Our History

History

1981 - The Support Center of Oklahoma, founded by Ray and Pat Potts, opens its doors with the goal of strengthening nonprofits throughout the state. The Center was an affiliate of the Support Centers of America.

1983 - The Center begins offering services in the Tulsa area.

1984 - A shared service center is opened, ultimately housing 13 nonprofit organizations.

1986 - A central office is opened in Tulsa in an effort to better serve the state.

1988 - The first statewide Nonprofit Management Conference is held, alternating annually between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

1989 - A fire hits the Oklahoma City offices, and Bank of America volunteers to house the affected agencies.

1997 - The Support Center of Oklahoma becomes independent, with dissolution of the national Support Centers organization.

1997 - The Support Center secures its own 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizational status, and becomes known as the Center for Nonprofit Management.

1998 - The first Moveable Feast, a special event for the Center, takes place in Tulsa.

2001 - The Center offices are destroyed in a fire, and the Center moves to the 923 N. Robinson offices.

2001 - The shared service center is dissolved.

2001 - Pat Potts retires after 20 years of dedicated service to the Center.

2002 - The first Tribute! event, a salute to Oklahoma philanthropists, is held in Oklahoma City to honor the Potts Family Foundation. Subsequent honorees included The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (2003), The Kerr Foundation, Inc. (2004), Presbyterian Health Foundation (2005) and Donald W. Reynolds Foundation (2006).

2003 - The Center for Nonprofit Management shortens its name to The Center for Nonprofits.

2005 - To better reflect its statewide reach, the Center again changes its name to the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.

2005 - The Oklahoma Quality Award is presented to the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. The Quality Award promotes and rewards performance excellence within the state.

2006 - The Standards for Excellence® clinic series, a nationally-acclaimed ethics and accountability training, is offered for the first time in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

2007 - The Center establishes its nonprofit helpline as a free resource to all Oklahoma nonprofits.

2008 - The first Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards, an event honoring outstanding nonprofits in Oklahoma, takes place on April 12 in Tulsa.

2008- The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits becomes a member of the National Council of Nonprofits. Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, states he is “impressed with the broad community support, the strong leadership at the staff level, and the exemplary leadership...” of the Center’s board.

2008 - The Oklahoma Alliance of Nonprofits, the advocacy arm of the Center, is launched. The Alliance is a statewide coalition of nonprofits dedicated to furthering their interests by raising a common voice for the nonprofit sector.

2010 - Center membership reaches an all-time high of 480 nonprofits.

2010 - The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits moves to its current location at the Chesapeake Community Plaza.

2010 - The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits is certified under the Standards for Excellence Institute. It becomes one of the first organizations in the state to achieve this designation.