By: Tammy Pitts, MNA Communications & Marketing Director
Late author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison once said, “Black women are the touchstone by which all that is human can be measured.” As a Black woman on the leadership team at Michigan Nonprofit Association, I was so honored to interview a trailblazer in Southeast Michigan: Priscilla Perkins, president, and CEO at Accounting Aid Society and current MNA member. When she popped on the Zoom screen for our interview, I was immediately captivated by her bright smile which lit up the entire screen. There was also an infectious energy that I could feel even in a virtual format. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.
Michigan Nonprofit Association Blog
MNA’s Blog is designed to give you, the nonprofit community, an informal look into the issues currently facing Michigan’s nonprofit sector and an opportunity to share tools, resources and best practices. It’s also a way for us to get to know each other a little bit better through candid discussions of the topics, challenges and opportunities that our sector deals with on a regular basis. Check back daily and participate in the discussions by posting a comment or emailing our bloggers. We love hearing from you!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2022
Contact: Tammy Pitts // tpitts@mnaonline.org
Statewide Survey Will Capture the First Ever Comprehensive Dataset on Nonprofit Leadership in Michigan
The Michigan Nonprofit Association — in partnership with Data Driven Detroit (D3) and the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy — is working to build the first comprehensive dataset about the demographics of nonprofit leadership throughout Michigan.
This project is supported with funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. It will collect staff and board demographic information and resource- and equity-related data from participants. The partners hope to capture information from all regions of the state.
As 2021 draws to a close I want to take the opportunity to reflect on a year that turned out much differently than any of us could have imagined. 2021 was yet another year disrupted by the pandemic with many of us forced to miss events or keep our distance from our colleagues, family, and friends. We continued to navigate meetings, fundraisers, and other events online. I salute those of you who found the strength to keep going even when times were tough.
MNA’s commitment to advocacy and influencing change never wavered this year. We advocated for changes in the language and application process for the Paycheck Protection Program and we continued our webinars where we provided Covid-19 resources exclusively for Michigan nonprofits to help them operate in an environment that is anything but normal. Most importantly, we continued our quest for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice for all.
Some of our initiatives included:
By Tammy Pitts, Director of Communications and Marketing
Michigan Nonprofit Association is growing by leaps and bounds! We’re proud to welcome Claire Horlings to our organization as our new Business Development Officer. In this role, she is responsible for all business development activities including membership cultivation and retention, network growth, customer service strategy and sales. We’re impressed by the depth of experience and passion for the nonprofit sector that Claire has and having her on our team is a great honor. So, what should you know about Claire? For starters, she’s a foodie!
