The UPS Foundation presented Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta with a $50,000 check in November 2010. The grant was the single largest donation PBP-Atl has ever received. PBP-Atl recognized UPS with a Special Appreciation Award at its Volunteer and Donor Reception for their significant involvement with PBP-Atl and also for their extremely generous grant, which will be used to fund the 2011 Nonprofit Legal Check Up program.
The primary goal of PBP-Atl’s Legal Check Up program, which takes place on a quarterly basis, is to improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations by identifying and addressing legal issues that may affect their viability. The program also provides rewarding skills-based volunteer opportunities for attorneys and paralegals, and encourages further volunteerism with PBP-Atl. As an essential component of PBP-Atl’s commitment to provide quality legal assistance to nonprofits so that more funds may be directed towards nonprofits’ missions, the Legal Check Up program requires a significant amount of preparation and development.
Due to a limited staff and budget in the midst of an economic crisis, the program has been increasingly difficult to fund. With assistance from Teri McClure, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Jeff Firestone, Vice President, and Betsy Griswold, Attorney, the UPS Foundation was able to donate $50,000 to keep this year’s Legal Check Up program up and running. “This grant really could not have come at a better time, given the state of the economy. We are so grateful here at Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta for UPS’s donation and continued support, especially since the Legal Check Up program goes to the heart of what we do,” added Rachel Epps Spears, Executive Director of PBP-Atl.
The $50,000 grant is yet another highlight in UPS’s relationship with PBP-Atl. Since PBP-Atl’s founding, 28 volunteers from UPS’s Legal Department have assisted with 44 different legal issues for 26 different nonprofit organizations, and Betsy Griswold serves as Secretary of PBP-Atl’s Board of Directors.