On March 18, 2014, SAGA Construction & Development co-hosted an important event, The Making of an Effective Nonprofit, sponsored by the Outer Banks Community Foundation and led by Trish Lester, VP of the NC Center for Nonprofits. This event was held at the Ramada Inn in Kill Devil Hills for nonprofit executive directors, board members, staff and volunteers. The range of topics included financial management, planning, governance, fund-raising, human resources and other essential information for best practices and organization of nonprofits.
This free event also included a workshop, The Essential Guide to Community Foundation Grants. Lorelei Costa, Executive Director of the Outer Banks Community Foundation, provided an overview of their grant program, including the current criteria and information on the new online application form, and she provided essential tips for submitting a successful nonprofit proposal.
Scheduled to address the attendees was,Sumit Gupta, CEO of SAGA Construction, his comments were read by Bob Schiffer who said, “It is a pleasure for SAGA and our Not for Profit entity, SAGA Community Focus, to co-host this important event.” SAGA’s commitment to assisting those in need has stretched over the last four years, and for the owners of SAGA, it was a natural transition to share their gains with those within the communities of the Outer Banks. Sumit went on to say, “This is a responsibility that we feel very passionate about. To further our efforts, SAGA brought on Bob Schiffer to assist us in the development of a comprehensive outreach program. Bob, please share our mutual dream with the attendees.”
Bob Schiffer addressed the group, “Thank you Bob Miller Treasurer of OBCF. Well, this is certainly a dream come true. Today is our first step in reaching out to the Outer Banks Not for Profit community and to identify Saga Community Focus as a vehicle to give back to the community. Our primary focus is to generate a funding stream and to become a solid resource you can approach for funding.”
He went on to say, “SAGA Community Focus is developing and at this time is a work in progress. We will continue to co-venture with the Mustang Music Festival and the Outer Banks Sporting Events, and we will look at funding requests to join in or to lead, depending on our own mission. To some degree, the funding the SCF brings will mirror the footprint of SAGA’s current business activities.”
In conclusion, Bob said, “Today I want to thank all of you for your valued community efforts. You certainly deserve an A for your contributions. It’s time for all of us to get better at what we do, and the SCF is interested in knowing how we can assist. Trish is a real pro, and if there’s anyone who can transform interest into action, it’s the credible information provided by Trish Lester. We thank you for this opportunity to contribute, Lorelei.”