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Crowley's Ridge Development Council Opens Small Town, Non Profit Support Center

Brandon Tabor, KASU News

Working as an intern for the Delta Center for Economic Development at Arkansas State University years ago, Hannah Barnett developed a passion for writing grants for local organizations.

"I fell in love with the aspect of indirectly getting to help these people that need it, because I was helping them get money to do what they do," Barnett said.

In October 2016, when she was offered a position to coordinate the new Center for Non Profit and Small Town Support, she saw an opportunity to use her passion to help more people.

The Crowley's Ridge Development Council launched the center in November 2016 at their main headquarters in Jonesboro.  Barnett said the main goal of the center is to help institutions focus more on achieving their mission without worrying about the typical administrative duties and costs.
 

"We work as the support arm for our non-profits and small towns so that they can directly deliver their mission,” said Barnett.  "A lot of times, Non-profit Executives wear many hats.  Our goal is to remove some of those hats and help them deliver their mission.  They need to be focused on delivering their services and building capacity and we help them do that."

Services the center provide include grant writing and management, finance and accounting, human resources, and information technology support for the institutions in the 8 county area in the CRDC's region.  The CRDC is an community action agency which provides services to improve the lives of people living in poverty in Northeast Arkansas.

Barnett said since the launch of the Center, small towns and non-profits have expressed excitement and relief for the all-in-one service.  She said no other organization has a program similar to this.

"This is a one-of-a-kind service and that doesn't happen everywhere," Barnett said.  "We're kind of a unicorn, I guess you can call us."

Barnett said that the center can also help non-profit organizations obtain 501(c)(3) status if they do not have it.

Any organization interested in learning more about the center can contact Barnett at hannah@crdcnea.com.

A Northeast Arkansas native from Wynne, I’ve been involved with radio for about 15 years. I got my Bachelor of Arts degree from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, where I also served as an award-winning News Director for 2 years at KSWH-LP.