Operation Fresh Start’s Post

According to a 2022 Statistica Research Report, nonprofits continue to struggle with rising operating expenses, limited staff capability, and an overall lack of resources. The good news? Community Foundations can help. Absolutely loved working on this guide for Resilia with Rustin Nethercott + Bren Spector! Such important work — proud to be a part of it ⚡ Download the full guide here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eERptJnN

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce business survey is still open! This survey is open to all businesses and nonprofits in Lake County, IL. The Chamber is working toward improving services, offering relevant programming, and enhancing resources for all business owners in the county. There is even a chance at a prize if you respond by October 31! Please share this survey link with other Lake County businesses and nonprofits you may be connected with. Your opinion matters! Scan the QR code or follow the link in the comments. #lakecountychamber #LCCC #youropinionmatters #businesssurvey #membersurvey #lakecountyIL

Introducing Our Giveback Program – Supporting Community Programs and Causes Our Giveback program is designed to support community programs and causes. We provide organizations with a unique code, and their supporters can shop with us. In turn, 20% of the purchase amount goes to the organization to support their cause. This program was created in response to many individuals asking for help in supporting other organizations, programs, and causes. With the current state of the economy, it is challenging to obtain funding, and it is impossible to give back to everyone's cause/programs. We understand that each cause is just as personal and important to those involved, which is why this program allows for helping others while maintaining our organization. https://lnkd.in/eY7HpKG7

Does your community have a Master Plan? Let CPS help you get started! Having a master plan can guide your community's future goals, create a sense of community identity, and help you secure funding for future projects. Or maybe your community has a Master Plan but it's outdated. Our team can assist you in the process of creating a Plan and guide you on where to get funding. #MasterPlan #CommunityDevelopment #FundingOpportunities #CommunityIdentity #CPSLLC

Every town's local business is its lifeblood. Successful small businesses provide a wealth of goods and services, employ people in the community, and bolster nonprofits. Whether finances are limited or not, here are several ways to support your favorite local businesses. #smallbusinesses #localbusinesses #localbusiness #localbusinesssupportinglocalbusiness #LocalBusinessCommunity #LocalBusinessMarketing #smallbusinesssupportingsmallbusiness #socialmedia #socialmediasupport #socialcare #onlinereviews

This featured article explores how associations like AFP inspire innovation and collective wisdom in fundraising. Learn why joining a professional community is crucial for personal development, organizational success, and career advancement. Click the link below to understand how community engagement can elevate your fundraising career. https://buff.ly/3W4tIHk #ProfessionalGrowth #FundraisingCommunity #CareerDevelopment #AssociationBenefits

Kudos to the Center for Green Schools for their ongoing efforts to improve educational environments! A key element for successful grant writing is having a clear and specific goal for the funding request. The more precise your objective, the higher the chances of securing the grant. For instance, consider requesting funds to upgrade classrooms that currently lack mechanical ventilation, failing to meet even the minimum standards. The goal would be to transform these spaces to not only comply with the ASHRAE 62.1 standard but also to exceed the CDC's 5ACH guidelines and ASHRAE 241 standards, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional HVAC systems. Such a well-defined proposal can significantly enhance the success rate of a grant application. For more information on how Smart Air Defense could help turn your old school buildings into well ventilated buildings at a fraction of the cost of conventional HVAC, please visit https://lnkd.in/e6EtRdRs #SmartAirDefense #SurgicallyCleanAir #Cobalt #8ACH #HEPA #AtmosAir #BetterIAQ #IAQ #Schools #Students #Teachers #NetZero #SustainableIAQ #SmartAirDefenseTestPilot #Atmocube #QuantifiableIAQ #Doitforourchildren #EveryStudentCounts #EveryTeacherCounts #Schools #IAQ #IndependentIAQExperts #OptionsDesignedForYourSchool #DreamTeamCoalition #SafeTraces #veriDART #CDC #ASHRAE241 #ASHRAE 

Local governments don’t always listen to their communities, sometimes because they don’t know how. Alma runs the community nonprofit CAFÉ in Wenatchee, WA. She speaks to a thread we find running through many of the stories we build: too often the communities facing some kind of issue aren’t included in the work to fix it. But if you work in local government you can work to change this….little by little, block by block. Follow us for more quick clips from the people and organizations we meet all across North America! Part of a video produced for Smart Growth America Video Description: Alma Chacon, a Latina woman with white hair speaks from her office. Shots of her at a community event interacting with community members. Transcript: Advice I would give to cities that are working on projects: Consider all of your population. Do some more outreach. Find those key leaders in those different pockets of your cities, and make sure that you're tapping into that wealth of expertise and voice that people have. Make them feel included, and make them a part of your process, because they live there, they know what's best for them. CAFÉ is a nonprofit, and we've been here since 2005 in Wenatchee, in North Central Washington. 99% of our staff is bilingual, bicultural. And so we can go out and engage the community pretty easy. Other city partners turn to us. “Can you help us get some feedback from the community?” At our monthly events, it gives us an opportunity for our community to see the things that we are doing, and they fill out a survey that tells us, “This is what we would like.” It's a good place for people to gather. We'll have dancers come in, Mariachi come in, letting people feel and know that their voice is being heard. #local #government

Community Building: The Absence of It Is Our Greatest Limiting Factor We can measure its absence or erosion by: The amount of spraying and praying we engage in The shrinking in donor participation and the de-democratization of our donor bases. Our dependency on fewer, wealthy donors over age 70 Our sad, depleting attempts to acquire donors with sieve strategies We see its power in: Donor receptivity to crowd-sourced appeals High rates of volunteer participation and giving Growing cohorts of donors who have given for 20 years or more Trust giving Retention and giving of staff, including advancement staff It's the issue of our day. Grasp it and make it happen or watch more of your philanthropic soil wash away. Watch the Great Wealth Transfer, the greatest philanthropic opportunity in our life time, flow into other inlets and coves but not ours. This won't be a soft, philosophic, altruistic discussion. It will be very real, very concrete.

If you represent a foundation, how are you facilitating discussions with your grantees to mutually share learning? Are these conversations open enough for nonprofits to feel they can approach you with questions and insights without needing to appear flawless to secure funding? For nonprofits, how are you engaging in these discussions? Is there a pressure to appear polished, or is there room for more open, vulnerable exchanges? If openness is lacking, is there a chance to convey these feelings to your funders to explore more balanced interaction opportunities? Vulnerability in these conversations isn’t a weakness but a strength that fosters genuine understanding and progress. An example of this may be a small community organization openly sharing its financial struggles with a major funder, leading to revised funding terms that allow the organization to stabilize and eventually expand its community services. Please take a moment for self-reflection and let us know your thoughts. If you wish to continue this dialogue, feel free to connect with us on LinkedIn or visit our website. #TrustBasedPhilanthropy #PowerAndAccountability #CollaborativePartnerships #PhilanthropicEquity