Nonprofit Leadership Excellence Award: For Good Connections

Oct 7, 2025        

Each year, Together SC and the Fred R. Sheheen Non-Profit Leadership Institute at Francis Marion University (FMU) come together to recognize outstanding nonprofit leaders across South Carolina. We are excited to share that nominations are now open for the 2026 Fred R. Sheheen Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership.

This distinguished award honors a graduate of FMU’s Non-Profit Leadership Institute or a Together SC member who has excelled in leading their organization with vision, integrity, and impact.

The recipient receives:

• 💵 $500 cash award presented by Francis Marion University

• 🏆 A distinguished award to proudly display

• 🎉 Recognition at the 2026 SC Nonprofit Summit or Together SC’s Annual Membership Meeting

• 🌐 Statewide visibility through FMU and Together SC communications

• 📚 Registration to the FMU NPLI Alumni Gathering (Spring 2026) and the 2026 SC Nonprofit Summit

Celebrating Past Recipients

Recent recipients of this honor reflect the breadth and strength of South Carolina’s nonprofit leadership:

• 2025 – Terri Towle, Director of Resource Development, Boy Scouts of America (Indian Waters Council)

• 2024 – Sarah Pope, CEO, SOS Health Care & Oak Tree Farm, Murrells Inlet

• 2019 – Nicole Echols, now CEO of the South Carolina Cancer Alliance

These leaders inspire us all to continue working for a stronger and healthier  South Carolina.

Nominate a Leader Today

Do you know a nonprofit leader whose work deserves recognition?
Nominations are open now through November 30, 2025.

👉 Submit your nomination at togethersc.org

Learn with us 🤩 See More Events

• Oct 12 Ethics in Consulting

• Oct 23 Corporate Allies Fall Meeting

• Oct 29 Building Bridges in Newberry

• Oct 30 Adaptive Messaging in a Changing Funding Landscape

• Nov 18 Nonprofit Issues Forum Tickets Open!

• Dec 8 Going from Zero to One with AI - Consultant Collaborative

• Dec 11 Advocacy Huddle

• March 9-11 SC Nonprofit Summit

Highlights of the Latest Policy Update

• Shutdown: Congress remains deadlocked, with both GOP and Democratic funding proposals failing twice last week. Until a deal is struck, possibly around healthcare premium tax credits, the shutdown is set to continue.

• Immediate Impacts: About 750,000 federal workers furloughed daily, FEMA disaster funds running low, and WIC nutrition benefits could run out within weeks—putting families and the nonprofits that serve them at risk.

• What Nonprofits Need to Know: Agencies are releasing shutdown plans, federal payments and communication may be delayed, and nonprofits should prepare for disruptions to contracts and grants. A national webinar Oct. 6 will walk through key implications and grant changes.

Volunteer SC: Your Statewide Volunteer Hub

VolunteerSC.org is a free, easy-to-use platform for nonprofits to connect with volunteers and manage opportunities. Powered by POINT, this system helps organizations streamline engagement and expand their impact.

Brought to you in partnership with Together SC, United Way Association of SC, and AmeriCorps SC—join 98 nonprofits and 861 active volunteers on VolunteerSC.org!

👇 Featured volunteer opportunities below

Board Strong Helping You Build A Stronger Board

There are 125+ volunteers and 5 available board positions on Board Strong. Members of Together SC Login now and start recruiting skilled board members today!

👇 Sign up for these board opportunities below

• Freedom Readers, Surfside Beach

  South Carolina Humanities, Columbia

• Girl Get Up Society, Columbia

Share your webinars, awards & member discounts here!

Funding & Other Opportunities

• ❤️ Upcoming Grants & More (member login required)

  • Apply now for the Community-Engaged Scholars Program—up to $10K in funding, training, and partnership opportunities to advance health in SC communities.

• 🥇 Nominate a leader for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Together SC & FMU by Nov 30

• 👑 Nominate a local hero who truly deserves a Crown Carolina Panthers

Member Offerings

• Mission Support Check out 180+ Consultants ready to drive your mission forward.

  • Submit an RFP to the Consultant Collaborative.

• Download the 2025 Compensation and Benefits Study

• Together SC offers Group Health Care Plans with 16 BlueCross BlueShield plans to choose from, take 2 mins to fill out the interest form and get your nonprofit rates.

Learning With Consultants & Partners

• Oct 9 & Oct 14 Sisters of Charity Foundation of SC presents their strategic goals for the next three years and how you can be involved.

• Oct 15 Maximize Giving Season—diversify your funding with Candid and GoFundMe

• Oct 25 Shelter Responder Boot Camp, Multiple Locations American Red Cross of SC

Partner Resources

• 📊 Poverty in South Carolina. Latest Study from Sister of Charity Foundation

• ❤️ How to Craft a Winning Year-End Appeal in Challenging Times Chronicle of Philanthropy

• 🖥️ FREE Google Coursera Professional Certificates—learn on-demand skills like IT, data analytics, UX design, and AI at your own pace. Enroll by Dec 31, through Palmetto Goodwill

• 🚨 Earn a 2025 Gold Seal of Transparency and gain access to one free year of Foundation Directory Professional Candid

Thank you to our nonprofit, corporate, philanthropic, government & academic partners, and consultants for being a part of this network.

For Good Connections is a free newsletter for nonprofit and philanthropic partners of SC and contains some links exclusively for Together SC members. Consider joining Together SC to gain access to all the member benefits.

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