World NGO (Non-Government Organizations) Day is Feb 27th and the international community will be celebrating and honoring NGO’s across the entire globe. Here in St. Maarten we also plan on doing something a little special for the heart-wearing-on-sleeve, charitable, liberal, freehearted organizations and individuals on the island.
On February 22nd the NPOwer project , funded by the Dutch Disaster Fund (Nationaal Rampenfonds) of the 4C Foundation will host the first ever of its kind NPO (non for profit organization) workshop conference the island will experience. “It Takes (more than) Two to Tango” NPO conference will take place at the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA), which was generously donated as the venue by the institution. The St. Maarten Training Foundation will cater for the lunch for participants.
Outgoing President of the NPOwer Foundation, Jose Verschueren-Sommers, in reflecting about the intention for the project she and her board had set in motion two years ago that lead to this moment stated, “there is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Verschueren-Sommers envisioned a platform where all of St. Maarten’s NGO’s and NPO’s could be better supported in the very important work they do in taking care of the community’s vulnerable. Together with recently appointed project coordinator Cassandra Richardson and Alston Lourens, the St. Maarten community was combed and the brightest, most experienced and innovative minds were invited to be facilitators and requested that they impart knowledge and best practices to attendees in order to run their respective foundations with an enlightened perspective.
NPOwer and many others in our community agree that for too long the persons that have a hand in taking care of our elderly, our disadvantaged youth and children, our ill, the economically challenged, our fragile natural environment and the animals that are neglected, and passionate about growing and securing our very own food to help nourish our minds and bodies have been existing because of their passion and want to do good. The goal of the conference and many conferences to come is to further fortify their passion for the respective social causes.” By building knowledge and know-how, NPOwer also assists foundations in running their organizations effectively, having a positive impact on the community at large.
The event kicks off on Saturday, February, 22nd, at 8AM. Attendees can expect to choose topics ranging from marketing your foundation to managing your foundation’s finances, proper board governance, using social media to reach your audience, building and retaining your volunteer pool, corporate/social responsibility and others. Foundations are encouraged to register soon as space is limited. Foundations should register first with http://www.NPOwersxm.com if they have not already done so to take advantage of attending for free. Non members of NPOwer and private persons pay a small fee of USD 50 to take part. The online registration form can be found at http://www.bit.ly/NPOwer2020
NPOwer is Foresee (4C) Foundation’s latest project which aims to bring Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) together to share expertise, grow capacity, assist with funding, fundraising, marketing, governance, and other innovative strategies.