James C. Wilson, CEO and founder of the nonprofit organization Circle Up Indy, vividly recalls the day he was interviewed by a TV journalist for a story about his volunteerism in Martindale-Brightwood — an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood plagued by poverty and high unemployment rates.

At the time, Wilson, who grew up in the neighborhood, was astonished that many of his neighbors were calling out to him during the taping … asking him to be a spokesperson on their behalf. “Tell them about the sidewalks! Politicians don’t care about us!,” Wilson said, recalling some of the pleas directed at him.

Those voices stuck with him, prompting him to step beyond his volunteerism to launch Circle Up Indy in 2014. The organization is focused on advocating for initiatives to transform impoverished neighborhoods in Indianapolis and surrounding counties, including Martindale-Brightwood.

Circle Up Indy also hosts an annual festival that is designed to raise awareness and intentionally discuss and address socio-economic disadvantages many black and minority families experience and to increase community accountability across the city, according to an organization statement.

Due to COVID-19, the festival was cancelled in 2020, Wilson said, but the 5th Annual Peace Festival is on for this year. It is scheduled for July 10, from noon to 7 p.m., at Frederick Douglass Park on the park's 100th anniversary. Because of the late start in determining whether the festival would go on as scheduled, Wilson and his team are still seeking commitments from vendors, exhibitors and volunteers.

Wilson, who also has a podcast through a WISH-TV partnership, acknowledges that he sometimes feels overwhelmed with his role in transforming his childhood neighborhood and others like it. He said he feels a responsibility to advocate for transformation, which, in all too many cases, seems to be a slow process. “I’m honored but I’m terrified. I just want to help people,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of pressure on me to change things but at times it seems we’re barely pushing the needle. I’m watching friends and family die.”

Wilson, who spent most of his formative years — since the age of 10 — in and out of prison, has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing some of the youth and families in troubled neighborhoods. “I never had a father teach me how to be a man. The streets taught me what I thought it meant to be a man,” he said.

During his last stint in prison, the trajectory of Wilson’s life took a turn for the better. He met several older inmates who saw his untapped potential. “These brothers taught me so much about life,” he said. “They kept reiterating, ‘they can take your body, but they can’t take your mind.’”

After the whirlwind of 2020, more nonprofits are turning to collaboration with other nonprofits to pool resources, gain efficiency, and better serve their mission. Nonprofits can merge their back offices to enjoy lower overhead cost, enter into a joint venture to expand their offerings or service area, or even merge completely into one complete entity. But navigating which option is right for your nonprofit can be challenging. The first step is to understand the differences between the types of collaboration.

Mergers are the most formal process in this list. A merger can involve completely combining two nonprofit entities, or one larger nonprofit entity adding a smaller nonprofit to the organization to add a new program or service area. The merger process can range from short and simple to lengthy and complicated. But it is always important to do your due diligence during a merger. Many nonprofits use a consultant during the process to help perform due diligence and implement best practices. When you’re ready to officially merge after the due diligence process, it’s important to have an attorney who is knowledgeable about nonprofit law. While a volunteer attorney may be well meaning, there are differences in how the law handles nonprofits and for-profit entities, so an attorney who works primarily with for-profit companies or individuals could put your organization at risk of noncompliance.

A joint venture is historically used when two nonprofits want to collaborate on an isolated program or project. This can be beneficial in a variety of ways. A nonprofit can enter into a joint venture with another nonprofit organization, like a youth-serving organization and a horse rescue, coming together to create a free horse-riding summer camp for foster children. But a nonprofit can also enter into a joint venture with a for-profit company. Overall, joint ventures can increase your impact by allowing you to take on more than you might be able to normally. Joint ventures can be extremely helpful, whether it provides you with an opportunity to increase the geographic reach of a program, add more resources or expertise, or creates a new programmatic offering.

We have details about fiscal sponsorship in one of our previous posts, but at its most basic level, fiscal sponsorship allows a fledgling charitable program to be incubated by an established nonprofit organization. Charitable Allies acts as a fiscal sponsor to several growing charitable programs, but we’ve also seen fiscal sponsorship work in other instances.

Volunteers needed for planting trees. Help plant trees and pollinator-friendly flowers at Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve on June 2 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Join Central Indiana Land Trust and Indiana Wildlife Federation in beautifying this nature preserve along the White River. Register

City of Fishers is looking for volunteers for Spark!Fishers, the Fishers Farmers Market, and the Fishers AgriPark. Volunteers are needed for a wide variety of jobs, dates, and shift times, and there is something for everyone. For more information www.volunteerfishers.com

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