Helping New Orleans Nonprofits Get Back on Their Feet
Hurricane Katrina is long gone, but its impact continues—the New Orleans social service network remains broken from the effects of the storm.
|
A study by the Urban Institute estimated that 80 percent of Katrina-affected nonprofits were still not fully operational in early 2006. Many organizations were still without buildings, donors, board members, volunteers and staff.
|
 |
With an estimated 200,000 people returning to the region, nonprofits play a critical role, serving the returning population with services such as day care, preventive health care, services for the elderly, counseling and job training. Accenture made a $600,000 grant of cash and in-kind consulting services to the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO) to support the design and launch of its New Orleans Nonprofit Central resource cooperative. The resource cooperative will offer basic business operations and technology services to nonprofits of all sizes, enabling them to expand their relief services.
Accenture has been working with LANO since December 2005, initially developing a post-Katrina strategic plan and more recently helping to formulate the Nonprofit Central concept through project management, organization and process design and technology. In addition, Accenture will help LANO coordinate support across the coalition of service providers, each of which will provide assistance within its area of expertise, including financial, operational and marketing assistance to service delivery, volunteer management and client referrals.
As a resident of the New Orleans area, Accenture senior executive Allen Gaudet was personally affected by Hurricane Katrina. In addition to providing his time to LANO on the Nonprofit Central project, Allen was recently asked to join the LANO board of directors.
"I am grateful for Accenture's generosity in helping LANO and other nonprofit organizations reestablish their presence in the New Orleans area," said Gaudet. "There is so much work to be done, but I am confident the region will thrive once more as a result of collaboration between the private and nonprofit sectors."
Visit US Community Involvement page