Leaders of Orange County nonprofit organizations are gathering this week to brainstorm on how they can share in and benefit from the good times being enjoyed by many local residents and businesses.
Jerry Mandel, president of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, is one of the speakers expected to address the subject at the 2000 Board Excellence Conference on Thursday at the Irvine Marriott Hotel. Mandel, who has served on the boards of the art center, KOCE-TV and Orange County High School of the Arts, among others, will speak on refocusing board efforts to take advantage of new technologies and demographics. Florence Green, executive director of the California Association of Nonprofits will address similar themes.
The all-day event is sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Orange, which matches volunteers with some 2,000 county nonprofit groups.
Other speakers will address how technology,web sites and Internet fund raising,can be used, as well as other fund-raising strategies and a panel of new and seasoned board members will lead a discussion.
In previous years, the conference has focused on human-resource issues, but this year, organizers decided to look at board issues. By law, nonprofit organizations are required to establish a board of directors.
Mandel says that with Orange County’s population growing both in numbers and in diversity, the boards of the nonprofit organizations should reflect that change. Instead of seeing the same faces on all of the major boards, he’s seeing people who are younger, from other industries and culturally diverse backgrounds, he said.
Another trend, Mandel noted, is that staffs of nonprofit organizations are becoming more professional,taking on the job as a career rather than a temporary or volunteer position. Mandel noted that the board’s job is to set policy, not to manage the organization’s day-to-day activities.
Nonprofit leaders believe it’s time to elevate and advance the sector, which they believe has been ignored or misunderstood.
California nonprofits employ 750,000 people and generate some $80 billion a year in revenue, according to data from the Volunteer Center.
“Most people do not understand that the nonprofit sector is an important component of the employment pool,” said Eldon Baber, director of the nonprofit resource center. n
EARNINGS
SM & A; Corp., Newport Beach, posted a net loss of $1.3 million on revenue of $28.1 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with earnings of $1.9 million on revenue of $24.6 million in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the year, the company reported earnings of $4.01 million on revenue of $106.7 million, compared with earnings of $7.7 million on revenue of $68.4 million in 1998.
American Vanguard Corp., Newport Beach, reported earnings of $2.5 million on revenue of $24.2 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with earnings of $2.1 million on revenue of $27.0 million in the previous fourth quarter. For the year, the company posted earnings of $3.2 million on revenue of $69.2 million, compared with earnings of $2.1 million on revenue of $67.0 million in 1998.
American National Financial Inc., Irvine, reported a net loss of $561,000 on revenue of $18.1 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with earnings of $2.4 million on revenue of $25.7 million in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the year, the company posted earnings of $5.6 million on revenue of $58.4 million, compared with earnings of $6.9 million on revenue of $59.2 million in 1998.
STM Wireless Inc., Irvine, reported earnings of $30,000 on revenue of $6.6 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a net loss of $9.8 million on revenue of $11.1 million in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the year, the company posted a net loss of $8.3 million on revenue of $20.0 million, compared with a net loss of $9.4 million on revenue of $39.4 million in 1998.
MotorVac Technologies Inc., Santa Ana, posted earnings of $324,000 on revenue of $3.0 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with earnings of $174,000 on revenue of $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the year, the company reported earnings of $1.4 million on revenue of $15.1 million, compared with a net loss of $385,000 on revenue of $10.0 million in 1998.
California Software Corp., Santa Ana, posted earnings of $2.8 million on revenue of $10.2 million for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, compared with a net loss of $20,000 on no revenue in 1998.
California Coastal Communities Inc., Irvine, reported earnings of $600,000 (including a $1.5 million non-recurring gain due to a change in valuation of a disposed business) on no revenue in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a net loss of $1.1 million on no revenue in the fourth quarter of 1998. For the year, the company posted a net loss of $1.6 million (including the non-recurring gain) on no revenue, compared with earnings of $4.2 million (including a $6.1 million gain for disposition of assets) on revenue of $2.1 million in 1998.
