Courtesy Greenlights

St. David's Foundation CEO Earl Maxwell (center) was named the 2014 Community Leader of the Year.

The best of Austin's nonprofit community received recognition Nov. 11 during the Party for Good, the seventh annual nonprofit excellence awards ceremony hosted by Greenlights.

The event highlighted many of the everyday efforts taking place that allow Greenlights to operate effectively on a broader scale. The group merged with advocacy group Innovation+ in February to focus on finding solutions to the root causes of Austin's most pressing social issues, such as education and hunger, among other concerns.

"We've gone from workshops to trying to make a deeper impact," said Evelyn Galante, Greenlights communication manager. "We can work with a cross-section of advocates to solve issues and be much more impactful that way."

Nonprofits are at the heart of solving many of these issues, she said, but more leadership is needed. Greenlights research in 2012 revealed there are 7,000 empty nonprofit board seats in Central Texas.

"While the holidays are abundant with hands-on volunteer opportunities, [Austin-area] nonprofits need more talented individuals willing to dedicate their skills, time and support," Galante said.

As part of Greenlights' expanded efforts to effect change, the group's new accelerator program selects five organizations during a spring Philanthropitch event scheduled for April 27. The honorees receive mentorship, and three of them gain access to investment money to help fund their efforts—including a $35,000 top prize.

Greenlights will also lead research investigating the state of the Central Texas nonprofit sector by seeking more insight into the financial stability, demands and staffing needs of area support groups. So far, initial feedback shows 64 percent of Austin-area nonprofits—roughly 5,800 groups—have annual incomes less than $50,000.

The organization is also launching Collaborative Impact Projects that bring together multiple groups to facilitate discussions on major issues, Galante said.

"Individually all these groups make a small difference, but by collaborating they can make more of an impact," she said.

Party for Good award winners

Community Leader of the Year:

Earl Maxwell, St. David's Foundation CEO —Maxwell leads one of the state's largest foundations, which works with more than 60 nonprofit partners to solve varying issues in the Austin area's health community.

Nonprofit Executive of the Year:

Mark Kiester, Boys & Girls Club of Austin chief professional officer—Kiester has helped increase the number of children served by the organization from 1,100 to 12,000 since 2006.

Nonprofit of the Year (large):

Communities in Schools of Central Texas—This year alone, the group has helped more than 41,000 at-risk students in 60 schools to achieve their academic goals.

Nonprofit of the Year (medium):

Capital Area Dental Foundation—Dentists dedicated personal time to provide more than 700 low-income individuals with oral health care this year.

Nonprofit of the Year (small):

Hays County Food Bank—With 40-plus partner agencies, the group is able to serve 4,400 families per week.

Greenlights, 8303 N. MoPac, Ste. A201, 512-477-5955, www.greenlights.org