The Mountain Times Online

The Mountain Times Online: "RALEIGH – Nonprofit organizations throughout North Carolina are coming together this November to celebrate the state’s first-ever Nonprofit Awareness Month (NAM). The nonprofit sector contributes more than $20 billion to the North Carolina economy annually. The purpose of NAM is to educate the public about the contributions that nonprofits make every day in communities; to help create a better understanding about the value and importance of the sector to the state; and to increase volunteerism and philanthropy, according to organizers. The idea for Nonprofit Awareness Month emerged from the Oct. 2006 national Nonprofit Congress held in Washington, DC. Organized by the National Council of Nonprofit Associations and DC Central Kitchen, it was a forum for nonprofits to unite around common values, to develop a shared vision and priorities, and to exercise the sector’s collective voice for a better future."