Roadmap to unity: How Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites' board prevailed in achieving compliance among its Friends groups |
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Board members and volunteers at 11 historic sites navigate a year-long journey to reach a model of collaboration |
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by Shari Finnell, editor, Not for Profit News
When volunteers are providing an invaluable service to a nonprofit, it can be challenging to tell them that they have it all wrong in some critical areas — especially when they’ve been operating in that mode for years or, in some cases, decades.
That was the dilemma facing the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites' board of directors following a March 6, 2019. meeting in which its past board president, Greg Pemberton, an attorney outlined the need to update a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Plan for the Friends groups connected to its network of 11 historic sites across the state of Indiana.
“Many of these groups have kept the state at arm’s length for several years, and some are untrusting when both the Friends groups and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (ISMHS) organization both have the same goal,” Pemberton said during the 2019 meeting, before leading a board discussion on numerous areas of concern:
- Friends groups cannot operate independently of the overall museum system. However, many had been acting independently for decades, developing their own branding for their websites and marketing collateral; operating board-related activities for their respective sites; and, in some cases, identifying themselves as separate 501(c)3 organizations.
- Some of the groups had been inconsistently reporting tax information to the state, which is required under law.
- Each group had been operating under outdated MOUs, which were drafted before the museum system became a quasi-state agency in 2011. All guidelines would need to be updated to align with legal requirements outlined by the attorney general’s office. The new guidelines would dictate that all funding and donations from the 12-network system, including the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, must come from one unified fund.
The board members seemed optimistic that many of these issues could be quickly addressed with new Community Partner Guidelines, and a series of discussions with its Friends groups. By the end of the board meeting, Cathy Ferree, ISMHS president and CEO, and Kate Brownlee, then ISMHS chief development officer, had agreed to meet with ISMHS regional directors and Friends’ board of directors over a two-month period. The ultimate goal was to have the Friends groups operating under the new guidelines by July 1, 2019.
Encountering resistance along the way
As it turns out, shifting to the new agreement wasn’t a straightforward proposition.
Overwhelmingly, the Friends groups’ response to operating under the new guidelines was, “Why do we want to change things?,” recalled Andrew Briggs, who has been an ISM board member for about 10 years.
“A lot of these groups had been set up years ago,” said Briggs, a banker from Geneva., Ind., who also serves as the chairman of the Indiana Bankers Association. “They didn’t have a structure that was conducive to a quasi-government entity. They sort of did things their own way — ‘under our umbrella and tax ID number.’”
According to P. Garrett Adams, President/Board Chair for the T.C. Steele State Historic Site Friends group, the site in Nashville, Ind., had been operating independently for nearly 30 years. The members of the volunteer organization had developed close ties with the site staff and community, actively recruiting volunteers, raising funds for capital improvements and seeking grants to support enhancements, including a recreation of Steele’s studio wagon, AV equipment and golf carts for visitors.
When that model of operations was threatened to be disrupted, members of the Friends group feared that their long-term relationship with the site and its staff also would be impacted, said Adams, who is a pharmaceutical project manager for Eli Lilly & Co. “We were not as concerned about losing autonomy,” he recalled. “We needed a better understanding of the impact on members and membership benefits. The larger focus was on seeking to understand what it meant for our relationship to the site.”
Because of those types of concerns, at least one Friends group appealed to its local legislators to block the implementation of the new Community Partner Guidelines among the historic sites, Ferree recalled. “It was complicated,” she said. “Change is difficult for people. Many of them were confused; they didn’t understand why the rules had suddenly changed.”
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2020: An Unforgettable Year in Review |
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by Brian Payne, president of Central Indiana Community Foundation; Tom Kilian, president of Hamilton County Community Foundation; and Jennifer Pope Baker, president of Women’s Fund of Central Indiana
Headlines are designed to catch our attention. The headlines of 2020 made people across this community and the nation confront America’s racist history in addition to our current reality. From the unique destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color to the over-policing and under-protecting of these same communities, stories across the country highlighted the systemic racism ingrained in our country’s foundation.
Recognizing and healing the wounds of over 400 years of oppression continues to be challenging and painful. Dismantling the systems that keep these racist practices alive beneath a veil of colorblindness and clever reinvention often seem unfeasible. But to quote James Baldwin, “Nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
In spite of these challenges, CICF and its affiliates, The Indianapolis Foundation and Hamilton County Community Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, continue to proudly commit to efforts that create a community that works for everyone — no matter place, race or identity. We have proven to ourselves that “equity-first” principles have truly become embedded in our organizations when we created our equity-based relief funds for the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. We’ve galvanized our leadership, staff and ambassadors to be innovative to support and uplift neighborhood assets. We’ve restructured our policies and practices to meet community need. We’ve partnered with corporate and civic leaders to make commitments to end racism within their seats of power and in their personal lives.
So, yes, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we also recognize how far we still have to go in this work. We need everyone’s commitment to make equity a reality. If you’re inspired to — and are able — please make a contribution to our Equity Partners Fund. This gift will help empower people, change systems, and make Central Indiana a region known for being the most anti-racist community in the nation.
Know that when these headlines have passed, we will hold to our mission of equity and continue our work to dismantle systemic racism. We will continue to remove the barriers separating opportunity from so many of our neighbors. And we will create an Inclusive City and a Central Indiana community for all.
Click here to view more of our highlights. |
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The International School of Indiana has named Scott Thien as director of marketing and communications. Thien most recently worked as corporate communications manager at Republic Airways. |
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Kids' Voice of Indiana has named Jennifer Dewitt as new development coordinator. Dewitt previously served as manager of strategic initiatives at the Lacy School of Business at Butler University. |
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The Parks Foundation of Hendricks County has named Katy Crichlow Cummings as executive director. Crichlow Cummings previously was chief advancement officer for Child Advocates, Inc. |
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Camptown has hired Brent Freeman to the position of executive director. Freeman previously worked for the nonprofit as a program director from 2007 to 2009. — Inside Indiana Business
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The Damien Center in Indianapolis has hired Rick Tisdale as vice president of talent management. Tisdale previously served as director of talent management for United Way of Central Indiana. — Inside Indiana Business
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The Indiana Innovation Institute has promoted Leslie Wolfe to chief administrative officer. She most recently served as director of business operations. – Inside Indiana Business
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Did your organization receive a link for the salary survey last Tuesday? If you are unsure, contact Julie Struble. Participating organizations will receive the comprehensive salary report for free. The following organizations have completed the survey so far.
Aspire Indiana Health is partnering with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to provide mental health and recovery services for jail inmates who are about to be released. The agreement is part of a federal grant aimed at reducing recidivism. Read
Prosperity Indiana announced the winners of its annual leadership and program awards at its 2021 Summit. The Prosperity Indiana Summit was an occasion to celebrate the leaders and innovators in the community economic development field. See recipients
Growing Places Indy, a nonprofit that supports community wellness through urban agriculture, is launching the Plant It Forward Program. The initiative provides community tools, training, and resources to support the creation of home and community gardens. Read
White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis has been nominated by USA Today as a top contender for Best City Park in its 2021. Read
The International Center has awarded Dan Coats its International Citizen of the Year award. The award honors individuals whose work has achieved global impact and elevated Indiana on the world stage. Read
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Leading through crisis in a trauma-informed, resilience-oriented way workshop on Feb. 10 at noon. Participants will gain an overview on how anxiety impacts a person’s general functioning and functioning in crisis. They also will gain insights on the different leadership strategies to minimize the impact of anxiety among employees. Presented by Aspin. Cost: Free. Register
Frame the problem webinar on Feb. 11 from 10 a.m.-noon. Before using data to inform decisions, participants will learn how to identify what they are trying to accomplish and how data can help them reach their goals. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register
Find existing data webinar on Feb. 11 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Participants will learn about the strengths, weaknesses, and costs of readily available data sets. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register
Create and use survey data webinar on Feb. 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Learn to create surveys, understand survey samples and estimates, and analyze and interpret survey results. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register
Workplace issues & concerns surrounding vaccines webinar on Feb. 18 at noon. Presenters will cover topics relating to vaccinations in the workplace, including employee and employer rights when it comes to vaccination requirements; employer vaccination policies; advantages and disadvantages of vaccination requirements and more. Presented by the Indianapolis Bar Association. Cost: Free. Register
Nonprofit resiliency and strategic planning: How to build resiliency into your strategic planning process webinar on Feb. 24 at noon. Learn how to adapt your strategic plan to create a more resilient organization. This webinar will provide insights about the keys to resiliency and how to implement them in your planning process. Presented by Johnson Grossnickle & Associates. Cost: Free. Register
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Toxic Workplace Culture: What do YOU do? on Feb. 18 at 8:30 a.m. Jeremy York of Synergy will discuss workplace toxicity, how it impacts workplace cultures and the cost of avoidance. Participants will learn strategies for affecting change, addressing toxic workplace behaviors, and identifying signs of a toxic workplace.
Hosted by Charitable Advisors.
Cost: Free.
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One of the best ways for a manager to help employees, is to simply ask, “How can I support you in this moment?”
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Faith-inspired impact remains a bulwark of support in the United States, with faith-based delivering 40 percent of vital human services across six representative cities.
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Our sponsor marketplace serves to further connect our readers with our advertisers who are focused on serving nonprofits. To learn about each sponsor's nonprofit services, click on its logo.
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Office/art space available in Fountain Square
Office rental space available on Indianapolis’ Southeast side. Up to 1,970 sq ft. office space, five rooms for office/studio space, kitchenette, paid utilities, installed security system, parking and more. Contact Bradley Keen at (317) 634-5079, ext. 101.
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Events, Meetings and Offices
With 2,000 square feet of coworking space, budget-friendly private offices, and comfortable meeting and event spaces, the Nexus Impact Center is an ideal location to pursue your mission. Located just off Interstate 465 and Michigan Road, Nexus allows your team members and visitors to quickly reach your space and meet in spacious rooms that allow for safe social distancing. More
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