November 24, 2020
The Business of Radical Collaborations
by Emily Bancroft, President of VillageReach, Forbes contributor

The idea that big business and social good do not mix still exists in some circles where corporate scandals and the quest for turning a profit overshadows the ability to see the potential for good. Yet, the complex systems and their challenges facing the world today — climate change, a global pandemic, the need for inclusive growth — require multiple actors and sectors to drive change. Now, more than ever, is the time to forge collaborations between the public and private sectors.

At my organization, we obsess over how to leverage and expand our impact by joining forces with others, improving collaborations and building stronger partnerships. We deeply believe we will never accomplish alone as much as we can with others. We use the term "radical" to encourage our team to always push a collaboration further, even when it is harder than moving alone. Through radical collaboration, we can accept the risks that come with interdependence on other entities with different agendas, while also recognizing that diverse resources lead to innovation.

Throughout my nonprofit's 20 years of existence, we have embedded two areas of collaboration in our DNA: our partnerships with governments and with the private sector. We have written extensively about how we see governments as the ultimate stewards of scale to achieve our mission to transform healthcare delivery for the most underreached. What sometimes gets lost is how the private sector acts as a contributor and driver of change in government systems. It's vital that both the private and public sectors recognize these dynamics and build mutual, high-impact collaborations, leveraging the strengths of both sectors.

For us, private sector engagement has never been focused just on corporate social responsibility. As nonprofit leaders, I believe our engagements should focus on market-driven demand-supply matching, where both the government and the private partner have strategic business reasons to engage. We've found that you can make the most impact acting as the matchmaker at both the strategic and operational levels.

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SPONSORS' INSIGHTS
Expressing Gratitude for Those Who Have Invested in Others
By Kevin Kidwell, vice president, tax-exempt sales, OneAmerica®

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow’s future.” ─ Melody Beattie

I participated on a virtual panel recently on behalf of retirement plan advisors across the country. It was largely a nuts-and-bolts conversation, discussing the disruptive past eight months and talking about how to best serve employers and employees with tax-exempt plans in an environment where there’s so much up in the air. What was most impressive was how my colleagues opened the session with gratitude. They began by thanking all the financial professionals on the call who had gone above and beyond, despite the societal upheaval and its impact to their businesses. In short, they reacted by simply being there for one another.

Because it’s Thanksgiving week, and your family table will likely look a lot different than it has in years past, I wanted to focus on expressing gratitude to the community for all you have done. Gratitude to the community for all you have done, for even the smallest gestures. It’s also important to be grateful — acknowledging what all of us have for going for us.

Here are some of those reasons to be thankful:

Gratitude for your innovation

Think about all those organizations that rely upon outsiders to thrive. That might be the youngsters who come to nursing homes to read to seniors. Or Girl Scouts who stack shelves at a food pantry. Or parishioners who used to sing in the Sunday church choir. The pandemic has made mixing populations of old and young impractical due to social distancing requirements. Volunteers and visitors comprise much of the ‘free labor’ that is so vital to a tax-exempt organization’s operations running smoothly — labor that is now curtailed or upended for the foreseeable future. Yet, you managed to do more with less, bringing in creative solutions to deliver on your mission.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Child Advocates has hired Angela Cain as its new marketing and communications consultant. Cain is a former television news anchor/reporter and WTHR-TV Community Affairs Director.
Tangram has appointed Connie Dillman as Interim President/CEO. Dillman, a former President/CEO of Tangram, has had an extensive leadership career in disability services.
EmployIndy has promoted Penny Dunning to vice president of career services. Dunning previously served as the director of career services for the organization.
EmployIndy has promoted Matt Impink to vice president for postsecondary and Indy Achieves. Impink also will continue to serve as executive director for Indy Achieves.
The Model T Ford Club of America and the Model T Museum in Richmond, Ind., have appointed Rachel Hughes as executive director. Hughes previously served as development officer for Wayne County Foundation.
The Goodwill Foundation of Central & Southern Indiana has named Rachel Eble vice president. Eble, who has more than 17 years of experience in communications and fundraising, has led the organization's advancement initiatives since 2018.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Inc., will use a $1.3 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to add refrigerated storage space to store and distribute perishable foods. Listen

The Villages has received a $240,000 grant from United Way of Central Indiana to strengthen the Healthy Families Indiana program for facility modification. Read

Child Advocates has been honored with the Diversity and Inclusion Award of Excellence at the National CASA/GAL Association for Children annual conference. The organization was chosen for promoting diversity internally as well as externally with its Interrupting Racism for Children Program. Read

Indy Hunger Network has released its 2020 Meal Gap Study, which analyzes the current state of the food system and food insecurity in Marion County. The report measures the quantity of meals needed to assure enough food assistance is available for all residents. Full report

The best of Grassroots Fundraising Journal is now available at no cost through the Nonprofit Quarterly magazine. The journal is designed to help nonprofits raise the money needed to build their communities. Read


COVID-19 AWARDS

The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded more than $6 million to local nonprofits, schools and other organizations with the goal of helping recipients with challenges caused by COVID-19, and improve the quality of life in communities. Read
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
TRENDS
Will 2020 change foundation grantmaking forever? Researchers found significant shifts with investments in disproportionately impacted communities and efforts to address racial inequity.
Many nonprofits lack a client web portal or mobile app, which can make it difficult to offer services digitally during the pandemic.
SPONSORS' INSIGHTS
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REAL ESTATE
MEETING ROOM OR EVENT SPACE
Reserve a room for your next meeting or training at St. Paul's Indy.
  
Looking for a meeting space on Indy's Northside? St. Paul's Indy has six rentable spaces that can accommodate groups from six to 250. Building is handicap-accessible and has a large parking lot and ample street parking. Guest WiFi and A/V equipment included. Interested in learning more?  Click here for accommodation details, pricing and an inquiry form.
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.
JOBS
To view all jobs, visit the Not-for-profit News jobs' board.
Executive

CEO - The Villages of Indiana, Inc.


Development


Director of Development and Gift Planning - Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF)


Gift Processing Specialist - Indiana University Health Foundation

Development Director - Milk Bank


Administrative/Management/Leadership

Bilingual Office Manager - Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic


Marketing /Communications/Events

Director of Communications and Marketing - International School of Indiana

Director of Marketing - Indianapolis Zoo

Strategic Communications Associate - Hamilton County Community Foundation

Online Communications Associate - Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF)


Finance

Controller - Cathedral High School


Programs

Educational Liaison - Child Advocates


Employment Coach - Southeast Community Services

Community Center Specialist - HVAF of Indiana, Inc.

Family Assistance Program Coordinator - Inclusivity Institute

Clinical Services Manager - Hope Healthcare Services

Education Program Specialist - Indiana Latino Institute


Teaching

Teaching Fellows - Indianapolis Teaching Fellows (ITF)


Legal

Sr. Litigation Paralegal - Charitable Allies, Inc.