More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. This annual event is a chance for nonprofit trailblazers to connect, exchange ideas and get reenergized as they work toward making a bigger impact in communities across the state.

“We share the incredible gift and the challenge of building up Alabama and her people – that’s the mission that keeps all of us going,” said Staci Brown Brooks, Alabama Power vice president of Charitable Giving, president of the Alabama Power Foundation and executive director of Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, in her opening remarks during the conference kickoff dinner at Protective Stadium.

Staci Brown Brooks, Alabama Power vice president of Charitable Giving, president of the Alabama Power Foundation and executive director of Alabama Business Charitable Trust Fund, said the foundation and its partners celebrate 35 years of “building up Alabama and her people.” (contributed)

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Alabama Power Foundation marked its 35th anniversary with a celebration that included cupcakes, confetti cannons and a giant birthday card. (contributed)

This year’s conference was also a time of celebration – complete with cupcakes, confetti cannons and a giant birthday card – as the Alabama Power Foundation marked its 35th anniversary. The foundation was established on Oct. 31, 1989, with five focus areas: educational advancement, civic and community development, arts and cultural enrichment, environmental stewardship, and health and human services.

“Our five focus areas really have remained unchanged for the past 35 years,” Brooks said during her State of the Foundation address. “We’ve chosen to be consistent. We’ve chosen to provide what the state of Alabama needs.”

Brooks went on to explain that instead of deemphasizing any focus area, the foundation decided to ramp up efforts in particular subcategories. For example, within educational advancement, the foundation has increased its support of two-year colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in recent years.

In 2023, the foundation awarded 1,063 grants for a total of $15,247,130 of giving across the foundation’s five focus areas:

• $737,550 for Arts and Cultural Enrichment.
• $5,326,606 for Civic and Community Development.
• $6,165,255 for Educational Advancement.
• $813,040 for Environmental Stewardship.
• $2,231,679 for Health and Human Services.

Additionally, Brooks highlighted the continuing partnership between many nonprofits at the conference and the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), comprising more than 6,700 Alabama Power and Southern Company employees in Alabama who gave more than 21,000 volunteer hours in 2023. Brooks also applauded the ongoing work of the Energizers, made up of Alabama Power and Southern Company retirees and spouses who gave more than 39,000 volunteer hours in 2023.

But this year’s Elevate served as a birthday party where the guests were the center of attention. The conference was designed to give nonprofit leaders the practical tools they need to continue their meaningful work.

Day two of the conference included a panel discussion on strategic fundraising and grant writing featuring Rusha Smith, executive director of Freshwater Land Trust; Chad McEachren, president and CEO of Edmundite Missions; and Pamela Reed Phipps, executive director of Grace House Ministries. (contributed)

Day two of the conference included a panel discussion on strategic fundraising and grant writing featuring Rusha Smith, executive director of Freshwater Land Trust; Chad McEachren, president and CEO of Edmundite Missions; and Pamela Reed Phipps, executive director of Grace House Ministries. (contributed)

During her State of the Foundation address, Foundation President Staci Brown Brooks said the foundation provides what the state of Alabama needs. (contributed)

During her State of the Foundation address, Foundation President Staci Brown Brooks said the foundation provides what the state of Alabama needs. (contributed)

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Day two of the conference included a panel discussion on strategic fundraising and grant writing featuring Rusha Smith, executive director of Freshwater Land Trust; Chad McEachren, president and CEO of Edmundite Missions; and Pamela Reed Phipps, executive director of Grace House Ministries.

Brooks said she curated the panel, selecting leaders who have shown the ability to “turn straw into gold – or a little bit into a lot.”

Jeff Ware, director of philanthropy for the Nature Conservancy in Alabama, has attended several Elevate conferences and said the panel discussion was a great example of why he keeps coming back.

“I always find something useful,” Ware said. “I was just thinking as the grant panel was speaking that I’ve been in development for more than 30 years, fundraising for different organizations, and I know about grant writing, but they reminded me of some things that maybe had slipped my memory, and their passion for what they were doing inspired me to think in new ways about what I want to do.”

Jake McKenzie, CEO of Intermark Group, led a workshop on psychology-based marketing. (contributed)

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Jake McKenzie, CEO of Intermark Group, led a workshop on psychology-based marketing, stressing the importance of brand building and offering ways to leverage artificial intelligence.

Paul Kennedy, president of the Walker Area Community Foundation, said he appreciated that McKenzie’s talk gave him a lot to think about.

“I’m a lifetime learner, and I’m always coming to hone my craft and to be better at what I’m doing,” Kennedy said. “I’m wondering when I meet with somebody for the first time how am I setting my brand up to be in their permanent memory as the subconscious default, so that when they think of charity, philanthropy, they think of us.”

But opportunities to network at the conference are equally important to Kennedy.

“It’s smart to come every year so that I stay connected to the people that are on the Alabama Power Foundation team that I need to know,” he said. “And all my peers are coming, too – organizations that we’re currently funding, ones that we don’t know about that we might want to fund and ones that might want to know about us. So, it’s a great opportunity to get to see your classmates. It’s a little bit of a reunion.”

Whether over a meal or during designated networking time, connections are made and collaborations are born at Elevate.

Catherine Goudreau, executive director of Better Basics, discussed potential partnerships with Adrienne Marshall and Danielle Tipton of The Literacy Council of Central Alabama. Stephanie Shorter of Hope Inspired Ministries scheduled a meeting with McEachren, president and CEO of Edmundite Missions.

For Susan Sellers, CEO of United Ability, the Elevate Conference was key to opening doors for major collaborations with the Life Is Good apparel company.

“They had never done any kind of T-shirt or anything that was centered on individuals with disabilities,” Sellers said. But a conversation at a past conference led to a partnership with the brand and a line of “Inclusion Is Good” T-shirts.

This event aims for attendees to leave both informed and inspired.

Opening night featured a keynote address by life coach and motivational speaker Timothy Alexander, who was in a horrific car accident in 2006 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. (contributed)

Opening night featured a keynote address by life coach and motivational speaker Timothy Alexander, who was in a horrific car accident in 2006 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. (contributed)

Opening night featured a keynote address by life coach and motivational speaker Timothy Alexander, who was in a horrific car accident in 2006 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. (contributed)

Opening night featured a keynote address by life coach and motivational speaker Timothy Alexander. After a horrific car accident in 2006, during the fall of his senior year in high school when he was fast becoming one of the best football players in Alabama, Alexander was paralyzed from the waist down. Refusing to take no for an answer, Alexander went on to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham – on a football scholarship – and was instrumental in bringing back UAB’s football, bowling and rifling teams after they were cut in 2014.

Alexander’s talk centered on the importance of “keeping the main thing the main thing” or staying focused on one’s vision. He also stressed the importance of having a growth mindset, the kind of mindset that allows a person to turn adversity into opportunity.

The conference closed with a keynote address by Leland Melvin, the only person in history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. (contributed)

The conference closed with a keynote address by Leland Melvin, the only person in history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. (contributed)

The conference closed with a keynote address by Leland Melvin, the only person in history to catch a pass in the National Football League and in space. A former wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, Melvin is an engineer and NASA astronaut whose journey from the gridiron to the heavens was riddled with setbacks and injuries. By sharing his story of “grit, grace and second chances,” Melvin illustrated the power of community and commitment.

Learning about all the different ways the Alabama Power Foundation works with local communities was a highlight of the conference for Jamie Brown, director of development for Heart of Alabama Food Bank – so much so that she began to tear up as she reflected on the foundation’s impact. But her favorite part of this year’s Elevate conference were the talks by Alexander and Melvin.

“The keynotes were so inspiring,” Brown said. “It really filled my cup.”

After attending last year’s conference, which was held in Montgomery, Patricia Butts of the Lee County Literacy Coalition became a fast fan of the event’s atmosphere and the thoughtful preparation that she said she felt went into bringing the event to life.

“Working in nonprofits and being in a leadership role, we’re usually caring for others,” Butts said. “When I came last year, I really felt cared for.”

Karlos Finley, executive director of the Africatown Redevelopment Corporation, said what he appreciated most about Elevate was the intentionality of each day’s agenda as well as the intentionality of each person attending the event.

“We all know why we’re here – to work toward a common goal because we’re all a community,” Finley said. “It’s this kind of initiative that I think really breeds an environment for us to succeed. It’s about all boats being raised by that rising tide, but we must be in the water in order to be effective. This is one of those events that puts everybody in the water.”

To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation, APSO, Energizers and the ABC Trust, visit powerofgood.com.

More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)

More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)

More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)

More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)

More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)

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More than 250 nonprofit leaders from all corners of Alabama came together in Birmingham recently to attend the 2024 Elevate Conference, hosted by the Alabama Power Foundation. (contributed)