The Abney Foundation is a well-known funder of nonprofit work in the Anderson area, as well as academic scholarships throughout South Carolina and medical research. Thanks to a recent partnership with the United Way of Anderson County, it’s also helping to build better nonprofits.

A $10,000 investment by the foundation is bringing a nine-part educational program to Anderson, one that teaches nonprofits how to “do business” better. The course, called Preserving the Public Trust, was developed by the S.C. Association of Nonprofit Organizations, or SCANPO, and is usually offered during the year in places such as Columbia and Myrtle Beach.

Members of SCANPO can take the course for $75 per session, plus their travel costs, while nonmembers are charged $125 per session. Thanks to The Abney Foundation, the course is being brought to the United Way offices in the SunTrust building one Thursday afternoon a month, and the nonprofit leaders can take it absolutely free.

All they have to invest is their time.

The first session, held last week, was lead by Columbia consultant Colleen Bozard. She taught 23 nonprofit representatives the basics of planning for the long-term. What’s the difference in a mission statement and a vision statement? How do you develop a strategic plan? Why do you need one? How do you get your board members involved and engaged in the process?

She also challenged them to think about more basic questions about their organizations. Why do we exist? What are we trying to achieve? What services are we providing, and what services should we be providing in the future?

Nonprofits represented ranged from the well-established, such as Meals on Wheels and Hospice of the Upstate, to newer ones such as Fresh Start Community Development Corporation, We Stand for KIDS and Fusion Warehouse.

Upcoming sessions will cover crucial issues such as the responsibilities of governing boards; accountability and legal compliance; operation planning and evaluation; financial management; human resources; fundraising; marketing and communications; and, the concluding one next March, information management.

Why is this course such a good idea? “Those of us in the nonprofit sector are quite aware that our donors are more knowledgeable than ever regarding the philanthropic decisions they make,” wrote United Way Vice President for Community Impact Jamie Nimmo in her letter of introduction to the course. “National scrutiny in recent years has revealed perceived ethical lapses and ineffective governance and management, along with a decline in public confidence of charitable organizations.”

The SCANPO class was developed as part of a broad initiative to “preserve the trust and confidence of the public whose continued support is critical” for nonprofit vitality, Nimmo wrote.

We wager that all nonprofits know how important it is to be well-schooled in the principles that will be covered by the class. The problem is they often operate on such shoestring budgets and tight staffing that spending $100 and allowing the chief decision-maker in the office to take a day to drive to Columbia or Myrtle Beach for a class is out of the question. By bringing this course close to home and underwriting its cost, The Abney Foundation has provided a tremendous service to the community.

There is limited space for the class; there was a waiting list for the first one. We hope that the people who sign up don’t waste their spaces by failing to appear on class days, or leaving early and missing most of the class period when a nonprofit eager and hungry for this information could be getting more out of it.

For information on the Aug. 14 class on board governance — to which the nonprofit representative is encouraged to bring a board member — call Nimmo at 226-3438. And if you are lucky enough to get a slot, thank Carl Edwards and David King at The Abney Foundation for partnering with the United Way on this venture.