Opportunity Finance Network’s Post

The community development finance industry is at an inflection point. Challenging, yes. Volatile, yes. But also ripe with opportunity. Read about President and CEO Harold Pettigrew, Jr.'s first year at OFN, in his own words. #LetsGetToWork #CDFIs #EconomicJustice #ClimateJustice

I spent years convincing decision makers to adopt policies. I'd turn up at the Minister's office, present a new report and talk through how they could get it through the Treasury. The new initiative would get announced. We'd celebrate. Surely this time we'd crack the problem. But then the grand plan wouldn't lead to the outcomes we wanted. And we were back to the drawing board. So I started to think differently, guided by brilliant people like Neil Crowther Patrick Watt and Nana Taona Kuo who I have been fortunate to call my boss. People who belived in dignity, justice and equity. Whose policy toolkit was about evidence, creativity and partnership. People who put people at the heart of policy making and built movements to deliver the change. Today I'm working with organisations who live that philosophy, like Impetus - Backing the best who invest in social leaders and their teams over the long term to deliver benchmark beating outcomes, Shelter whose commitment to deeply listening to lived expereince defines their direction, and now The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP) whose dedication to foster sustained impact by collaboratively influencing the underlying dynamics that contribute to societal issues, breaks every rule in the policy playbook. It is - as they say - a journey. But a better, more inclusive, respectful way of making policy. One that works.

AmeriCorps has unveiled three comprehensive studies showcasing the transformative effects of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program. These reports shed light on how the program strengthens communities, retains its members, and cultivates leadership skills among participants. #AmeriCorpsimpact #communityimpact #communityresilience #leadershipskills #memberretention #nationalservice #Professionaldevelopment #serviceprogramevaluation #volunteerismbenefits #thxnews

Mission Critical: September Edition    NDIS Mission Critical is DSC’s quick briefing for CEOs, Boards, and senior management on critical NDIS issues. There was a lot to cover this month, including: The new NDIS Act, Provider Viability Summit, the Commission's new powers, leadership changes, separation of housing and support, foundational supports and more. https://lnkd.in/gkQ9Yxpi

Check out the February issue of T&DI Connections to learn more about our BSCES T&DI Chair Anna! 👏

We're excited to announce a brand new course to the CSN Membership, led by two of our stewardship experts and leaders, Dave Briggs and Leo Sabo: Building a Strong Stewardship Volunteer Team. Volunteers are an important part of any growing ministry, but how do you get leaders to invest their time and passion into specialized volunteer roles? In this course, you'll learn: ✅ How to Find and Recruit Volunteers ✅ Developing a Screening Process for Volunteers ✅ What to Include in Stewardship Volunteer Training ✅ Important Stewardship Volunteer Roles ✅ How to Provide Ongoing Support to Volunteers ✅ Celebrating Team Wins Preview the course and learn more here: https://zurl.co/UFsX . . . #stewardship #stewardshipministry #christianstewardship #biblicalstewardship #stewardshipleader #stewardshippastor #financialdiscipleship #ministryleader #ministry #pastors #pastor #churchleadership #network #churchnetwork #giving #generosity #tithe #tithing #discipleship

Short origin story (with shoutouts)... Six years ago, Kristen King handed me the Bridge to Completion report created by the Tennessee College Access and Success Network & Nashville Public Education Foundation. This report started me down a path that I would devote my next 6 years of my life waking up every morning thinking about. As principal at RePublic Schools, my very next PD session was focused on this report and it became the backbone of my "why" and my "what" in education. Why were we measuring "success" on low-income students graduating from high school and getting accepted into college and not on students getting college degrees and being fruitful employees? What could we do to solve the problem of only 24% of Nashville students earning a college degree? Fast forward to 5 years ago, when Kristen and I were considering the idea of Persist Nashville, a good friend of mine, Stephen Zralek, connected me with Jennifer H. to have lunch. What I didn't know from that meeting was that, along with Bob Obrohta, Jennifer was the primary architect of the report that started me down the path. As a super energetic and often naive founder with an idea, Jennifer was willing to take a chance on me and be my first Board Chair. Once a month I would walk into Jennifer's office with a list of 17-19 ideas and she would tell me go for it, a gentle maybe, and only occasionally a no. Behind the scenes, Jennifer was making sure I was seated in the right rooms, listening to the people who really understood the problem of college persistence and could help us solve it. She often had to smooth over my rough edges and gracefully advocate for my good intentions. In all ways, she helped me and Persist grow. 2 years ago, Jennifer and I were selected for the Tennessee SCORE Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute, one of the best professional programs I've been a part of. Through these intensive retreats, something clicked, and I realized that Jennifer was really what our team at Persist needed. Her ability to understand and navigate complex systems, leadership style, and fierce advocacy for students was what Persist needed as we emerged from our infancy stage of organizational development. 1 year ago, my team agreed and unanimously voted to bring her on as our first Chief of Staff. Over the past year she has built a new strategic plan, helped me navigate one of the most challenging seasons of our organization, and built the systems we need to smartly grow. 1 day ago the Board approved Jennifer to be our next Executive Director and I could not be happier. You've helped this idea become a reality and now you and Kristen will take this reality to new heights. So thankful for you. For those wondering, I'm not leaving Persist. My role will shift down in July to focusing on our work outside of Nashville as I take on a new role serving schools in Nashville. More to come, but for now, cheers to Jennifer. You will be an extraordinary leader of our team!

We are filled with anticipation to see who will be awarded the National GC Network's inaugural President's Award. The recipient will be announced at the NGCN Empowered Voices conference next month. NGCN Award Selection Committee member Catherine Chow shares: "Being recognized professionally with peer-adjudicated awards, especially those that included an element of volunteering and philanthropy, skyrocketed my career. I was able to advocate for a promotion at work and get invited to join prestigious projects within the legal community.”   Is there someone you know who deserves to be awarded? Maybe that person is you, maybe that person is someone who has helped you. Either way, nominations for the NGCN President’s Award are due soon (November 1, 2024). Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/g_PXk-7t #NGCN24 #EmpoweredVoices #GeneralCounsel #SeniorLegalLeaders #InHouseCounsel #Lawyers #Reconciliation #EDI #LawCareer #LegalProfession

It only becomes better and better....

We hope environmental organizations will continue to embrace increasing the use of biofuels as one of their goals to reduce the carbon content and toxic emissions from every gallon of gasoline and diesel in every vehicle every day. The path to a healthier environment and environmental justice has to be paved with cleaner fuels and powered by educated consumers. While new markets and technologies for electric vehicles continue to develop, there are no good reasons not to use biofuels to replace the benzene and benzene-laced aromatics in gasoline and diesel fuel. #gasolinegate