Membership

The Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE) has been working to strengthen organizations and nonprofit leaders across northern Illinois and beyond since August 2004. We extend a warm invitation to you to become a NICNE member. Together, we can accomplish more than would be possible alone as we work towards enriching our community and addressing and solving fundamental community issues.

Benefits

We take pride in being your center for nonprofit excellence. When you become a NICNE member you belong to a community of nonprofit leaders, board members and cross-sector partners who share common interests and goals and who support one another as we work to advance our missions and serve our community. We provide on-going training, facilitation, Initiative leadership and support to strengthen the skills and effectiveness of your staff and board of directors to ensure a strong vibrant nonprofit sector and community.

NICNE membership provides you with access to information and resources you need to build and lead a strong organization. When you join NICNE, your entire staff, board, and volunteers will benefit from:

Program Discounts

  • 10% discount on the five-course Certificate in Nonprofit Management program ($125 total savings)
  • 10-15% discount on other NICNE programs, training and events.
  • 25% discount on space rental at NIU Rockford or Naperville campus for your meetings or events.

Customized Services, Technical Assistance and Resource Support

  • Exclusive access to the 2024 Directory of Community, Corporate and Private Foundations of Northern Illinois.
  • On-demand technical assistance from NICNE staff and resources from our library.
  • Access to capacity-building services from our professional services team, including research and evaluation from Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies.
  • Exclusive prerelease access to the triennial State of the Nonprofit Sector Report and Salary and Benefits Survey.
  • Access to GuideStar Pro search features and other funding directories with support from NICNE staff.
  • Learn new ideas to improve organizational impact and foster a culture of sustained innovation, partnership and collaboration.

Promotion Opportunities

  • Exclusive opportunities to promote your news and events in NICNE's monthly newsletter which reaches more than 2,500 area nonprofit professionals.
  • Promotion of news and events on NICNE’s Facebook page.
  • Free unlimited postings on NICNE's nonprofit job board.

Membership Information

Membership extends from January to December, renewable on an annual basis. To ensure that all organizations can belong, our sliding scale membership fees are based on your self-reported annual operating budget. We take pride in being your center for nonprofit excellence and hope we have an opportunity to work with you in 2024. Please contact associate director Billie Callahan at bcallahan@niu.edu with questions.

Membership Rates 

Annual Operating Budget Member Fees
Under $50,000 $125
$50,000 – $99,000 $175
$100,000 – $199,999 $225
$200,000 – $499,999 $275
$500,000 – $999,999 $325
$1M – $2M $375
$2 M – $3.99M $425
$4 M – $9.9M $475
$10M + $525

Membership Forms

Upon completion of payment above you will be directed to a brief membership enrollment questionnaire. Please email Billie Callahan, associate director, at bcallahan@niu.edu with any questions or if you would prefer to complete paper enrollment forms.

Operating Budget Size
Organization Name:
Primary Contact Email:

Contact Us

Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence
8500 East State St
Rockford, IL 61108
815-753-8733

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