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December 25, 2006

Fund drive | Elizabeth Stefanski, executive director of the Maine Women's Fund, sees good news for nonprofits

By Kerry Elson
In Maine's nonprofit sector, it's a common refrain: There are more nonprofits today than ever before, but not enough money to fund them. Donors are being more conservative and grant competition is stiff, leading some nonprofits to cut programs or close.

Elizabeth Stefanski, however, doesn't buy that hype. As the new executive director of the Maine Women's Fund, a public foundation in Portland, Stefanski is charged with raising money each year for more than a dozen small nonprofits statewide. This year, the organization raised more than $100,000 for 16 groups statewide. By 2009, she expects fundraising to surpass $500,000.

"I don't believe that there's a funding scarcity going on," says Stefanski, who replaced longtime director Karin Anderson earlier this month. "Yes, there are more nonprofits; yes, they are competing for resources. But we are in a wealthier time now in terms of philanthropic resources than we have ever been in."

That may seem hard to believe. Maine has one of the lowest rates of charitable giving in the nation, according to recent statistics, in part due to a struggling economy. But Stefanski says the state's growing retirement population, for example, is a key financial resource for nonprofits. Those new residents have extra income and want to connect to their adopted home, she says.

And women's foundations in particular are attractive candidates for funding, says Stefanski. She notes that directors of nonprofits funded by such foundations often have close ties to their community. And by giving grants to these individuals, says Stefanski, donors also are investing in civic leaders. "If you invest in women, your dollars are going to go farther because of those ripple effects," she argues.

Stefanski has spent most of her career in grantmaking, most recently working at the GlobalGiving Foundation in Washington, D.C., an organization that matches donors with nonprofits worldwide through its website. There, she says, she learned that donors are more apt to open their wallets if they feel personally invested in an individual's work. For example, a mobile health clinic for women in India may be a more attractive target for philanthropy than a big institution where operating costs might eat up much of the donation.

Eager to relocate to Maine, Stefanski applied for the job at the Maine Women's Fund because it follows that model, connecting donors to small, local nonprofits like Lewiston-based United Somali Women of Maine, which last year used a $3,000 grant to produce marketing materials. "When you connect people in the community to the change that they want to see happen, and you're transparent, you're really able to grow something big. Donors feel responsible for [the project]," she says.

In January, Stefanski will meet with the MWF's board of directors to revamp the organization's grant-making process. The board felt that with new leadership, it was the right time for a change, according to Stefanski. Those changes may include new fellowship programs and different levels of funding for nonprofits in the startup stage or those looking to broaden their organization's reach.

At the same time, however, Stefanski will have to continue raising money, and that means reaching out beyond the traditional philanthropic base of wealthy, often older donors who can afford to give thousands to a cause. People in their 20s and 30s, says Stefanski, can also give, using their dollars to strengthen organizations they believe in. And while any dollar amount helps, what really counts, Stefanski says, is the number of people who are involved. "Each contribution is equally valued," she says. "It's almost like a vote."

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