“We help with that” is more than a slogan for OneSource Center for Nonprofit Excellence, as more than 400 Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati nonprofits received guidance, training and office furniture/products from the organization, its staff and team of executive volunteers in 2020.
Christie Brown
Amidst the pandemic, the region’s only nonprofit resource center helped organizations through COVID challenges, regionally providing $850,000 in savings – funds that could be used to further agency missions.
OneSource Center, recently relocated to 936 Dalton Avenue in Cincinnati, is positioned in the heart of the Tri-State region, fully accessible to nonprofits throughout Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Indiana.
In 2020, this centralized location allowed the organization to equip 170 nonprofit offices with donated office furniture and supplies, and allowed the consulting team and volunteer executives to complete over 100 consulting projects and provide more than 250 nonprofit training experiences. Volunteers donated over 12,000 hours in community service – strengthening nonprofits through gifts of expertise, time and connections.
Nonprofit leaders laud OneSource Center’s impact.
“UMC Food Ministry had been working with OneSource Center’s consulting team on several projects prior to COVID,” said Larry Karow, founder and CEO, UMC Food Ministry, headquartered in Covington.
UMC Food Ministry was able to provide shelf-stable food to hungry children through more than 300 sites in NKY and Greater Cincinnati.
“The strategic work we did positioned us to respond quickly when community needs grew exponentially due to the pandemic — from serving 1.6 million free meals in 2018 to over 2.6 million meals in the first 9 months of 2020. UMC Food Ministry thanks OneSource Center for its guidance in helping our organization be even more responsive to changing community needs in dynamic times.”
Supporting the region’s sustainability efforts, regional businesses donate gently used office and/or residential furniture, keeping items out of the landfill while helping to stock OneSource Center’s redistribution warehouse.
Nonprofits are able to purchase needed furniture for offices and residential group homes for pennies on the dollar. Products are also available through OneSource Center’s affiliation with Good360, an organization that channels corporate donations of home goods, personal care and a wide variety of mission support items. The thousands of discounted offerings in the redistribution warehouse not only save nonprofits money – but they allow organizations to enhance and expand their missions, and to redirect savings to meet additional agency needs.
The OneSource Center redistribution warehouse just one of the center’s offerings, provides nonprofits with donate gently used furniture and new retail products for pennies on the dollar, allowing Them to further their impact in the region. (Photos provided)
Over 170 donors and corporate sponsors support OneSource Center’s work in the community, and 10 collaborating partners supplement the few areas not provided by the organization.
“Standard Textile and its employees are proud to join other philanthropic donors and sponsors that recognize the impact of having a nonprofit resource center in our region,” said Gary Heiman, President and CEO, Standard Textile. “We know our donations to OneSource Center of both in-kind and tangible goods and financial support provide needed benefit to individuals struggling in our community.”
OneSource Center provides consulting and coaching to nonprofit leaders and their boards needing direction on strategic and financial planning, human resources, logistics planning, executive search and even capital campaigns. OneSource Center is able to provide expert direction through its team of over 100 volunteer consultants – experts in a wide range of fields – who want to share their years of experience to make a difference in the community. Fees for consulting and coaching are extremely reasonable and even grant supported, depending on agency need. Initial assessments for consulting services are free.
“We have gratefully utilized every resource OneSource Center offers in order to strengthen our organization to better serve those in need,” said Mikella Chrisman, Executive Director, New Foundations Transitional Living. “Their work with us on strategic direction helped us chart a strong course for the future and their warehouse selection has furnished our offices and residential spaces. I gained incredible knowledge through their work with the NLIGC’s EXCEL leadership development program as well. OneSource Center’s offerings are almost too good to be true!”
Christie Brown, OneSource Center CEO, emphasizes that the organization is a nonprofit itself, and understands the challenges agencies face.
“The needs of our community did not diminish, but grew, during the pandemic. Most nonprofits were stretched thin, even before COVID hit, with limitations on both staff and financial resources. We hear from clients that being supported both in day-to-day operations and in developing sound strategic and business plans for the future is often the direction they need to help increase mission reach. When our nonprofits thrive, our whole community reaps the benefits, and that is the bottom line we all want to achieve.”
OneSource Center offerings are available to all 501c3 organizations, schools, and faith-based and government organizations, with budgets ranging $25,000 to over 5 million. Nonprofits receive a free initial assessment by contacting the OneSource Center offices at 513-554-4944 or through website inquiries.
