afpwnc.org

As our Western North Carolina community continues to recover and rebuild from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene, many nonprofit organizations in our region are grappling with complex challenges around funding. Organizations that are directly involved in crisis and disaster response—providing essential services like food, shelter, housing repairs, counseling, medical care, and resource distribution—are under tremendous pressure to secure the resources needed to support both immediate needs and long-term recovery efforts. These groups are not only responding to urgent demands but also working to expand their capacity to serve a growing number of people in need. At the same time, nonprofits [...]

The disaster caused by Hurricane Helene can make it challenging to fundraise for your institution. At this time, you are likely figuring out how to reconcile your desire to help with the need to fund your organization and its mission. Your mission is still valid and important to the community, but depending on where you sit in the larger relief effort, it may take a back seat temporarily to other priorities. If you have paused fundraising and prioritized your supporters' well-being, you’ve taken an important step in building trust and empathy with your donors, and you are laying a foundation for [...]

On September 26, I sat down to write this monthly article, planning to make light of the “spooky season” and question if candy corn was in fact candy or just flavored wax. Now, several days later, I’m penning a very different message.Many have likened Hurricane Helene to be Asheville’s Katrina, and I can see the parallels. Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed, and many parts of this region have been devastated. But it's in these moments that I realize just how strong we are. Just how resilient we are. This is when we come together to do what needs [...]