Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition

03/16/2026

As we begin looking toward spring, many of us start thinking about growth, new opportunities, and what the months ahead might bring for our communities.

At CGIC, our work focuses on helping communities grow in meaningful and informed ways. By gathering and sharing data on topics like health, education, housing, economic opportunity, and overall quality of life, we help community leaders, organizations, and residents better understand what is happening in our region.

Data helps tell the story of our communities. It helps identify strengths, highlight challenges, and guide conversations about where we should focus our efforts moving forward.

As the season of renewal approaches, it is a great time to explore the indicators that help shape decisions across Coastal Georgia.

Learn more about our work and explore community data:
🌐 coastalgaindicators.org

03/08/2026

🌸 International Women’s Day Spotlight

As we continue recognizing the women who contribute to the work of the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC), we’re also highlighting the voices helping share community data and stories with the public.

Sarah Mosley
Social Media Coordinator

Sarah supports CGIC by helping translate community data into accessible stories that help residents, organizations, and leaders better understand what is happening across Coastal Georgia. Through social media and digital communication, her goal is to connect people with the indicators and insights that help guide community conversations and decision-making.

Before moving into the public health field, Sarah spent several years as a middle grades educator, where she developed a passion for helping others understand complex topics in meaningful and practical ways. That same passion for education now shapes how she approaches sharing community data by making information approachable, relevant, and useful for the people it impacts.

Sarah is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Community Health Education and Behavior at Georgia Southern University, where her work focuses on how social factors influence health and well-being. Her interests include women’s health, the “mental load” many women carry, and trauma-informed approaches to supporting healthier and more resilient communities.

For Sarah, one of the most powerful aspects of CGIC’s work is the ability to turn information into action. By sharing indicators related to health, education, housing, and economic opportunity, she helps highlight how these factors are interconnected and why they matter for improving quality of life across the region.

Her motivation comes from a belief that informed communities are stronger communities. By helping tell the story behind the numbers, she hopes to encourage curiosity, conversation, and collaboration around the issues that shape Coastal Georgia.

💬 Community question:
Who is a woman in your life who has inspired you to lead, serve your community, or pursue your goals?

03/08/2026

🌸 International Women’s Day Spotlight

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the women helping guide the work of the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC) and supporting efforts to strengthen our community through collaboration and data.

Takeshia Brown
DEIA Officer, City of Savannah
CGIC Board Member

Takeshia has been involved with CGIC for the past three years and brings a strong background in equity, education, and community leadership. She began her professional journey in higher education, working with students through diversity education, cultural awareness initiatives, mentorship, and retention programs. Today, her role as DEIA Officer allows her to combine those experiences with a passion for helping ensure equity and access within public policy.

One of the aspects of CGIC’s work that Takeshia values most is the organization’s ability to bring partners together. Through collaboration across sectors, CGIC helps organizations use data to better understand community challenges and tell the story of who we are as a region.

For Takeshia, community indicators are more than numbers—they help communities reflect on both their progress and their responsibilities. Data provides insight into where we are today and encourages collective action toward where we want to go.

Her motivation comes from a deep appreciation for the place she calls home. Savannah and the broader Coastal Georgia region are rich in history, culture, and opportunity. The people who live here are what truly make this community a place where others want to live, work, and build a future.

Her message to young women who want to lead and make an impact is simple but powerful:
“Believe in yourself and spend time developing your skills. Be found working, and your work will speak for you.”

💬 Community question:
What makes Coastal Georgia such a special place to live, work, or serve?

03/08/2026

🌸 International Women’s Day Spotlight

Today we are celebrating the women helping lead the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition (CGIC) and supporting data-informed decisions that strengthen our communities.

Tara Jones
Director of Programs and Partnerships

Tara has been working full-time at CGIC for a little over a year, but her involvement with the coalition began behind the scenes in 2019. After years managing a local business in the insurance industry, she discovered the meaningful impact of using data to better understand and define community well-being. Her work also brings together her passion for mental health and building resilience across multiple sectors in the community.

One of the things Tara values most about CGIC’s work is its role as a community convener. By bringing together organizations that provide a wide range of services and programs, CGIC helps support collaboration and highlight the many ways people are working to improve life in Coastal Georgia.

For Tara, the importance of community indicators is simple: data guides the way forward. It helps us understand where we have been and when it may be time to change course. Even when the numbers reveal challenges, they provide direction and help communities make informed decisions.

Her motivation is deeply personal.
“This community is my home and my family. I was born and raised in Chatham County and have chosen to continue to live, work, and play here. I want future generations to thrive.”

Her advice to young women interested in leadership is powerful and straightforward:
“Go after what you believe in and what excites you, even if that means entering the unknown. Know your ‘why’ and be willing to put in the hard work required.”

💬 Community question:
One of the things Tara values most about CGIC’s work is its role as a community convener. By bringing together organizations that provide a wide range of services and programs, CGIC supports collaboration and highlights the many ways people are working to improve life in Coastal Georgia. Her work also brings together her passion for mental health and building resilience across multiple sectors in the community.

03/06/2026

🌱 Community Question

Health and well-being are influenced by many factors beyond healthcare alone.

Things like education, economic opportunity, housing stability, and the environment all play a role in shaping community health.

Community indicators help us understand how these factors are connected across Coastal Georgia.

💬 Finish this sentence:

“A healthy community starts with ______.”

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Learn more about community indicators:
www.coastalgaindicators.org

03/05/2026

Indicator Spotlight: Understanding Community Needs

Community indicators help us better understand how different communities across Coastal Georgia are experiencing health, economic, and social conditions.

The map below highlights areas across the region where community needs may be greater.

Darker shaded areas indicate communities that may be experiencing higher levels of need across multiple indicators, such as health outcomes, housing stability, educational opportunity, and economic conditions.

Tools like this help community leaders, organizations, and residents identify where additional resources, services, and collaboration may have the greatest impact.

By examining patterns across the region, community indicators can help guide planning efforts and support more informed decision-making.

🔎 Take a closer look at the map.
Do any areas surprise you?

💬 Community question:
What types of data do you think are most important for understanding community needs?

• Health outcomes
• Housing stability
• Education
• Economic opportunity

Explore more community data and indicators for Coastal Georgia:
🌐 coastalgaindicators.org

02/19/2026

🌊 Have You Checked Out Our Latest Updates?
Have you visited the Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition website recently?
We’ve been working behind the scenes — and there are new updates and additional indicators now available on the dashboard.
Our goal is simple:
📊 Provide clear, accessible data
📍 Highlight trends across Coastal Georgia
🤝 Support informed community decision-making
New and expanded indicators help paint a more complete picture of the factors shaping health and well-being in our region — from social and economic conditions to community-level health outcomes.
Whether you're a student, nonprofit leader, policymaker, or community member, these tools are here to support your work.
Explore the updates here:
🔗 https://coastalgaindicators.org/
Data is most powerful when it’s used. Let us know what stands out to you.

Data and Thought Partner for Coastal Georgia Communities

02/07/2026

Thank you to St. Thomas Episcopal Church for a recent grant to CGIC and the Chatham Family Connection Collaborative, to work community partners with assess the needs of families and to provide training and support. CGIC and Chatham Family Connection staff were delighted and grateful to attend the St. Thomas Fashion Show and dinner celebrating grantees. We appreciate all of the St. Thomas Church volunteers who made it such a special night, and for those who work at the St. Thomas Thrift Store throughout the year to raise money that is invested in our community to improve the well-being of children and families. Thank you for your time, commitment and support!

02/03/2026

The Interdisciplinary Alliance for Nonprofit Organizations at the University of Georgia requests your help with a research study on employee benefits in Georgia nonprofit organizations. The results from this survey will be used to produce a report that Georgia nonprofits can use to inform their decisions about the types of benefits they offer to their employees.
The survey asks questions about the types of benefits offered, employee satisfaction with their benefits, turnover intentions, and employee burnout.
Click the following link to fill out the survey:
https://uga.questionpro.com/nonprofitbenefits
In addition to filling out the survey, please forward this to anyone else you know that works in a nonprofit organization, including colleagues/staff at your organization and others in your network. Please share this survey invitation widely so as many responses as possible can be collected from across the state. Every person employed by a nonprofit organization in Georgia is eligible to participate.
To see a copy of the report produced in 2024 and to learn more about the study, please visit the website at www.nonprofitalliance.uga.edu then click on the red box “Nonprofit Alliance Research & Studies” and click the Employee Benefits Study.
In the survey, you will have the opportunity to give your email address to receive an electronic copy of the final report.

Connecting UGA expertise with nonprofit needs across Georgia The Interdisciplinary Alliance for Nonprofit Organizations at UGA works to collaboratively harness and make available the spectrum of the university’s academic resources—teaching,

01/22/2026

Last week Tara Jones, our Director of Programs and Partnerships had the honor of attending the University of Georgia's Executive Leadership Program for Nonprofit Organizations. The program's goal is to increase leadership strengths and skills through focuses on key aspects of nonprofit leadership, including personal leadership development, nonprofit finance, strategic thinking and problem-solving. ELPNO, a signature program of the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, has graduated more than 300 leaders since its inception in 2007. You can read the full article here.

The University of Georgia strengthens nonprofit leadership across the state and nation through the Executive Leadership Program for Nonprofit Organizations (ELPNO), a signature program of the UGA J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. Twenty-four nonprofit professionals from across Georg...