Chamber develops the #PolkProud Foundation
The Polk County Chamber of Commerce developed the idea of local consumers and business owners - and officials too - using #PolkProud on social media when they are sharing something great that has happened here in Cedartown, Rockmart or Aragon.
Whether it be a moment where a local business owner gets to shine when a customer praises their establishment, or a big industry announcement of investment and jobs, that #PolkProud tag has come in handy in 2017.
Now the Chamber is hoping to repurpose their social media campaign’s slogan into the name of a new non-profit being developed to help the organization tap into an area they could use to help fund future efforts: grant money.
Chamber board chair Britt Madden Jr. told the board that he was launching the effort in his last months of his leadership role with the hopes they would continue his work in the first months of 2018 when paperwork is completed and a new organization is founded.
“We’re seeking the 501c3 so we can go out and apply for grants that could be potentially used for us to help pay for staff,” Madden said. “It allows us to be a little more opportunistic for us to fund some of those ideas as well that we’ve wanted to purse as well, such as putting in place a small business incubator.”
Because the Chamber’s current status doesn’t allow them to work as a non-profit organization under tax rules, they can’t use their current status to seek out and get grant funds, Madden explained. But by seeking to form a separate nonprofit — which would also have a separate board to govern the use of funds and develop programs — the Chamber could seek grants, receive donations and also provide services it can’t currently without more funding opportunities.
Plus, the non-profit status also allows for those who make donations to the new organization to deduct that money from their tax returns.
“There are a lot of good things that come from doing this,” Madden said.
The only thing that remained for the board to decide immediately was on what to name the new organization. Ideas were batted around, including the use of an acronym based on P.O.L.K., but the board settled on the #PolkProud Foundation since the name and marketing recognition had already been developed.
Board members also discussed during their November meeting the financial status of the Chamber, last week’s election results and upcoming committee meetings including the Education and Workforce Development committee headed up by Polk County College and Career Academy CEO Katie Thomas.
Thomas said the committee will be instrumental in coming months for the school system’s forthcoming new program Graduate Polk, with more details to come.