| Dear Friends of CRC:
I have been thinking about the integral role of business in the work we do in the social sector. According to Lester M. Salamon and Helmut K. Anheier, a "civil society" is one in which there are three distinct sectors - government, business and nonprofit - that nevertheless find ways to work together in responding to public needs.
Forward-thinking nonprofit leaders are realizing that many of the vital issues they seek to address in building stronger communities in a civil society simply cannot be addressed without the active cooperation and participation of all three of these sectors.
While nonprofits have a history of cooperation and collaboration with each other and government, cooperation with business is, in comparison, uncharted territory. However, there are benefits for nonprofits and companies that do team up. Working with a strong business partner, nonprofit organizations stand to realize:
- Economies of scale and broader scope realized from volume increases that result from alliances that extend organizations' markets, client bases or purchased inputs
- Synergies from collaborations that bring together complementary capabilities
- Revenue enhancement
- Expert business advice
Corporations in collaboration with nonprofits gain important benefits in the following areas:
- Strategy enrichment when community service becomes a part of corporate strategy
- Human resource management as these programs help attract and retain good employees
- Culture building when community service is an integral part of corporate culture
- Business generation from external linkages developed through community service
I invite each of you to seek a strong cooperative relationship with a local business in your community, one that goes beyond a donor relationship to truly synergize the best that each sector has to offer. Watch how together you can make a difference, in your community, region and state.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead
Respectfully,
Carol Lynn Nickell
Executive Director
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Organizational Culture and Successful Collaboration |
With tighter budgets and fewer resources, more nonprofits
are looking towards collaboration as a strategy to help leverage resources and
increase organizational effectiveness. Collaboration can often result in
greater mission impact or better leveraging of resources. However, if they are
not well-conceived and properly managed from the beginning, such
"collaborative" relationships can also be a drain on organizational resources. There are two critical pieces to setting up
collaborative relationships for success: ensuring that each involved
organization has an organizational culture that supports shared work, and
having deliberate discussions in advance around any areas where a shared
approach or values may not inherently exist.
Initiating a collaboration can sometimes feel like a first
date. Each organization wants to present its best face, its strengths and
opportunities. This dynamic can sometimes lead to glossing over important
cultural issues that will impact the long-term success of a collaborative
relationship. Bringing up difficult conversations early on might mean
there would not be a "second date" and the organizations involved do not want
to risk that kind of potential rejection. This dynamic often results in
organizations holding back information or preferences because they fear that
discussing such things could derail progress. Identifying what is
important to each organization is a critical, but often forgotten, step in
ensuring successful outcomes through collaboration.
When CRC works with organizations in developing
collaborative relationships, we often start by identifying what we call an
organization's "collaborative culture index." Using this tool, we are
able to get a sense of how well an organization's culture will support
collaborative efforts. Depending on the results, we can help identify
some areas for deliberate conversations and negotiations with partners before a
collaborative relationship starts.
Click here to read the full article.
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The Reading List:
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Books and Print
Resources- Leading Across Boundaries:
Creating Collaborative Agencies in a Networked World, Russell Linden.
- The Power of Social
Innovation: How Civic Entrepreneurs Ignite Community Networks for Good, by
Stephen Goldsmith, Tim Burke, Gigi Georges.
- The Collaborative
Leadership Fieldbook, by
David D. Chrislip
- Meeting the Collaboration
Challenge: Developing Strategic Alliances Between Nonprofit
Organizations and Businesses, Leader's Package (includes a video,
workbook, and The
Collaboration Challenge), Peter F.
Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management
- Leading Beyond the Walls:
How High-Performing Organizations Collaborate for Shared Success
- Frances Hesselbein (Editor), Marshall Goldsmith (Editor), Iain
Somerville (Editor)
Online
Resources
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| CRC Workshops |
| A characteristic of every successful leader, regardless of title, is his or her commitment to learning and growing. Make this commitment to yourself and your organization in 2010! CRC is your resource for learning and growing with new opportunities for you every month. View our quarterly training calendar and check out all of our courses including our NEW ones, Social Networking: Best Practices for a Hot Trend and Management and Supervision: Using a Coach-Approach, which will offer coaching tools and techniques you can learn and use immediately. |
Workshop
Title |
Date |
Time
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Category |
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Grant Seeking Clinic & Grants Guide Special
Offer! |
February 10, 11, 12 |
Day 1: 1-4pm
Day 2 & 3: 9am-4pm |
Grant-Seeking Clinic,
Fundraising |
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Using QuickBooks in Your Nonprofit |
February 18 |
10 am - 4 pm | Financial Management, Tech Skills |
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Powerful Fundraising Boards: Making Money Now! |
February 24 |
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm |
Fundraising,
Governance |
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NEW!
Management and Supervision: Using a Coach-Approach
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March 2 |
9 am- 4 pm |
Leadership, NPO Management, Human Resources |
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NEW!
Social Networking: Best Practices for a Hot
Trend
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March 9 |
10 am - 12 pm |
Marketing, Fundraising, Tech Skills |
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Introduction to GiftWorks Donor Management |
March 11 |
1 pm - 4 pm |
Fundraising, Financial Management, Tech Skills
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| Join ArtReach's Community Ticket Program |
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ArtReach, Inc. is currently accepting membership fee assistance requests from Denver area nonprofits interested in participating in the Community Tickets program. ArtReach's Community Tickets Program provides access to a variety of artistic and cultural events to local nonprofit agencies with at-risk and underserved populations. Complimentary tickets to events such as art exhibits, musical performances, museums and theatrical performances are made available to member agencies on a weekly basis through the support of over 100 arts and cultural organizations. Agencies requesting membership fee assistance must provide direct services to at-risk and underserved populations, have the ability to manage the program effectively and be able to explain why fee assistance is needed.
Requests for assistance must be received by Tuesday, February 16
at 5 PM.
To request an application for assistance or for general information about the Community Tickets Program, please contact Sarah Gulinska. |
| Grant Funds Available to Rural Primary Care Providers |
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The Colorado Rural Health Care Grants Program offers grants of up to $50,000 to improve the provision of health services in rural Colorado. The next due date will be March 11, 2010. Eligible entities include primary care providers in rural Colorado who also provide services to underserved people. "Underserved people" includes those without insurance or those covered by Medicaid or CHP+. There is no requirement on the number or percentage of underserved people seen, only that some level of such services be provided. The provider organizations can be not-for-profit organizations, public agencies, or for-profit entities. The grant funds must be used for infrastructure rather than salaries or general operations. This means things like equipment, construction, physical plant improvements, vehicles, information technology, or staff training and education. Preference will be given to those who have not been funded in the past.
If you are new to grant writing, don't worry. There will be grant writing workshops held to help with the application process, February 10 in Gunnison, and February 24 in Denver. Additional information is available at the Colorado Rural Health Center's website.
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| Where in Colorado? |
Take a guess for a chance to win CRC's toolkit, Collaboration
and Strategic Alliances: Essential Strategies for Success During an
Economic Downturn.
Each month, we feature a photo taken during our travels around Colorado. Last month, we featured this photograph of Cottonwood Pass. Congratulations to Rio de la Vista and Meg. Both win a copy of Fundraising: Essential Strategies for Fundraising Success During an
Economic Downturn. Thanks for participating!
For this month's "Where in Colorado?" we are inviting guesses on a photo from a different part of Colorado.
The first person to correctly identify the location of this photo by posting it on our blog will receive a copy of CRC's toolkit, Collaboration
and Strategic Alliances: Essential Strategies for Success During an
Economic Downturn.-- Start guessing!
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Alyssa Kopf, CEO of Community Shares of Colorado
Speaks Out About Colorado Capital Bank |
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Community Shares of Colorado connects Coloradans to the charities and causes they care most about. Under the guidance of CEO Alyssa Kopf, pledges have increased by nearly 50% and the Community Giving Campaign has raised more than $9 million for Colorado nonprofit organizations. To ensure that Community Shares achieves their financial goals, crucial to their mission, they have chosen Colorado Capital Bank as their banking advisor. "Community Shares of Colorado could not be more satisfied with our relationship with Colorado Capital Bank! Not only have we enjoyed an extraordinary level of personal attention from their team, the unique account structure for nonprofit organizations has made a significant impact on our bottom line. Community Shares has leveraged Colorado Capital Bank's comprehensive suite of services for nonprofit organizations to become more efficient and generate more revenue than any time in our history. We thank Colorado Capital Bank for their commitment to providing innovative banking solutions for the nonprofit sector!"-Alyssa Kopf, CEO Colorado Capital Bank has a dedicated team of advisors who are experts in providing nonprofits with the tools they need to ensure continued growth and strength within their organizations. The bank provides Community Shares with the nonprofit checking account, Certificates of Deposit, Commercial Internet Banking, ACH services, and remote scan: "Working with Colorado Capital Bank has been a pleasure. Their website is easy to navigate which we really appreciate as we use the ACH and transfer features numerous times each month. Additionally, being able to view (and easily download) our daily activity is a great benefit as well. The best thing though about working with Colorado Capital Bank is their responsiveness. Emails and phone calls are returned immediately and everything is handled with a can-do attitude." Diana Esguerra, Accounting and Business Manager Colorado Capital Bank is a proud sponsor of the Community Resource Center, the Colorado Grants Guide and numerous nonprofits in our communities. We currently serve over 130 nonprofit clients and have eight locations in the Colorado region to serve your nonprofit needs: Boulder, Castle Pines, Cherry Creek, Colorado Springs, Denver Tech Center, Eagle Ranch, Edwards and Parker. To find a local nonprofit banking professional, please visit www.coloradocapitalbank.com or call us at 1.800.913.5120.
Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
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| Thank you for reading the E-Line! |
If you have any ideas about future topics that you would like to see covered, please let us know!
Sincerely,
CRC's Staff
Carol N., Sarah, Carol C., Marianne, Lauren, Kara, Kristen, and Jennifer | |
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| 2010 RPD Events |
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Rural Nonprofits: Share your success
stories! Have you benefited from the relationships or the resouces of
Rural Philanthropy Days? Help us tell your story to funders and
government leaders across the state!
These stories could be about collaborations formed, funding
relationships, or skills gained. Please email Lauren Price with a lead, and we will follow up with you to help write and
distribute the good news.
June 9-11; Mancos (Archuleta, La Plata, Dolores, Montezuma & San Juan counties)
September 15-17; La Junta
(Huerfano, Las Animas, Baca, Prowers, Bent, Otero, Crowley & Kiowa counties)
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| Grant Application Deadlines |
Deadline: 3/11 | Alternative
Agricultural Water Transfers Grant Program, Deadline:
3/31 Animal
Assistance Foundation, Deadline: 3/27
Brett
Family Foundation, Deadline: 3/1
Bright
Mountain Foundation, Deadline: 3/15
Castle
Rock Foundation, Deadline: 3/13
Christmas
Foundation, E.M., Deadline: 3/1/2010
Colorado
Council on the Arts, Deadline: 3/1
Colorado
Private Activity Bond Program (PAB), Deadline: 3/1
Adolph Coors
Foundation, Deadline: 3/1
Donahue
Foundation, Deadline: 3/1
Fishing
is Fun in Colorado (FIF), Deadline: 3/1
William H. & Mattie Wattis Harris
Foundation, Deadline: 3/1
Impaired
Driving Program, Deadline: 3/31
Kinder
Morgan Foundation, Deadline: 3/10
Maytag
Trust, The Freda & Grace Crawford, Deadline: 3/20
MAZON:
A Jewish Response to Hunger, Deadline: 3/1
Microsoft
Corporation, Deadline: 3/1
Moneygram
International Global Giving Program, Deadline: 3/15
Norman
Foundation, Deadline: 3/2
Public
Welfare Foundation, Deadline: 3/29/2010
Regional Resource Network Program HIV/AIDS and STD
Prevention, Deadline: 2/22
Dana & Christopher Reeve
Foundation, Deadline: 3/1
The Salmon
Foundation, Inc., Deadline: 3/15
Smartwool
Corporation, Deadline: 3/1
Staples
Foundation for Learning, Deadline: 3/13
UCC
Neighbors in Need, Deadline: 3/1
Unitarian
Universalist for a Just Society, Deadline: 3/15
US
Bancorp Foundation, Deadline: 3/31
Western
Union Foundation, Deadline: 3/2
Grant Application information is available in the Grants Guide.
Order Today!
Annual Online Subscription: $150
Book: $175
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| Hurry and Get Your 2009-2010 Colorado Grants Guide While Supplies Last! |
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Help improve the sustainability of your organization by purchasing a 2009-2010 Colorado Grants Guide, Colorado's premier resource for grantseekers.
Annual Online Subscription: $150
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| Join CRC on Facebook |
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Keep track of CRC's activities and get updates on capacity building tips and tools for your nonprofit organization.
Search "Community Resource Center of Colorado" to join!
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| CRC Has Moved! |
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CRC moved in late May to a great new home in Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross Building.
Please update your records with our new address:
444 Sherman Street
Suite 102
Denver, CO 80203
All of our other contact information is the same.
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| CRC Staff Contacts |
303.623.1540
Executive Director:
Carol Nickell,
Training:
Marketing & Development Coordinator
Jennifer Jones,
Financial Coordinator,
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