The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy (The Alliance) is taking innovative and transformative approaches to support learning, growth, development, and collaboration between nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in Mississippi that are working to achieve better results for the state’s children, families, and communities.

By providing tools and training for mission-based organizations to increase their capacity and effectiveness, The Alliance attracts investment to the state, supports the development of replicable and sustainable models, and promotes practical policy and programmatic solutions to some of the state’s most challenging and persistent issues. Alliance members are able to quickly move from conversation to collaboration to action through affinity groups, online communication tools, and other opportunities to connect, thereby enhancing and magnifying the impact of both philanthropy and nonprofits.

In April 2019, The Alliance became a national leader by creating a single, statewide membership organization of nonprofits and grantmakers. It is important to note that all charitable en deavors in Mississippi are governed by state laws that apply to both nonprofits and philanthropies both of which are considered by the Mississippi Secretary of State collectively as Charities.

Additionally, both nonprofit and philanthropic organizations receive the same IRS 501c3 designation. Therefore, it is important that The Alliance produce and offer a single guidebook detailing a new pathway for achieving ch aritable excellence on legal compliance, national standards and best practices that is relevant for both nonprofits and grantmakers so they can work collaboratively to improve the lives of children, families, and communities in Mississippi.

The MS Alliance Principles and Standards for Nonprofit & Philanthropy Excellence© are based on fundamental values of quality, responsibility, and accountability and they should foster an environment that recognizes, affirms, and values diversity, racial equity, and inclusion in all endeavors. These principles, practices, and standards distinguish the nonprofit & philanthropic sectors from the government and business sector and provide specific guidelines for organizations to evaluate and improve operations, governance, human resources, advocacy, financial management, fundraising and more.

The MS Alliance Principles and Standards for Nonprofit & Philanthropy Excellence© invite nonprofit and philanthropic leaders, board members, managers, volunteers, and staff to explore roles and responsibilities for charitable organizations that go well beyond traditional ways of achieving their missions by transforming:

• customary forms of governance to advocacy and civic engagement;
• basic human resource tools to create leadership and organizational culture;
• occasional partnering to intentional synergistic collaboration;
• passive acknowledgment of the need for diversity, racial equity, and inclusion to challenge ourselves and foster an environment that recognizes, affirms, and values diversity, racial equity, and inclusion in all endeavors as embedded across all MS Alliance Principles and Standards for Nonprofit & Philanthropy Excellence©.

The Alliance expects this document will be useful to all organizations as they form, rethink, and innovate. It provides guidelines, standards, a framework for making a difference, and a set of reference tools that can be adapted to meet individual and collective needs and circumstances.