Esperanza Hosts Training Conference in Philadelphia for 150 Hispanic Clergy and Nonprofit Leaders - Sponsored by Walmart, Focused on Hunger and Nutrition Issues

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On September 27 and 28, 2012, Esperanza will host over 150 Hispanic clergy, nonprofit and community leaders at the annual Esperanza Capacity Institute Training Conference (ECI).  Attendees come from the Greater Philadelphia area as well as California, Texas and Florida, and will be hosted at the newly expanded Esperanza College facility. 

Generally, the aim of the conference is to equip faith groups and community organizations to develop stronger organizational and programmatic infrastructure, thereby allowing them to be more effective and have greater impact in their respective areas of service delivery. Esperanza provides expert training in areas such as fiscal management, board development and governance, fundraising, marketing, and program evaluation.  

This year, in partnership with Walmart and with the participation of the National Hispanic Medical Association, the conference will also focus on the prevalence of hunger, food insecurity, and poor nutrition in Hispanic and other minority communities around the country.  Esperanza has just completed a 12-month pilot project funded by Walmart in Washington D.C. that allowed 8 African American and Hispanic churches to expand their emergency food distribution services to reach a total of 1,100 more people each month.  Now, at the 2012 ECI, Esperanza will address this topic with an even broader audience of nonprofit practitioners.

Reverend Emilio Marrero, Esperanza's Vice President of National Programs, states:

"Esperanza's Capacity Institute will be a time to challenge these leaders to higher levels of effectiveness and integrity in every aspect of what they do. Millions of dollars are available for charitable work through federal, private and individual grants and contributions; but in 2008, a Times report by Stephanie Strom revealed that over 13 percent of all philanthropic giving in the US was subject to waste, fraud and abuse. Often fraudulent acts are facilitated by either a lack of accountability, missing processes that guarantee fiscal integrity or misguided organizations.

We aim to 'posture organizations for success,' through training, networking, and modeling effective practices.  That way, organizations leave ready to not only transform their communities more effectively through their service delivery, but also to act as examples for others in the field to follow." 

The participants in the Washington D.C. pilot project will be featured on Friday, September 28th in a panel discussion to address how they were able to decrease their cost of doing business while also expanding to serve more people.

Esperanza, the premier Hispanic Evangelical faith-based network in the country, was founded in 1987 by the Reverend Luis Cortes Jr. and the Hispanic Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.  With a national network of over 13,000 Hispanic congregations, faith and community based agencies, Esperanza is a leading voice for Hispanics in America.

SOURCE Esperanza