CRAB BANK COALITION Crab Bank, in the heart of Charleston’s Photo/Provided by Andy Hollis urban harbor, is a bird sanctuary unlike any other, hosting up to 5,000 bird nests in a single summer since the 1950s. But Crab Bank has now nearly totally washed away and has not supported a single nest since 2018. The Coastal Conservation League, Audubon SC, and the Coastal Expeditions Foundation joined with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in 2017 to find a solution — use sand dredged up during the Charleston Harbor’s deepening project to rebuild the bank. Through their collective efforts, they were able to raise $1.5 million from corporations and thousands of individual donors large and small, not to benefit their own organizations, but to protect this bird sanctuary. Work began in September 2021 and will be completed in November 2021.

THERE'S A FRESH NEW LOOK IN THE LOWCOUNTRY!

Experience the new LowcountryFoodBank.org Simple Navigation!

Accessible on Any Device!

Locate Food Assistance!

Learn About Programs and New Initiatives!

Create you own Virtual Fundraiser or Food Drive!

For more information call 843-747-8146 Stay connected:

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Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 9

VIEWPOINT

UNRESTRICTED GIVING IS CRUCIAL TO NONPROFIT MISSION OF EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT OPERATIONS

A

s 2021 draws to a close, many donors are thinking about year-end giving to nonprofit organizations, especially as these nonprofits continue to be faced with challenges brought on by the pandemic.

One of the questions on their minds this time of year tends to be: “Am I giving to an effective, well-run organization?”

In response, many articles and watchdog organizations point to Darrin Goss Sr., overhead rate as the most president and CEO, important indicator of Coastal Community organizational effectiveFoundation ness. This belief, held by many, often creates pressures for nonprofit organizations to make hard decisions about balancing the realities of effectiveness and efficiencies in program delivery to achieve lower overhead, often limiting their ability to effectively carry out their mission.

Overhead is a very important way to evaluate efficiency and, to some degree, effectiveness, but it is not the only way. Program results and many other measures of quality are equally important indicators of success that donors should consider when making year-end gifts. The belief that nonprofits who deliver vital services to our community should do more with less overlooks an essential truth: that in times like these, nonprofit organizations can effectively do more with more.

Overhead data on nonprofit reporting websites such as GuideStar is drawn from the organization’s IRS Form 990, which breaks down costs by function: Program Service, Management & General and Fundraising. However, organizations don’t report expenses uniformly, and these forms often don’t leave room for context about why a certain expense was reported the way it was. For example, a shared building between program and administrative staff can be reported strictly as Program Service, Management & General or a proportional split between the two.

Measurement difficulty aside, prioritizing low overhead above all else can promote efficiency at the cost of effectiveness. The nonprofit sector won’t achieve ambitious social, environmental and human service goals if they can’t retain their best and brightest due to non-competitive wages, the inability to offer basic benefits or insufficient training and development opportunities — all of which are covered in the overhead calculation.

No one signs up to work in the nonprofit sector to get rich, but everyone who works here should be able to live comfortably and one day retire whole as they pursue noble causes that enrich and support our communities.

This is why I am a big supporter of the unrestricted gift, especially in a time like this one.

For almost two years, our nonprofits have helped the surge of people in South Carolina that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic — all while navigating shrinking resources and changing dynamics that have forced them to innovate to continue operating.

Now more than ever, organizations need support for capable staff and sufficient resources to carry out their missions. Supporting the development and retention of a highly skilled workforce is just as critical to the nonprofit sector as effectiveness in program delivery. In fact, it is almost impossible to have one without the other.

Some might argue that shifting donors’ focus away from overhead will unnecessarily inflate administrative costs while decreasing the resources available for important programs. Those same individuals want assurances that their unrestricted dollars will be used effectively. I don’t attempt to persuade anyone that we shouldn’t be concerned about overhead and effective financial management. On the contrary, I believe we should be reviewing organizations’ budgets to ensure they have adequately budgeted for the essential administrative and organizational expenses that are required to run highly effective nonprofits in a challenging and demanding time.

As stewards of the public trust, nonprofits have a duty to responsibly allocate donated funds with their missions top of mind. As many donors are

10 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

now demanding data-driven, outcome-based reporting on program goals, investments in nonprofit capacity through unrestricted donations are critical. With more resources, organizations will have the capacity to carry out their programs while achieving results and retaining their best employees.

Ultimately, this will lead to a higher quality of service across the nonprofit sector, uplifting our entire community in the process. And to put it simply, we need all our nonprofits operating effectively to help lead our state to the other side of this pandemic.

With proper management and adequate resources, nonprofits don’t have to choose between efficiency and effectiveness, or programming and “overhead” — they can have both. Rather than looking solely at overhead, donors can get to know organizations by volunteering, meeting with development staff, reading up on the organization online and looking for signs of good governance, like a strong board.

Coastal Community Foundation is here this holiday season and year-round to connect you with effective organizations across the Lowcountry working on the causes that matter most to you.

The nonprofit sector is being called on now more than ever to continue the progress toward recovery from the pandemic. By giving what you can, as an unrestricted gift, you will be doing your part to create change across our community — even if that means you paid a little extra for overhead.

Darrin Goss is president and CEO of Coastal Community Foundation

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VIEWPOINT

THE SECURE ACT AND ITS IMPACT ON PHILANTHROPY

P

lanning tips to save on taxes, leave more for heirs and build a legacy of giving.

In late 2019, Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. This act made very significant changes to how IRA assets will be treated for tax purposes, which could spell longterm retirement savings and present charitable planning opportunities for many individuals. If Melissa Levesque, you haven’t discussed Vice President these changes with your of Development legal and financial advisand Stewardship, ers, we strongly encourCoastal Community age you to do so before Foundation the end of this year. In the meantime, here are some things that might be worth exploring further.

HOW CHANGES IN THE SECURE ACT MAY IMPACT CHARITABLE GIVING The SECURE Act raised the age requirement for required minimum distributions (RMDs) to 72, allowed individuals above age 70.5 to contribute to an IRA and changed the distribution rules for non-spousal beneficiaries. The changes in age requirements specifically allow individuals to save more for retirement and benefit from an extra 18 months of tax-free investing prior to required distributions. For individuals wishing to increase their retirement savings, this is a big win.

Perhaps the biggest change with this legislation is requiring that the entire IRA be distributed to non-spousal beneficiaries within 10 years, with a few very limited exceptions. Previously, distributions could be “stretched” over the beneficiary’s lifetime, allowing the IRA assets to continue growing tax-free for many years.

Many parents have built up their IRAs to take advantage of these rules and provide a steady

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stream of income to their children throughout their lifetimes.

With the new 10-year payout requirement, many beneficiaries will be receiving large sums of money during their highest earning years. And because IRA distributions are counted as part of ordinary income to the recipient, the tax repercussions are immediate and extensive.

There is a way for IRA owners to make planning changes to ease the tax burden on their children under this new legislation. Many legal and financial professionals encourage a strategy that incorporates philanthropy to achieve this donor intent and benefit charitable organizations and communities. If the beneficiary of an IRA is a charitable remainder trust, the trust may name the owner’s children (or anyone they choose) as income beneficiaries. The IRA is no longer part of the taxable estate and the trust income payments may be spread out for the lifetime of the income beneficiary. When the income beneficiaries die, the remainder interest goes to the listed charities in the trust as direct gifts or can be left to a donor-advised fund for multi-generational giving. It’s a triple win for the IRA owner, their beneficiaries, and the charitable organizations that mean so much to them.

FAMILY PHILANTHROPY AND LEGACY PLANNING For families considering using the trust option as a planning tool, this is a great opportunity to think through family philanthropy and legacy planning. Suppose a parent during their lifetime wishes to create a donor-advised fund (DAF).

The parent can list their children and grandchildren as the successor advisers of the DAF, but may actively include them in present day

decision-making. This allows the entire family to be part of the giving process. It’s a great way to use philanthropy to discuss family values, identify individual and family passions, document their family legacy, and strategize across generations about the giving impact of the family.

From a planning perspective, this DAF can be the remainder beneficiary of the charitable remainder trust set up to receive the IRA assets.

The grandchildren who will be recommending grants from the fully funded DAF will do so after experiencing decades of learning, guidance and giving from their parents and grandparents.

As part of this multi-generational work, there are tools available to assist you along this journey.

There are professional advisers and consultants who work in this space, and Coastal Community Foundation has both a certified staff and planning resources to work with multi-generational families as part of their legacy and giving plans.

This article is an educational resource to share information about key legislative changes that may impact individuals and their families. As always, it’s important that individuals seek their own legal and financial counsel prior to making any changes to their estate or retirement plans.

Melissa Levesque is Vice President of Development and Stewardship for the Coastal Community Foundation.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 11

VIEWPOINT

YOUR SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY ARE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ‘SURVIVING’ AND THRIVING

W

e are now approaching two years that have been like no other for all of us. Spring brought optimism as COVID-19 numbers were falling, businesses were opening and families were booking their summer trips again.

We all thought we were past the worst of the pandemic.

Then came late summer and COVID-19 cases spiked. Hospitals quickly became overAmanda Lawrence, loaded, and we once Trident United Way again saw our friends VP of Community and neighbors suffer Impact from uncertainty for the future. Parents, students, health care workers and the hospitality industry continue to face major obstacles.

In a dozen years of serving at Trident United Way, I have not seen a time filled with both challenges and opportunities for nonprofits. Nonprofit teams across the state are rising to the challenge of addressing increasingly complex and compounding needs.

Over the past month, I have visited grantees and other partners and each one has shared more triumphs than they have tragedies. We collaborate about the state of changing philanthropic priorities and decreases in revenue affecting us all. Simultaneously, our data shows basic needs assistance, mental health support services and many other needs have been intensified by the ongoing impacts of the pandemic.

Trident United Way will not let the present darkness and uncertainty stop us from doing what no single organization can do to impact people across the tri-county region positively.

The federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) allocates $2.5 billion to South Carolina. This is a massive opportunity to plant seeds of sustainability and connection between nonprofits, school districts, funders and for-profit companies. We immediately need to leverage our col-

lective resources to ensure the resilience of our community.

State lawmakers pushed back an early October date to discuss where these funds will go, so uncertainty reigns over who will be helped and when it will happen.

By working in partnership, Trident United Way can continue to leverage these funds to reach more people in need.

In the tri-county area, despite an approximate 7% decrease in GDP in 2019-2020, 7% loss of employment since start of pandemic and $8.6 million nonprofit sector lost revenue, Trident United Way achieved a 575% return on investment through partnerships that resulted in $8.9 million in resources flowing into the community.

Our two Resource Connection Centers in Moncks Corner and Summerville helped people across the region by providing them access to nearly $7 million in benefits last year. That includes $1.4 million in tax credits and refunds

12 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

from filing assistance with our partner SC Thrive, along with $700,000 in financial assistance provided by partner agencies.

Over a four-year period, Resource Connection Centers’ $4.8 million in direct investment paid off with a $28 million, or 507% return, in both direct assistance and overall economic impact to our community.

Together, we are effectively and efficiently leveraging financial resources invested in our mission to ensure that our neighbors THRIVE, not just “survive.” Trident United Way is counting on a broad commitment of financial support, including ARPA funds, for our community’s long-haul to recovery.

Please give to Trident United Way and advocate by contacting your local state lawmaker for ARPA funding, specifically for our tri-county region, to ensure a stronger, more resilient community for all.

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FEATURE STORY

Hundreds of images from photographer Cecil Williams documenting South Carolina's civil rights movement are on display at the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg. (Photo/Courtesy of Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum)

GRANTS HELP NONPROFITS WEATHER PANDEMIC, LOOK TO FUTURE

By Melinda Waldrop Mwaldrop@scbiznews.com

I

n the 75 years Killingsworth has been providing assistance to women in crisis, the Columbia-based nonprofit had never had to buy supplies.

That changed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when goods such as toilet tissue and paper towels, normally donated by supporters, became in critically short supply.

“You couldn’t find this stuff for your home, so how are you going to now find it and donate it to an organization?” said Schrendria Robinson, Killingsworth executive director.

Killingsworth, which provides up to two years of housing for as many as 16 women in

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a stately, 18,000-square-foot brick home in the University Hill neighborhood, also faced other magnified struggles as funding dried up and businesses shuttered. Robinson said all the residents employed in the hospitality industry lost their jobs, and those working from home struggled to find enough office supplies, as well as more basic needs.

“Food was always donated here, and that became an issue as well,” she said. “The monies in our budget that we definitely had line-itemed for other things, now we were having to use those funds just for the daily operations.”

Nonprofits throughout South Carolina faced

similar dilemmas, with a March 2021 survey

by Columbia-based organization Together SC finding that 59% of state nonprofits believed they would only survive for six months or less without additional funding.

Midlands philanthropy center Central Carolina Community Foundation has been helping connect charitable people and businesses with areas of need in 11 counties since 1984, when the organization was founded.

The pandemic intensified those efforts, further stressing already strained budgets and staff.

“We still have work to get back to the footing that we were on prior to the pandemic. We have

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 13

FEATURE STORY

At left, one of the hundreds of images from photographer Cecil Williams, who documented the history of South Carolina’s civil rights movement, that are on display at the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg, above. (Photos/Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum)

faced 15 months of inability to raise money,” said JoAnn Turnquist, Central Carolina Community Foundation president and CEO. “We have faced 15 months of lack of volunteers who were able to help. We have faced 15 months of uncertainty.

It will take time and it will take everyone. It will take everyone’s help in providing time and treasure to these organizations who themselves

are priceless treasures for our region.”

In June, the foundation announced a targeted solution fueled by both the pandemic and a years-long effort to make its regional efforts more inclusive and equitable. Seven Midlands organizations were selected to receive portions of $70,000 in unrestricted general operating support grants. The grants, which

14 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

can be used at the organizations’ discretion, were distributed among Black-led and Blackbenefiting nonprofits as part of an effort the foundation embarked on in 2009.

Those efforts are spotlighted during August, the 10th anniversary of Black Philanthropy Month, a campaign founded in 2011 by Jackie Bouvier Copeland and the Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network to highlight the transformative impact of generosity in Black communities. Saturday marks Give 8/28, a nationwide giving day focused on Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits.

“We have been focused on increasing inclusion, equity and diversity at the Community Foundation since 2009,” Turnquist said. “We have to leverage the collective knowledge, creativity and resources of everyone throughout our community, and through collaboration, increase the impact of philanthropy for everyone, because that is the only way we will be able to achieve advancement of the common good.”

The general operating grants are the latest example of that focus, which has also included foundation-funded exhibits at the S.C. State Musuem and Richland Library, the establishing of the foundation’s African American Philanthropy Committee and tracking begun

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FEATURE STORY

in 2017 of grants made to Black-led and Blackbenefiting nonprofits.

“Our region’s Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits shared with us that the lack of general operating support is a barrier to fulfilling their missions, and their missions expanded, were strained, and were stressed during COVID,” Turnquist said. “So not only were they being asked to do more for more people, but they themselves, their staff, were also stressed.

Fundraising was down, and that cuts into general operating support almost immediately.

So what we are trying to do is provide grants that will help them overcome this challenge and expand their impact.

“This is not charity. This is a grant to help improve the community by providing additional resources to strengthen organizations.”

Killingsworth, one of the recipients of $10,000 for up to three years, had been soldiering along for years, making the best of situations that typical grants didn’t address.

“For years, our paint has literally been peeling off the walls,” Robinson said. “For years, we’ve just been doing some type of patchwork as necessary if there was a leak, because we couldn’t get a $10,000 grant for painting. … People want your grants to be centered around programming, but what I try to explain to people is, the house is our programing. We provide housing. We provide a safe place for our residents. But (funding organizations) want to hear more about the life skills or if you do a budgeting class. We do all of those things, but at the end of the day, if we don’t have a safe place for our residents, then none of those other programs that we offer matter.”

With the funding from the Central Carolina Community Foundation, Killingsworth residents’ rooms received a fresh coat of paint, Robinson said. Those improvements inspired Killingsworth’s board to find funding for similar improvements and repairs in downstairs administrative and common areas.

“It just made a big difference in the morale and the pride that the residents took in the home,” Robinson said. “It wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t receive the $10,000 grant from the Central Carolina Community Foundation.”

AMPLIFYING HISTORY Funding from the foundation will enable Cecil Williams to continue to tell the story of South Carolina’s civil rights pioneers.

Williams, 83, is the founder of Orangeburg’s

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Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum, housed in a 3,500-square-foot building he owns and designed. A photographer since he received a camera at age 9 and a contributor to Jet magazine since 1955, Williams has documented the history of a region he says was instrumental in the civil rights movement but is often overshadowed by more well-known locales such as Montgomery, Ala., site of Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus and the resulting boycott organized by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. “They did such a significant job and their events were mostly known throughout the United States, but South Carolina’s people who engaged here in those activities were largely ignored or forgotten or just not really finding their stories in history books,” Williams said.

Williams set out to increase awareness of events such as the Orangeburg Massacre, in which three Black students were shot and killed by police during 1968 protests, and the 1969 Charleston hospital workers strike in protest of the firings of 12 health care workers who advocated for patient safety and better employee pay and treatment. He published the first of five books featuring his extensive collection of photographs in 1996 before hitting upon the idea of consolidating those images into one, publicly accessible place.

The Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum opened in 2019, funded initially by its namesake until it began to generate interest.

The museum received a $100,000 private donation in December 2019 and was featured in National Geographic in September 2020, but the pandemic led Williams to close its doors in March 2020.

With admissions income limited to contributions requested from online participants in the virtual tour Williams designed, the Central Carolina Community Foundation grant came at a welcome time.

“I had not yet finished building the exhibits, purchasing exhibit material, and installing exhibits, and having no income to do this with, or very little income coming in, the grant funds received were a blessing in disguise,” Williams said.

With the museum now accepting limited visitors, Williams is eager for more people to see hundreds of his photographs, along with artifacts such as the Briggs family Bible. Briggs vs. Elliott, later absorbed into Brown v. Board of Education, was the first 20th century case to challenge the

constitutionality of racially segregated schools.

The original S.C. case involved several Clarendon County families who wanted the county to provide a school bus for their children and resulted in repercussions including job losses that forced the families to relocate, Williams said.

“They spread out all over America, which was one of the reasons they were not able to tell their own stories. Their family unit had been destroyed and disrupted,” said Williams, who photographed the families. He said the family Bible has been sought after by the Smithsonian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, “but because mine is a South Carolina civil rights history, and because the Briggs family and the DeLaine families and the Pearson families of Clarendon County – they’re on my board, and they would rather keep their historical treasures right here at home.”

Through its general operating grants, the Central Carolina Community Foundation hopes to support the museum’s ability to tell such stories, Killingsworth’s capacity to help women weather life crises, and the other recipients’ efforts to provide services through the pandemic and beyond.

“Each of those organizations and each of the leaders of those organizations have demonstrated tenacity and guts and courage, before and throughout the pandemic,” Turnquist said. “Like all of us, they were facing the same personal issues that COVID stirred up – families that were sick, homeschooling children, not being sure if your paycheck was going to happen, the lack of supplies and resources, and yet, they persevered.”

Turnquist said that nonprofits are beginning to see an uptick in volunteer hours and fundraising, pointing to the $3.3 million raised by May’s Midlands Gives campaign as a positive sign. But, she said, “That effort has to be sustained. I think now more than ever, individuals, residents across our region, are much more aware of the benefit and impact that our nonprofits provide to their community in the same way they’re much more aware of the impact and importance of teachers, and grocery clerks, and doctors, and firefighters.

“A benefit of COVID has been the increased awareness and appreciation of individuals and organizations who make our community the type of place we want to call home, and we hope our children and grandchildren want to call home.”

Reach Melinda Waldrop at 803-726-7542.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 15

FEATURE STORY

RESOURCE CONNECTION CENTERS HELP PEOPLE WHEN AND WHERE THEY NEED IT

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has shown how vital Trident United Way’s Resource Connection Centers are to the tri-county region. With locations in Moncks Corner and Summerville, the facilities are close to help those in need.

In any given year, the centers serve about 2,500 people combined. However, with continued economic impacts of the pandemic, needs continue to remain steady.

During the early times of the pandemic

with widespread closures, Trident United Way staff quickly adapted to forward office phone numbers to cell phones to help people remotely. When the time came to get back to the office, our team never wavered.

This is an email comment from an RCC client who was able to receive assistance which paid her utility bill: “How did they pay already?

16 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

Wow, are you serious? I am so thankful for this help. I truly want to cry. It has been a struggle

www.charlestonbusiness.com

FEATURE STORY

Trident United Way’s Resource Connection Centers in Moncks Corner and Summerville provide vital aid and resources. Services include bill-paying assistance, tax filing and filling basic food, clothing and shelter needs. Cathy Easley (right), Associate Vice President of Community Impact for TUW, oversees operations at the centers. (Photos/Trident United Way)

between being out of work due to catching COVID in February and everything getting behind.”

Basic needs services include resources for food, clothing and shelter, as well as access to benefits, job search and other assistance programs. Family Navigators and AmeriCorps members assist people who may need guidance applying for benefits.

With a $4.8 million investment over the past four years, RCCs provided an astounding return in the form of $28 million in direct assistance to clients and overall economic impact to our

www.charlestonbusiness.com

community with a five-fold return rate — 507% to be exact.

The 507% return is only the value that Trident United Way can quantify and does not include referral, job search or food assistance.

Along with immediate needs like COVID-19 response, the longer-term goal of the centers is to provide services for clients with correct tools to sustain and make progress to accomplish their next goal.

Most RCC clients are at 200% or less below

the Federal Poverty Line ($26,500 for a family of four).

RCCs are popular around tax season as they provide free tax filing those in need of assistance.

Partnering with SC Thrive, all people and families that receive assistance with filing taxes also receive one-on-one budgeting help, along with information on various financial topics.

Inspiring and empowering people is what Trident United Way’s Resource Connection Centers do daily.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 17

FEATURE STORY

BRINGING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO DELIVER RESULTS IN EDUCATION

E

ducation is one of three focus areas for Trident United Way because it is the building block that ensures a strong and stable community for years to come. With a strong education, Trident United Way’s two focus areas of financial stability and health are far easier to accomplish.

With more than 115,000 students in the tricounty public school systems, needs are great and widespread. Teachers, administrators and

school staff need our help.

The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten effort brings together libraries in all three counties to encourage children to read before age 5. The

18 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

numbers are startling: • During birth to age 5 range, 90% of a child’s brain development occurs.

• 57% of tri-county children are deemed

www.charlestonbusiness.com

FEATURE STORY

Trident United Way’s Literacy United Program helps young children achieve grade-level reading skills (right). Corporate partners, including UPS (facing page and below right), contributed time and resources to help distribute donated school supplies to students.

(Photos/Trident United Way)

“not ready” when starting kindergarten.

• More than half of tri-county third graders are not reading at grade level.

This partnership aims to impact children’s literacy skills beginning from birth on to the years they walk into kindergarten so we may also impact the future skill base of our region’s workforce.

Trident United Way’s work in education goes far beyond the 1,000 books initiative.

On Johns Island, a unique program is taking place at Mt. Zion Elementary School. Local community leaders and philanthropists came together to form Literacy United.

The intervention uses proven teacher training methodology and evaluation implemented by Trident United Way and The University of Florida Literacy Initiative of the Lastinger Center in the three-year Reading By Third initiative.

“The community is such a resource for us,” said Anna Mims, Mt. Zion Elementary principal.

“This has been an amazing opportunity to show that care to our students. The teachers have learned a lot and the students are benefitting from the program. It’s a great partnership.”

The UFLI method consists of four components: gaining fluency, word work, reading a new book and writing to read. Lastinger’s continuous teacher training, modeling and coaching sets the UFLI intervention apart from historical professional development programs by: Teacher training is paying off. One specific class is improving in all areas.

First grade teacher Rachel Parker’s class was able to get 72% of its students out of the “at-risk” category. With all students making improvements, Parker is optimistic for the future.

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“When a student struggles with something, they now have the tools they can use on their own,” Parker said. “Literacy United gives the students tools to empower their own reading and writing.”

Thanks to the generous support of a small group of dedicated donors, Literacy United rolls on for a second year!

“The students and staff at Mt. Zion are doing a tremendous job,” said Chloe Knight Tonney, Trident United Way president and CEO. “When you see a program like this that can continue despite the odds, it’s a real testament to school leadership and the tenacity of the team at Mt. Zion.”

The community also came together for our schools. Trident United Way’s school supply drive raised $43,000 and surpassed its goal of

2,000 backpacks donated. The final tally was 2,700 backpacks filled with essential school items like paper, pencils, erasers, folders, glue sticks, crayons, colored pencils and much more.

UPS donated warehouse space, trucks and personnel to load and distribute the items to six area schools.

Top corporate donors included Agents of Carolina One Real Estate, Johnson & Johnson, Elliott Davis, Ingevity and Equiscript.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 19

IT’S BUSINESS IT’S TIME TIME TO TO BINGE BINGE BUSINESS What’s SCBIZtv? What’s new new on on SCBIZtv?

With channel features featuresaawide widevariety varietyofofbusinessbusinessWithnearly nearly150 150videos videos(and (andcounting), counting), our our YouTube YouTube channel related interviewswith withhigh-level high-levelbusiness business relatedcontent. content.From Fromrecognition recognition events events to to one-on-one one-on-one interviews executives our playlists playlistshave havesomething somethingfor foreveryone. everyone. executivestotoin-depth in-depthdiscussions discussions with with industry industry leaders, leaders, our Here’s you’ll fi find on SCBIZtv. SCBIZtv. Here’saa sampling sampling of what you’ll nd on What’s New and What’s Hot!

Check out our new content as well as our trending videos on this ever-changing playlist.

9

Recognition Events

With events like Women of Influence in the Upstate, Icons and Phenoms in the Midlands and Health Care Heroes in the Lowcountry, SC Biz News honors the movers and shakers across the state.

Coping with COVID

Explore the impact the coronavirus is having on our daily lives, both at home and at the office.

9

Coffee With

This ongoing video series features business executives sharing insight about their business, the industry in which they work and the community in which they live.

Subscribe to SCBIZtv and stay in tune with what’s happening across South Carolina. https://www.youtube.com/scbiztv Subscribe to SCBIZtv and stay in tune with what’s happening across South Carolina. https://www.youtube.com/scbiztv

20 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

www.charlestonbusiness.com

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHTS The following nonprofits are featured in this section:

American Heart Association ..............................................23

Neighbors Together............................................................31

Bishop Gadsden .................................................................25

South Carolina Aquarium ...................................................33

Charleston Promise Neighborhood ....................................27

Trident United Way .............................................................35

East Cooper Community Outreach .....................................29

Water Mission ....................................................................37

www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 21

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: To be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: American Heart Association YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: Established our Charleston office in 1990, Nationally founded in 1924 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Katie Schumacher, Executive Director CONTACT INFORMATION: 887 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Suite 110 Mount Pleasant, SC 29464 843-480-4910 CharlestonSC@heart.org www.heart.org/lowcountry AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 1700+ TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $1.8 million PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 80 cents of every dollar goes back to fund several programs, such as innovative and lifesaving research, critical educational programs, advocacy and lifesaving CPR trainings in the Lowcountry.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston counties.

GREATEST NEED: Financial support for our grassroot efforts. This past year, more than 10,000 people in S.C. died from heart disease. The best way to reduce this number is through education and to encourage selfmonitoring by providing blood pressure cuffs. We also lack funding for research projects and are looking for volunteers. www.charlestonbusiness.com

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: Our local American Heart Association positively affects the Lowcountry community in many ways. They are present in each restaurant where you can breathe clean, smoke-free air. They are also present in every hospital where doctors save countless lives with technology developed from research funded by our organization.

For almost 30 years, the American Heart Association has funded more than $23 million in research in Charleston.

There are hundreds of local worksites that have American Heart-inspired walking paths, food and beverage guidelines, and employee wellness initiatives. The AHA has been dedicated to changing laws in the Palmetto state so our citizens can live a healthier life.

In addition to advocacy, we are teaming up with 200 local African Methodist Episcopal churches by educating parishioners about high blood pressure. This partnership is teaching participants how to “know their numbers” and is providing resources, including information on healthy eating, to help people live longer, healthier lives.

We are also dedicated to improving the lives of our children. Thousands of students in the Lowcountry participated in our Kids Heart Challenge, which supports our youth’s physical and emotional well-being.

This past year we were able to work with other local nonprofits to provide a new Urban Food Stand for one of most vulnerable communities in Charleston, allowing members to have increased access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables.

This market also provides farm-to-school education and youth internship programs for high school students.

Our Get with the Guidelines quality improvement programs have impacted

cardiovascular disease care for thousands of patients in Charleston. These programs provide local hospitals with the latest research-based guidelines to ensure the best care for patients.

2022 GOALS: We want to expand our financial support, grow our volunteer base, engage our community in creating a healthier environment, improve our educational programs, train more people in hands-only CPR, shed light on lifestyle changes to improve health, educate others to know their numbers, and change laws that will create a healthier community.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: • Lowcountry Heart Walk • February 26, 2022 • LowcountrySCHeartWalk.org • Charleston Heart Ball • April 22, 2022 • CharlestonHeartBall.org • Go Red For Women Campaign • May 26, 2022 • CharlestonGoRedLuncheon.heart.org CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: The American Heart Association accepts donations throughout the entire year.

You can fund our lifesaving mission by supporting customized sponsorships that are centered around social media, CPR initiatives, workplace wellness and blood pressure programs and many more. You can also sponsor our heart-healthy campaigns: the Lowcountry Heart Walk, Charleston Hard Hats With Heart, Charleston Heart Ball and the Go Red For Women Campaign.

Please email CharlestonSC@heart.org to find more ways on getting involved in building a healthy community.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 23

2020

Giving by the

Bishop Gadsden Community

$520,000 Distributed to team members in thanks by residents and family members for an incredible year of dedication

$93,206 of in-kind items to Charleston Area Senior Center, My Sister’s House, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity, First Baptist School, Tricounty Family Ministries, Veteran’s Homeless Program, Ansonborough House, Pet Helpers, and Charleston County Public Library

$16,420

$530,859 Gadsden Bishop Bishop Gadsden’s Charitable Fund

$1,100

Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary

$1,000 Metanoia

$2,100

Charleston Parks Foundation

30,828

meals provided to One80 Place

$139,754

total dollars in food donated

3,435 volunteer hours equating to $94,342 investment in our community

in Employee Assistance Loans and Grants

$55,429 James Island Outreach

$80,429 One80 Place

$140,059

$77,253

Distributed to outside Charitable Organizations

42 scholarships awarded to team members

800.373.2384 | bishopgadsden.org | A Life Plan Community in Charleston, SC Call 843.406.2502 for Career Services

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: Bishop Gadsden, a Life Plan Retirement Community, embraces God’s call to ministry. We affirm positive living for all who live and work here.

We serve with integrity. We exercise wise stewardship. We reach out with a generous spirit.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 1850 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Sarah Tipton, President/CEO CONTACT INFORMATION: 1 Bishop Gadsden Way Charleston, SC 29412 843-762-3300 bishopgadsden.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Kimberly Borts, Director of Charitable Giving and Communications 843-406-6334 Kimberly.borts@bishopgadsden.org AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: While COVID offered its challenges, we are proud that Bishop Gadsden residents and team members still were able to donate 3,435 hours of volunteer time. Bishop Gadsden also continues to offer team members the opportunity to earn paid time off for volunteering in the outside community.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: The greater Charleston, S.C., area.

GREATEST NEED: The Bishop Gadsden Charitable Fund. This fund assists our residents in need of financial assistance and supports our resident-selected outreach efforts to the greater Charleston community.

Residents choose the charitable organizations that Bishop Gadsden, as a Community, will support through the Charitable Fund and smaller fundraisers. www.charlestonbusiness.com

A CLOSER LOOK: 2020/2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: The Charitable Giving and Communications Office, along with the Resident Charitable Mission Committee, the Bishop Gadsden Board of Trustees, President/CEO Sarah Tipton, and Vice President of Operations Aaron Roop, work to share and raise the awareness of Bishop Gadsden’s Charitable Mission, ensuring support of our internal and external charitable needs.

2020 GIVING HIGHLIGHTS • Donated 20,552 pounds of food to One80 Place, equaling a gift of $139,754 and 30,828 meals.

• $390,800 was donated to Bishop Gadsden Residents requiring financial assistance.

• Awarded $93,673 in Strongheart Employee Education Scholarships and Employee Assistance Fund Loans and Grants.

• Gave an estimated 3,435 volunteer hours, equating to $94,342 investment in the greater community.

• Provided $93,206 of in-kind items to Charleston Area Senior Center, My Sister’s House, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity, First Baptist School, Tricounty Family Ministries, Veteran’s Homeless Program, Ansonborough House, Pet Helpers, and Charleston County Public Library.

• Welcomed 126 employee team members as Shining Stars, contributing to the Charitable, Employee Assistance, and Strongheart Employee Education Scholarship Funds.

• Received a record $520,000 for the Annual Employee Appreciation Appeal.

Each full-time team member received $1,850 as a thank you for an incredible year of dedication.

2021 GIVING HIGHLIGHTS • Bishop Gadsden’s Charitable Fund is currently raising funds for our 2021 Charitable Fund Grant Recipients. The outstanding organizations include: • Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic • Charleston Area Senior Citizens • Sea Island Hunger Awareness • Tricounty Family Ministries • Charleston Animal Society • Be a Mentor • Vantage Point Foundation • Bishop Gadsden is in the final stretch of Our Shared Future Campaign supporting our Center for Health and Rehab, which will offer expanded memory support services, skilled nursing care, and shortterm rehab care to Bishop Gadsden residents and the Charleston community.

2022 GOALS: • Award 2021 Grant Recipients in February, 2022, more than $150,000 from our 2021 Charitable Fund and complete the 2022 Charitable Fund Grant process.

• Complete the Our Shared Future Campaign and successfully open Bishop Gadsden’s Center for Health and Rehab.

• Encourage our team members to further their education and pay down debt incurred from previously completed education through our Stronheart Scholarship Program.

• Work to welcome those in the greater Charleston area when in need of shortterm rehab.

CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: Please contact Kimberly M. Borts (kimberly. borts@bishopgadsden.org), for information on how Bishop Gadsden can work with corporations.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 25

Charleston Promise NeighOpening Fall 2022 borhood Rendering of Morrison Yard, directly across from Sanders-Clyde Elementary School

Morrison Yard is a proud partner of Charleston Promise Neighborhood and is committed to supporting its neighbor, Sanders-Clyde Elementary School. The mixed-use community, which will open in Fall 2022 in Charleston’s NoMo neighborhood, brings apartment homes, workspaces, shops, restaurants, and 1.5 acres of green space to Charleston’s growing and vibrant local community.

Morrison Yard is working closely with the City of Charleston to engage with the local community and is excited to spearhead neighborhood improvements and is committed to partnering with groups who share their mission in keeping Charleston an energetic, accessible, and special place to live.

@MorrisonYardResidences

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: Charleston Promise Neighborhood provides and facilitates comprehensive programs and services that support children, strengthen families and mobilize residents to action.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Charleston Promise Neighborhood YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 2010 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Sherrie SnipesWilliams, CEO sherrie.snipes-williams@charlestonpromise.org CONTACT INFORMATION: 1834 Summerville Ave., Suite 200 Charleston, SC 29405 843-647-6209 charlestonpromise.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Karen Quadrio 843-647-6218 karen.quadrio@charlestonpromise.org AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 75 TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $1,240,561 PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 78% GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: The CPN “Neighborhood” is a 5.6-square-mile geographical area of Charleston County that straddles portions of the City of Charleston and the City of North Charleston, and coincides with the attendance zones of four Charleston County School District schools with high concentrations of children living in poverty: Chicora, James Simons, and SandersClyde Elementary Schools, and the Mary Ford Early Learning and Family Engagement Center.

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: In 2021, Charleston Promise Neighborhood facilitated a partnership between the Charleston County School District and Fetter Health Care Network to expand its comprehensive family services for children and adults, thus creating family “medical homes” at Mary Ford Early Learning & Family Center and Morningside Middle School. This expansion of CPN’s KidsWell School Based Health Centers provides neighborhood families the benefits of access to Fetter Health Care Network’s well-child checks, Head Start physicals, family health care for parents, guardians and siblings, immunizations, medication delivery, behavioral assessments, OB/GYN services, dental and vision care, and individual and family counseling.

2022 GOALS: CPN will realize its strategic priorities in the Neighborhood through: • Community Engagement Programs — that value resident leadership, rally residents toward action, convene stakeholders for learning and sharing, and promote residentled initiatives.

• Family & Parent Engagement Programs —

that bring parents and families together to learn and grow, strengthen the family unit, support scholars’ academic and mental health, and increase parent advocacy.

• Health & Wellness Programs — that reduce healthcare access disparities, through School Based Health Centers, telehealth services, mental and behavioral health supports, chronic disease management, and community partnerships that promote increased health literacy and positive health outcomes.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: Year End Match Campaign, Nov. 26–Dec. 31 • Facebook.com/charlestonpromise • Instagram: @charlestonpromiseneighborhood • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ charleston-promise-neighborhood/ • Charlestonpromise.org CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: For more information on corporate partnership and philanthropic opportunities, contact Karen Quadrio (karen.quadrio@charlestonpromise. org) or Sherrie Snipes-Williams (sherrie.snipeswilliams@charlestonpromise.org)

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED BY:

GREATEST NEED: General Operating Support www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 27

neighbors helping neighbors We can only serve the community, with the support of the community!

Coastal Community Foundation OF SOUTH CAROLINA

To learn more about joining our circle of support, please visit eccocharleston.org

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: We provide assistance, guidance, and resources to help our neighbors navigate through life’s challenges.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: East Cooper Community Outreach YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 1989 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Stephanie M. Kelley, Executive Director CONTACT INFORMATION: 1145 Six Mile Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29466 843-849-9220 www.eccocharleston.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Don Squires, Director of Development & Marketing 1145 Six Mile Road Mount Pleasant, SC 29466 843-416-7123 dsquires@eccocharleston.org AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 170+ active volunteers each week TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $2,500,00 PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 90% GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: Communities east of the Cooper River, with our health services and Asset Development Program serving the entire tri-county area.

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: • 3,886 neighbors served, 337 of whom visited ECCO for the very first time • $581,045 in financial assistance provided to 449 clients • 769,392 pounds of food given to families • 1,504 households served through our food pantry • $83,457 in prescription assistance provided to 104 neighbors • 224 uninsured patients found a medical home at ECCO’s clinics • 328 patients served in ECCO’s Free Dental Clinic • 595 children served through ECCO’s assistance programs 2022 GOALS: ECCO is always looking to expand and improve services to better serve our neighbors in their time of need. With increased support from our community, ECCO can: • Increase our ability to meet the growing financial assistance requests from the community • Renovate our current facility and reunite our services under one roof • Expand our outreach efforts throughout the rural communities of our service area • Develop transportation solutions for ECCO’s clients • Raise $4 million to support Beyond Our Walls: The Capital Campaign to Extend ECCO’s Reach

2022 GOALS: • 2022 ECCO Charity Golf Tournament (March 7, 2022, at the Daniel Island Club).

Last year, over 150 golfers joined us for this annual fundraising event. Sponsorships begin at only $500. Find out more at eccocharleston.org/golf • More events to be announced in early 2022.

Visit eccocharleston.org for details.

CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: ECCO relies on the generosity and commitment of the community and takes a fiscally responsible approach to program implementation by maximizing volunteer resources and keeping costs as low as possible, dedicating 90% of donations toward program costs that directly serve our clients.

Below are a few ways you can help: • Join our circle of support by making a taxdeductible donation at eccocharleston.org.

• Make twice the impact by finding out if your employer matches annual charitable contributions.

• Secure your foursome or sponsorship for the 2022 ECCO Charity Golf Tournament • Donate your time by volunteering at our main campus in Mount Pleasant.

• Host a food drive at your business, place of worship, school or neighborhood and help us fill the shelves of our food pantry.

• Get involved with ECCO’s Beyond Our Walls Capital Campaign; corporate sponsorships and naming opportunities are available as we continue to grow and meeting the evolving needs of this community.

GREATEST NEEDS: Community partners, volunteers and neighborhood drives.

There are many ways to help ECCO fulfill its mission of assistance, guidance, and resources. www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 29

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: Providing Dignity and Hope to our neighbors since 1983. We are committed to bringing a better quality of life to our neighbors through sharing resources, developing relationships and building a sustainable future.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Neighbors Together (formerly Tricounty Family Ministries) YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 1983 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Rev. Kara Joy Stewart CONTACT INFORMATION: 2105 Cosgrove Ave. North Charleston, SC 29405 843-747-1788 NeighborsTogetherSC.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Pat Votava, Development Director 2105 Cosgrove Ave. North Charleston, SC 29405 843-297-3910 pvotava@neighborstogethersc.org

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: We saw a dramatic increase in the number of neighbors coming to us because of hunger. Thanks to support from our community, we were able to meet this need and many others, while renaming our organization Neighbors Together (formerly Tricounty Family Ministries). We are the SAME NEIGHBOR with a NEW NAME. 2022 GOALS: • Renovating our Life Center, a former fire station on Reynolds Avenue in North Charleston, into housing for seven homeless families.

• We are also planning to develop additional facilities for homeless women and children.

• Expansion of our medical services and job training programs to produce a sustainable future for our neighbors.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30. We have a generous $50,000 match that will double everyone’s gift up to $50,000 as we work to fulfill our vision of Bringing Dignity and Hope to our Neighbors across the Lowcountry.

CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: We are always looking for sponsors for our special events that include Christmas, Thanksgiving, Veteran’s Day and others.

There are also naming opportunities at our facility and future Life Center that will will be renovated into shelter for seven homeless families. We are also open to naming opportunities for our key programs that address the following needs: Hunger, Homelessness, Medical Needs, Jobs Training, Legal Needs and Utility/Rental Assistance.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 610 TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $827,000 PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 93% GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: We serve the entire tri-county area (Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties), with an emphasis on North Charleston. We serve our neighbors who are dealing with hunger, homelessness, medical needs and unemployment.

GREATEST NEED: Financial donations for expanding our facilities to include shelter for homeless women and children. www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 31

The foundation of the Aquarium’s identity and mission has always been our animals. Their nutritional care is a central focus, as its quality determines the resilience and longevity of all species, sea turtles included.

We’re grateful to Charleston Coffee Roasters for being ear y investors and ensuring the nutritional well-being of our animals, as part of the South Carolina Aquarium Landmark Animal Care l Sustainers Fund. This fund provides critical financial support for the Aquarium’s world-class animal care operations, which lie at the heart of every facet of our mission.

You can help. Additional opportunities for high-visibility corporate sponsorships for our Animal Care Sustainers Fund are available.

To learn more, please reach out to Chloe Garrison at cgarrison@scaquarium.org.

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: To inspire conservation of the natural world by exhibiting and caring for animals, by excelling in education and research and by providing an exceptional visitor experience.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: South Carolina Aquarium YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 2000 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Kevin Mills, President and CEO CONTACT INFORMATION: 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401 843-577-3474 www.scaquarium.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Chloe Garrison, Corporate and Foundation Relations 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401 843-801-2872 cgarrison@scaquarium.org AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 152 TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2021): $11.1 million PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 70% GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: Our education programs prioritize service for K-12 students across South Carolina who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program or attend Title I schools.

GREATEST NEED: The Aquarium’s principal strategic priority will be to deliver financial sustainability for our core mission programs.

The animal care program is at the heart of that mission, and it is our goal to secure recurring, reliable funding for this work. www.charlestonbusiness.com

A CLOSER LOOK: 2020 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: The Our World Without campaign will be recorded as our finest moment as an Aquarium family; a moment in which our entire community rallied, combined voices and saved the Aquarium. We set a goal of raising $1.6 million over a six-month period, a figure that would temporarily stabilize our education programs and our Sea Turtle Care Center™. By the close of this six-month sprint, we were able to secure $2.3 million.

Every dollar has counted, and every voice has mattered.

The response to this campaign has been nothing short of remarkable. To see how deeply our mission resonates with our community has been awe-inspiring. Since the campaign’s launch, we have welcomed 2,800 new donors to the Aquarium family, spanning almost every county in South Carolina, 45 states and four countries!

2021 GOALS: As part of our business sustainability goals for Landmark 2025, a five-year strategic plan that will shape our identity and guide our organization to innovate in areas of conservation, education and animal care, we have constructed a dedicated Animal Care Sustainers Fund, targeting a total of $1.5 million in multi-year commitments, to be paid out by the close of 2025.

From veterinary care to water quality and infrastructure programs, each element of an animal’s care within the Aquarium is an opportunity for our partners to fund and name a leg of their journey.

Just as coffee sustains millions of Americans, both in their daily lives and by means of long-term health benefits, the Aquarium’s Nutritional Care Program sustains our animal population, enabling each creature to serve

as an ambassador for their species to more than 450,000 visitors that walk through our doors each year. Join Charleston Coffee Roasters and find unique brand alignment with a vital component of our mission and elevate your brand experience.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: • Sea Life by Starlight: Saturday, Dec. 11, at the South Carolina Aquarium. Annual holiday party and silent auction to benefit the Sea Turtle Care Center. Sponsorship opportunities available.

• 2021 Conservation Gala: Saturday, Dec. 4, at the South Carolina Aquarium and Liberty Square. Annual dinner program to award the Environmental Stewardship Award and Community Impact Award, and recognize local contributions to conservation and environmental education. Proceeds benefit conservation efforts at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Sponsorship opportunities available.

CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: The South Carolina Aquarium offers many corporate giving opportunities, from special event and exhibit sponsorships that provide robust brand visibility and employee engagement, to investments in programmatic offerings and effective conservation initiatives that generate a meaningful impact in our community.

Additionally, the Aquarium offers membership to its Corporate Circle starting at $1,500 per year. Membership includes a unique slate of benefits and opportunities tailored to each partner. To discuss corporate giving opportunities, please contact Chloe Garrison, Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 33

UNITING AND STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY

Trident United Way is the leader in uniting our community to improve lives. We bring together people and organizations on the pressing issues that no single organization can solve alone.

Across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties we are focused on:

EDUCATION I FINANCIAL STABILITY I HEALTH YOU HELPED IMPROVE 252,000 LIVES LAST YEAR. Big things happen when our community comes together to take care of one another.

ARE YOU READY TO LIVE UNITED? Learn more about the impact made possible by your generosity at tuw.org/community

T UW.org Trident United Way

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

Trident United Way MISSION STATEMENT: Trident United Way is a catalyst for measurable community transformation in education, financial stability and health.

VISION: To be the leader in uniting our community to improve lives.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Trident United Way YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 1944 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: Chloe Knight Tonney, President and CEO CONTACT INFORMATION: 6296 Rivers Ave., Suite 200 North Charleston, SC 29406 843-740-9000 tuw.org OTHER LOCATIONS: BERKELEY RESOURCE CONNECTION 843-761-6033 DORCHESTER RESOURCE CONNECTION 843-695-4261 CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Mike Gibbons, Director of Corporate Partnerships 843-740-7739 mgibbons@tuw.org

AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 2,120 TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $6.4 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

GREATEST NEEDS: • Scaled and accelerated philanthropic leadership across the region.

• Human services organizations continue to need leaders who accelerate collaboration, solutions for sustainability and to leverage resources to address evolving challenges.

• COVID-19 adjacent needs for individual and families will continue to increase. www.charlestonbusiness.com

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: • Hosted community leaders from our local municipalities to share 2020 Year End report on 211 Services and community conditions.

• Launched quarterly Leader to Leader gatherings of nonprofit Executive Directors for learning, sharing and collaboration on issues that impact nonprofits.

• Launched the Lead United Program – offering a comprehensive community leadership and nonprofit board member development program in partnership with Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

• Completed year 1 of Literacy United at Mt. Zion Elementary — a partnership with Charleston County School District, The Lastinger Institute and local philanthropists bringing innovative, evidence-based reading interventions to students in grades K-2 and builds upon the success of Trident United Way’s Reading by Third initiative.

• Scaled our systems and tools to interpret, communicate and rapidly respond to realtime community conditions.

2022 GOALS: • Progress on 2020-2023 Strategic Plan as approved by the Trident United Way Board of Directors. As the leaders in uniting our community to improve lives, the plan guides numerous goals including: • Education Impact Area: Increase community resources and drive impact for our focus areas of literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional development via our Kindergarten Readiness Network convenings, Literacy United initiative, and 1000 Books Before Kindergarten library partnerships.

• Financial Stability Impact Area: Scale, reach and impact of wrap-around services for

Tri-County through Resource Connection Center partnerships.

• Health Impact Area: Delivery of Tri-County Health Symposium, host Conversations on Race and Health Equity series of events and conduct Community Health Needs Assessment Survey with key partners MUSC Health and Roper St. Francis Healthcare.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: • GivingTuesday – Nov. 30, 2021 – A global, digital giving event. Visit www.tuw.org/ givingtuesday • Sing United – April–May 2022. This event features local musical artists competing in a single-elimination, bracket-style competition. Visit www.tuw.org/sing CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: • Employee giving campaigns through payroll deduction or e-pledge.

• Volunteer connection/service opportunities.

• Transformative gifts for capital improvements and expansion of services in three counties.

• Emergency Response – health, shelter, bill pay, rent, utilities, food and more.

• Special Event Sponsorships — Donor Network events, Sing United, Day of Action, Days of Caring and more.

• The Alliance Program, — a single, comprehensive gift supporting special convenings.

• Corporate brands are recognized by partnership level. Membership begins at $2,500 annually.

• Customized giving and volunteer opportunities to meet corporate social responsibility goals. Please contact Mike Gibbons, Director of Corporate Partnerships.

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NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT

MISSION STATEMENT: To honor God by developing, implementing and sharing best-in-class safe water solutions that transform as many lives as possible, as quickly as possible.

QUICK FACTS: NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION: Water Mission YEAR ESTABLISHED LOCALLY: 2001 TOP LOCAL EXECUTIVE: George C. Greene IV PE, CEO and President CONTACT INFORMATION: 150 Molly Greene Way, Bldg. 1605 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-769-7395 Fax: 843-769-7395 www.watermission.org CORPORATE GIVING CONTACT: Aaron Mason, Corporate Partnerships Director 150 Molly Greene Way, Bldg. 1605 North Charleston, SC 29405 843-769-7395 amason@watermission.org AVERAGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS IN 2020: 272 TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET (2020-2021): $41.8 million PERCENT OF REVENUE DEDICATED TO PROGRAM SERVICES: 88% GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR SPECIFIC POPULATION SERVED: We have provided safe water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions in 57 countries, serving in developing communities, refugee settings and disaster areas worldwide.

A CLOSER LOOK: 2021 TOP ACHIEVEMENTS: We served more than 1.2 million people with safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions in the last fiscal year. Our staff completed 110 safe water projects in 11 developing countries, as well as responded to nine disasters providing immediate relief and solutions for long-term resiliency.

Additionally, we helped slow the spread of the coronavirus by providing handwashing and hygiene resources, including installing more than 8,500 handwashing stations at under-resourced hospitals and clinics, water access points, schools, prisons and other high-traffic areas.

2022 GOALS: 1. Impact the lives of 1.95 million people by 2023 through a three-year initiative that will leverage sustainable development projects and the Rural Water Cooperative program to bring safe water and the opportunity to experience God’s love to communities in need.

2. Reach survivors of natural disasters and humanitarian crises with access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene solutions while developing a best-in-class disaster response program.

3. Ensure we have the financial resources

available to achieve our goals through increased strategic revenue-generating initiatives and managed costs.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS: Walk for Water, March 26, 2022, Riverfront Park, North Charleston Around the world, 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water. Millions of women and children walk more than three miles to collect water for their families every day.

Often this water is not safe to drink, resulting in illness and even death. But we have the power to change this. Water Mission’s Walk for Water is a unique event where you have the opportunity to walk in the shoes of our global neighbors. By doing so, you raise awareness and funds to help end the global water crisis.

CORPORATE GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: • Employee Matching Gifts • Walk for Water Sponsorship • Disaster Response Gifts • Grants • Employee Volunteer Opportunities • Gifts in Kind • Give online at watermission.org/donate

NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED BY:

GREATEST NEED: 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe water, and one person dies every 37 seconds from waterrelated illness. www.charlestonbusiness.com

Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry 37

HELPING OUT

New Opportunity Center breaks ground The Coastal Community Foundation recently participated in a groundbreaking for the new Opportunity Center in North Charleston.

The facility will house SCACED, Homes of Hope, Center for Heirs Property and Increasing H.O.P.E., nonprofits all focused on promoting access to economic opportunities. CCF was the largest local investor in the project. (Photos/ CCF)

38 Giving: Your guide to community giving in the Lowcountry

www.charlestonbusiness.com

We don’t stock cupboards or inspire dancers or discover cures.

But all the good YOU do is the whole reason we’re here.

We’re here for you, with the support, technology, and network that helps you take your good farther, faster. For all the good you do, thank you.

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