My Nonprofit Reviews

One Community Now lives up to its name, as it demonstrates year after year how bringing a community together strengthens and blesses everyone. Although it is a faith-based organization, One Community Now crosses all demographics when it comes to its STRONG volunteer base, which maximizes its impact in the community.

In the six years that I've been involved with One Community Now, I have seen it grow from a fledgling non-profit to a well-known and highly respected partner in the community. And throughout all the growth, it stays true to its mission and programs - feeding food-insecure children and families, assisting families with housing and employment needs, and addressing the many needs of at-risk Veterans. Staying true to this core mission has created a level of expertise that has propelled the growth of the organization.

While we have a wonderful board comprised of people with a true love for God and a heart for service and living out His commands, much of the success can be attributed to the exemplary leadership of the Executive Director, Patti Templeton. If I had to choose one word to describe her, it would be "unshakeable", as she never moves her eyes (and heart) from the goal. As mentioned before, one of the key strengths of OCN is its volunteer base. And again, much of that is attributable to Patti's leadership. It seems as though nobody is immune from her invitation to volunteer. We jokingly say that one should never look her in the eye when she's asking for volunteers, because surely you can't refuse! We say that in jest, because the truth is, she's so committed to the mission that it's highly contagious.

I love volunteering at all of OCN's events and serving on the board as the Treasurer. As a finance professional, one of my criteria for becoming involved with non-profits is transparency and accountability in its finances. I'm proud of the fact that grants and donations are handled with utmost care and in accordance with the wishes of the donors. Administrative costs are kept low due to the size of our volunteer base. Due to the tremendous growth in recent years, we are now audited annually by a CPA firm, and our first round resulted in a clean audit!

To wrap up, I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful organization where I serve alongside caring and purposeful people that truly live out the mission to help those in our community with life needs and spiritual needs. If you're looking for a place to volunteer or to donate, this is the place! Working Together... Changing Lives!