History

Neighborhood Fundraising Network, Inc. (NFN) is a nonprofit organization created for charitable and educational purposes in July 2000.  NFN’s mission is to strengthen and support the administration, efficiency, and health of small grassroots nonprofit organizations and the families they serve in under-invested low income communities of Southern California, by providing professional capacity-building training, technical assistance training, community health workshops and parent advocacy programs at no-cost.

Consistent with NFN's mission, 20 hours each month are set aside for the provision of no-cost consultations to small, new and/or developing nonprofits that haven't the ability to pay even NFN's discounted fees. Last year, NFN provided more than 140 hours of pro bono services.

Accomplishments and Current Activities

NFN held Neighborhood Nonprofit Days consisting of a comprehensive series of low-cost community-based workshops held in the last year for under-funded nonprofit communities. To enhance opportunities for participation among agencies serving disenfranchised communities, these workshops were held in geographical proximity to these agencies. To assure participation from agencies within under-funded and under-invested communities, NFN conducted targeted outreach activities to promote these workshops.

In the past year, NFN has provided on-site management assistance to approximately 138 nonprofit clients.  These client organizations have received services including strategic planning, management assessment, customized on-site board leadership-development training, group facilitation for meetings and retreats, grant writing, event planning, and media/communications consultation.  In addition, NFN has worked with countless community-based foundations to assist them in identifying grassroots organizations that are consistent with the field of interest of the foundations

NFN regularly hosts Funders Panels for nonprofit organizations. A distinguished panel of foundation officers provides practical tips for success from the perspective of funding agencies. Critical topics such as understanding funding requirements, the grant application and the grant review process, how grants are awarded and proper administration of grant monies are addressed. This quarterly panel routinely attracts over 85 representatives from San Diego's nonprofit community.

NFN maintains strong professional relationships with diverse community-based philanthropic agencies and with professional funders in our target communities due to our founder's history of affiliations throughout Southern California. Because NFN promotes bilateral/reciprocal relationships, NFN has worked with community-based foundations to assist them in identifying grassroots organizations that are consistent with their field of interest of the foundations.

In October 2000, NFN produced the inaugural HIV/AIDS Conference for Faith Leaders. The critical purpose of the conference was to bring together San Diego's religious leaders to educate, motivate and support their efforts to engage their parishioners in productive dialogue about HIV/AIDS in communities of color. A testament to the success of this event was that attendance was double what was projected by the conference committee.

NFN continues our community leadership in the area of HIV/AIDS in communities of color and is producing and sponsoring the 2006 San Diego African American World AIDS DAY Conference.   This landmark conference for San Diego's community leaders, and People with AIDS, was held on Friday, December 1, in conjunction with World AIDS Day. In addition to attracting service providers, advocates and caregivers, the conference committee developed a comprehensive outreach strategy to attract community members to begin a dialogue about the devastation of HIV/AIDS within their communities. Well over 375 individuals attended this event. (See AIDS Conference.)

Community Health Capacity-Building Initiative
Over the past 12 months NFN has provided support to strengthen grassroots efforts to improve health outcomes for our communities.  In addition to providing topical workshops, seminars and trainings—using grassroots and community-based experts—The Community Health Capacity-Building Initiative provided twenty-four Community Health Forums, addressing the most critical health issues in our community.  In addition to providing an opportunity for community discussion on these issues, allied health professional and local community medial experts provide the latest information on health concerns and disease prevention methods.  This initiative builds upon NFN’s history of community leadership and demonstrated commitment to the health and welfare of our community. Among the many health issues that the Neighborhood Fundraising Network, Community Health Capacity-Building Initiative address are: HIV Infection and AIDS, Heart Disease and Stroke, Cancer Screening and Management, Chemical Dependencies, Asthma, Suicide, Violence, Obesity, Immunizations, Diabetes and Infant Mortality.

In 2006 NFN’s Board of Directors expanded the NCLB capacity building program to include Parent advocacy.  Parental involvement is pivotal in a child's education.  The parent advocacy activities were necessary to ensure the success of the organizations providing Supplemental Educational Service (SES) to students Title 1 Program Improvement Schools in Southern California.  The expanded NFN advocacy program assisted 5,500 parents.

About the Founder

Stephanie Edwards, MPA, is Founder and President of Neighborhood Fundraising Network, Inc. (NFN) and President of Community Resource Fundraising Group (CRFG). Ms. Edwards, a native Californian, has more than 20 years of fundraising experience working for nonprofit organizations. She holds a Masters Degree (MPA) in Public Administration, a Masters Degree in Hospital Administration from the University of Southern California, a Bachelor of Science Degree from California State University, Northridge, and continued her studies in the field of fundraising at the Indiana University Center of Philanthropy. Ms. Edwards an Adjunct Professor at Springfield College, College of Human Services, Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Edwards teaches graduate courses in "Legal and Ethical Aspect of Non-Profit Management", and "Grant writing" and an under graduate course "The Basics of Fundraising".

Ms. Edwards has assisted numerous nonprofit organizations with her acclaimed fundraising and managerial expertise. Her grant writing abilities have helped to secure over $4.5 million for organizations, and more than $450,000 in corporate sponsorship for signature events for a variety of agencies. She teaches the basics of fundraising and winning grants at community workshops, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the San Diego Foundation for Change and a member of the Grants Committee of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

Her role as a Resource Development Specialist involves capacity building for community-based organizations. In addition to writing grants and coordinating fundraising events, she trains community-based organizations to develop these skills for themselves.

Stephanie's philosophy is: "Give a man a fish, and you feed him today; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life." Her passion and life's work is to instruct, counsel, and motivate community nonprofit organizations and agencies to become self-sufficient.

Board Of Directors

Chairperson

Mcristle A Ross
Children Protective Services

Vice Chair

Belinda Mister
Substance Abuse Coordinator, ADAPT

Treasurer

Arnold A. Norfleet
CPA

Secretary

Fredrick K. Taylor
Attorney at Law
Procopio Cory Hargreaves &Savitch