Nonprofits in St. Clair County join forces to tackle funding challenges, drive community development

Two heads are better than one – or at least, that’s what St. Clair County nonprofit leaders believe is the key to tackling their most pressing challenges. 

Every month, nonprofit executive directors gather for a collaborative roundtable. Attendees ask each other questions and discuss challenges large and small, as well as the solutions to those challenges. 

“[The roundtables] are centered on the belief that collaboration over competition helps us achieve more,” says Sheri Faust, Friends of the St. Clair River executive director. “Even though many of our nonprofits may be in different stages of development and growth, as executive directors, we recognize we all share similar challenges. Our round table has created a safe space for sharing, connection, and learning from one another.”

In the approximately two years that the roundtable has been held, Faust estimates that about 20 nonprofits have been represented. The meetings typically draw about 12 directors. 

Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center (BWROC) Executive Director Patrick Patterson says topics have included how to organize events and fundraisers, selecting a donor system, creating policies and procedures for governing boards, and developing organizations’ strategic initiatives as well as more mundane tasks like choosing an office printer. 

“The most benefit that we’ve gotten is intellectual capital, and that’s priceless,” Patterson says. 

Navigating a Challenging Funding Landscape

This collaboration has proved especially helpful as several nonprofits have lost funding due to the Trump administration’s cuts to federal and state grants. Since taking office in 2025, the administration has canceled or frozen approximately $425 billion in federal funds across healthcare, arts, education, and other sectors, according to the United Way.

Government grants are just one of several funding sources most nonprofits benefit from; others include private donations, corporate sponsorships, fee-for-service, and outside philanthropy. But every dollar counts when operating on a tight budget. 

Patterson says earlier in the year, BWROC lost about $65,000 in government funding, including a grant for transportation services and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. BWROC and many other nonprofits felt the sting of lost ARPA funding, which has largely sunsetted. Enacted by the Biden administration during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, ARPA distributed $3 billion in federal relief to state and local governments, nonprofits, and other organizations to support economic development and social programs.

Later in the year, BWROC was able to find alternate funding sources to fill that $65,000 gap, Patterson says. 

“It’s certainly been a challenging year. It’s like getting punched in the gut for a minute,” Patterson says. “But, with the right people in place, and the right strategies in place, we were able to find different sources (of funding).”

Faust says Friends has also suffered not only from funding cuts, but also from the loss of scientific expertise, knowledge, and data as federal and state environmental protection agencies are slashed and weakened under the Trump administration. 

As government staff are cut, so is the expertise and research they possess. 

“Water protection must remain a bipartisan priority,” Faust says. “We’ve been reminded that our natural resources do not recognize changing governments; the needs are there and require our sustained attention and support.”

Common topics of conversation at the roundtables are marketing, capacity, and fundraising challenges and opportunities. Faust said these discussions help other nonprofit leaders brainstorm solutions to their funding challenges, especially for those with limited capacity. 

“Nobody needs to reinvent the wheel when we all have limited capacity, and in this way we can maximize our resources,” Faust says. 

Other Challenges

Another major topic of conversation has been staff training and development. The Community Foundation of St. Clair County funded a professional consultant to visit the roundtable for a deep dive into board and leadership development.

The Foundation also provided funds for eight nonprofit executives to attend the Troy Chamber of Commerce’s nonprofit management conference, where leaders learned best practices in nonprofit management and growth.

The Athletic Factory Executive Director Cliff Thomason says staff capacity is also a common issue.

“I think nonprofits all over have the same concern and challenge of, we’re growing, and we need somebody else to hire, but making sure we have the funding in the budget to do it,” Thomason says. 

Formed in 2018, Thomason says his relatively young nonprofit has also benefited from the wisdom of older, more established nonprofits. 

“Having a mixture of grassroots organizations or long-standing corporate-type nonprofits that have been around for years, we’ve been able to get some knowledge,” he says. The roundtable meets at 9 a.m. on the second Tuesday of every month. All executive directors of St. Clair County-based nonprofits are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Faust at (810) 730 – 5998 or sheri@scriver.org.