OneSource Center News

OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence is coordinating a region-wide FREE toy distribution for children during the months of July and August – collaborating with nonprofit sponsors to spread some joy to area youth. The event titled “Unplug and Play” is nationally sponsored by Toys for Tots and Good360.

“The last few years have been especially challenging to children nationwide,” said Christie Brown, OneSource Center CEO. “It is an honor to partner with Toys for Tots, Good360, The BDK Fund, and the Reds Community Fund to get toys into the hands of kids and encourage them to step away from technology this summer and have some good old-fashioned play time with toys.”

OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence is a regional redistribution partner for Good360, distributing products and furniture to area nonprofits and those they serve as part of its mission. This is the second year it has coordinated the shipments of thousands of toys to help distribute to area children. Toys are intended for children 10 and under.

Unplug and Play Toy Distributions in July and August:

• July 9 10 AM-2 PM at Elder High School 3900 Vincent Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45205 (Sponsored by BDK Fund)
• July 9 9 AM-12 PM at OneSource Center 936 Dalton Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45203 (Sponsored by OneSource Center)
• July 16 10 AM-2 PM at Roger Bacon High School 4320 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45207 (Sponsored by BDK Fund)
• August 4 12:30-3:30 PM at Lincoln Heights Elementary School 1113 Adams St. Cincinnati, OH 45215(Sponsored by the Reds Community Fund as part of the Reds Community Makeover)

Thank you to the 176 leaders who responded to our Needs Assessment survey! This survey is part of our strategic plan to better address client-driven needs. We had a nice balance of large and small agencies responding, so we were able to gather crucial information that will help us better serve you in the future. Some of the key findings in the report are:

• While respondents indicated multiple resources for assistance on nonprofit issues, “Peers in your Network” was by far the most common response, with over 80% responding.
• 86% of respondents had a desire to increase collaboration with other nonprofits 
• 89% are interested in a nonprofit database.
• 90% think that a nonprofit hub would be somewhat important, very important or critical.

Details of key results:

Background:

OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence provides services, products, and connections to help nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Cincinnati Community to be more productive and effective. OneSource Center accomplishes its mission through training, coaching, consulting, and other projects and initiatives.

As a positive contributor to our multicultural community, OneSource Center embraces Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It acknowledges the pain felt among people of color across the nation in response to historically-rooted social injustices. In addition, it reaffirms a desire for change that bolsters the dignity of each individual and the chance for a better tomorrow for all.

OneSource Center’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion objective is to create, nurture, and sustain an inclusive culture where differences leverage the talents of clients, staff, volunteers, and the nonprofit community by embedding multicultural awareness and advocacy in all services and opportunities that OneSource Center offers. Additionally, OneSource Center recognizes the under-representation of people of color among the leadership in the nonprofit sector. In response to our objective and recognition of the current state, OneSource Center has established the OneSource Center Emerging Leader Award, which will provide a full scholarship for the award honoree to participate in the EXCEL leadership development program, including 1 year of executive coaching.

EXCEL, which is offered by the Nonprofit Leadership Institute of Cincinnati (NLIGC) is a nine-month leadership development and skills training program for nonprofit executive directors and high-level managers. EXCEL is designed to enrich the management capabilities of those individuals leading or preparing to lead nonprofit organizations in the Greater Cincinnati region.

Eligibility Criteria for OneSource  Center’s Emerging Leader Award:

Candidates must:

• Be a management level employee who has the potential for advancing to more challenging leadership roles (e.g. with a larger agency).
• Have obtained an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree or higher level of education.
• Have demonstrated strong leadership skills.
• Is perceived by the nominator as having emerging skills and talents to advance to a higher level of leadership.
• Be a person in our multicultural community of a race that is under-represented in nonprofit leadership.

Selection Process:

• Nomination deadline is July 15, 2022.
• A selection panel consisting of 4-6 members will review nominations and select the recipient for the award. The honoree will be identified by July 25, 2022 and must complete the required EXCEL program application by August 5, 2022.
• The selected recipient must meet EXCEL enrollment criteria including a commitment to attend each of the 10 full-day sessions (See complete enrollment criteria here.)

Nomination form

Karen Wellington was an inspiring woman living with breast cancer who had a dream that all women living with breast cancer have the opportunity to do just that – LIVE. Enjoy life. Go places. Plan trips. Have fun. 

In 2007, her family made the step to have her dream – and her legacy – live on as a nonprofit, the Karen Wellington Foundation. Today, that dream has turned into a growing foundation helping women living with breast cancer, and after more than a decade in existence, it was time for that vision to be put to paper with a strategic plan. That’s when OneSource Center was called in. 

Through the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Karen’s family started the nonprofit with the idea to offer vacation rentals and experiences through the donations of others. Recently, this volunteer-run organization expanded with paid staff, and momentum was building to begin a capital campaign. 

Our highly trained consultants helped the organization develop a strategic plan, including working with the board to develop the organization’s Mission, Vision, and Values. Working with multiple stakeholders, a steering team, and board, together they developed a plan that allowed the organization to build capacity, be more inclusive, be more creative in their strategy and increase awareness globally, thus increasing donations.

The Karen Wellington Foundation Executive Director, Alexia Zigorie, says, “The project was a huge success. It was not only completed in a timely manner, but it was a collaborative effort with OneSource Center’s consultants – and it was FUN – one of our organization’s core values.”

With a strategic plan in place, the Karen Wellington Foundation is now growing – reaching those who’ve been impacted by breast cancer in chapters across the country. The true testament of a legacy of a Cincinnati woman continues to live on – and through – the lives of many women in the breast cancer recovery process. The executive director of one of OneSource Center’s collaborating partners – Cincinnati Toolbank – Kat Pepmeyer, was a recent recipient of a trip, courtesy of the Karen Wellington’s Foundation, after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year. 

 At OneSource Center, we’re proud that our service offerings can help so many nonprofits do more. For more information on the Karen Wellington Foundation, visit www.karenwellingtonfoundation.org.