Audrey Moran, most recently CEO of the Sulzbacher Center and soon to be senior vice president of social responsibility and community advocacy with Baptist Health, will be the keynote speaker Sept. 23 at the University of North Florida Nonprofit Management Conference at UNF. Moran will speak at 8:30 a.m. about the “Status of the Nonprofit Sector in Northeast Florida.” Moran, a former mayoral candidate, will join Baptist Health Oct. 3. The Daily Record asked about her message to nonprofits.
If you could distill your message to nonprofits, what would that be?
In a world where every nonprofit is being called upon to do more with less, collaboration is the key to success. View the business community, funders, your clients and other nonprofits as partners in your work. Focus on your agency’s mission – do that work better than anyone else – and then partner with others on services that may be related and needed but not central to the mission of your organization.
What are the keys to survival for today’s nonprofits?
Recruiting and retaining a talented team is essential. Fortunately in this tough economy, there are lots of smart, creative and hardworking people looking for opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Which types of nonprofits are performing the best in this economic environment?
Nonprofits that are able to tell their story in a clear and powerful way always do the best. If people understand how and why you make a real difference, they will want to support you.
What’s the future of government funding for nonprofits?
Fortunately in Jacksonville, we have a mayor and a City Council who understand the importance of the nonprofit sector to quality of life in our community. Government cannot and should not be the savior for nonprofits, but it is a critical partner. The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida does an outstanding job of making the case for how nonprofits are the best example of the “public-private partnerships” we want and need in Jacksonville.
What is the most portable lesson you are taking from the Sulzbacher Center, which serves the homeless, to Baptist Health?
That access to health care is economic development 101. At Sulzbacher, the downtown clinic sees close to 1,000 individuals every month and the Beaches clinic sees 800. Many of the people we see are working – and they keep working because they have a place to go to see a doctor. It sounds simple but it is critically important.