CENTER OFFERS UMBRELLA ADVISORY COUNCIL TO COORDINATE EFFORTS OF AREA'S NONPROFIT GROUPS.

Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer

VALENCIA - As Santa Clarita continues to grow, so does the importance of nonprofit organizations, and the Santa Clarita Valley Resource Center is offering several new programs to help charity groups work together.

``Many nonprofit groups don't realize that they are an industry and an important socioeconomic force in the community,'' said Resource Center executive director Laura Piening. ``It's time for the nonprofits to shift their mentality from thinking of themselves as groups who are always asking for things, and realize how much they offer the community.''

To encourage nonprofit groups to reap the benefits of working together and to meet the increasing demands for nonprofit services, the Resource Center is forming the Nonprofit Leadership Advisory Council.

The council, which will meet bimonthly, is intended to bring nonprofit, community service organizations together as a cohesive entity to determine the needs of the community, to solve problems and to effect change as needed. NLAC also will advise the Resource Center in developing programs and initiatives.

The inaugural meeting, titled ``Nonprofits Leading the Way,'' will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Valencia.

Another new program at the Resource Center is the Meet the Grantmakers series. Nonprofit groups will have the opportunity to establish personal contact with representatives of major foundations in order to learn what criteria they are looking for when they allocate funding.

``It's a great start to building a relationship with these foundation representatives,'' Piening said. ``You get a better understanding of their requirements and you can learn how they think. Plus, it allows foundations from other areas to see what we have to offer here in Santa Clarita.''

The first session will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 18 in the Century Room at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Valencia. Cost is $20, and includes lunch.

Fred J. Ali, a Santa Clarita resident who serves as president of the Weingart Foundation, and Carolyn Williams, corporate community relations manager for Sempra Energy, will be on hand to discuss their funding guidelines as well as answer questions from the audience.

A second Meet the Grantmakers meeting will take place Nov. 15, with panelists Tara Westman from the California Community Foundation, Karen Escalante-Dalton with California Endowment and Dennis Luppins from the city of Santa Clarita.

For more information about these and other programs, the Resource Center has a new Web site located at www.scvrc.org. Nonprofits can access the site to get current information on resources available at the center, updates on training and seminars, tips and trends from the nonprofit world and information on local collaborations.

The site was created by Rosalind Edmonds of Edmonds Computers Consulting Inc., who volunteered her time for the project, and is hosted by CaseTek at no cost. CaseTek offers free Web site hosting to all Santa Clarita Valley nonprofit organizations and can be reached at [phone].