BRBC’s Impact Together Expo aimed at strengthening bonds between businesses and nonprofits

The Bridgeport Regional Business Council (BRBC) recently convened its first Impact Together Expo at the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club in Bridgeport. The exposition, which had M&T Bank as its primary sponsor, featured numerous opportunities for businesses and nonprofits to meet and develop the relationships that will allow them to have an even greater impact on the communities they serve.

“We have over 200 nonprofits coming together to discuss how we can collaborate with partner businesses and best serve the Greater Bridgeport Community,” said BRBC President Dan Onofrio in his opening remarks. “This event is very much aligned with the BRBC’s mission to increase economic opportunities for the people of Bridgeport by creating an environment for businesses and non-profit expansion, retention and tax-base growth.”

Onofrio, who pointed out that that 15% of the BRBC’s current members are nonprofits, added, “When businesses come together, work together to find solutions for our community it’s a beautiful thing. We certainly saw that through the years of the pandemic and now we are coming out of that and looking forward to 2023.”

Karen Galbo, senior vice president at M&T Bank and its director of its Charitable Foundation Program, gave the welcome address at the expo.

“We recognize the impact of working together can have on both our organizations and our communities,” Galbo said. “That’s what today is all about. Creating opportunities for business and organizations to work together in a meaningful way as mutually beneficial to our companies, our organizations and our communities.”

Attendees were encouraged to network throughout the event. Fifty-five of the participating nonprofit organizations ”“ ranging from local radio stations and shelters to environmental groups and the Boy Scouts ”“ distributed literature with contact information and made connections with business leaders circulating past their tables in the club’s gym.

The expo featured panels and lectures on topics ranging from the value of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for all organizations to best practices for funding requests. More than 20 speakers and panelists with diverse backgrounds in both business and nonprofits offered their perspectives in different sessions.

The morning’s keynote panel focused on “Creating Sustainable Nonprofit by Partnering with Industry.” Each panelist had their own take on what sustainability means in the context of not only their own organization but the broader needs of the community.

Al Carbone, director of public affairs, for Avangrid noted that sustainability has been a key term for his company for many years, although there are key distinctions between green energy and building a healthy relationship.

“I work for a company that’s been around for going on 130 years,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere We’re a utility company, we serve you. So, it’s our job, it’s our responsibility to create partnerships with all of you”¦ So, our job is to create sustainable partnerships.”

Adhlere Coffy, a portfolio director for Dalio Education, described sustainability as the guiding principle for nonprofits of all sorts.

“It’s the ability to maintain mission outcomes while generating a surplus, right?” Coffy said. “So, nonprofits are very much a business but there’s a distinction between being profitable and being profit-seeking.”

Coffy also explained how Dalio Education provides coaches and advisors who can help fledgling organizations including nonprofits find their way to the point where they can provide ongoing services.

Sabrina Smeltz, CEO of the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, discussed how Covid forced a reconsideration of her organization’s role in the community. She said in the end that brand recognition was an asset, lending credibility to community services, but that it also played an important role in how they interacted with businesses.

“When we were talking to businesses and how we connect with our funders, how well do they understand what we’re doing?” she said she asked when considering sustainability. “We needed to make sure they were understanding the work we do, and that we were trying to make this something that is not transactional. We want to make our collaborations transformational.”

“Sustainability is the difference between bringing water to a community, and bringing running water to a community,” said Ramon Peralta, founder and creative director of Shelton-based Peralta Design. “You want it to be something that continues, it’s not about a handout, but it’s rather about educating, providing resources, inspiring people and forming alliances so that you have something that a legacy can be built upon.”

Photo: A view of the exhibitors’ hall at the recent BRBC Impact Together Expo; photo by Justin McGown.