Economic Development Regina’s Post

We’ve been making some updates this year at Parkes Philanthropy! Earlier this year, after evaluating our strongest partnerships and offerings over the last few years, we decided to double down on our services and support for non-profit organizations. 💸Fundraising 💸 From creating your first fundraising plan to scaling efforts around a new campaign, we build custom teams to meet your organization where they’re at and ensure you have the resources to grow your impact. We can generate targeted prospect lists, strategize new approaches to engaging funders, or act as fractional development support to get your first fundraising efforts off the ground. 💪 Capacity Building 💪 We tackle the big 3: strategic planning, program development, and impact evaluation. When you’re at an inflection point, we’re here to help your organization become more sustainable and effective at achieving your mission. Past partners have ranged from established organizations launching new initiatives to new nonprofits ready to build the infrastructure for long-term success. 🎯 Recruiting  🎯 We combine social impact expertise and a deep and diverse network with experience in recruitment and hiring for purpose-driven leaders. We take a holistic approach to helping you make your next great hire. 👉 Check it all out on our shiny new services page: https://lnkd.in/eTuEnupx

How can you establish a work environment that ensures a fair distribution of workloads among the entire team? ▪️Establish a Plan: What are the goals? Who are the team members? What are their strengths and weaknesses? ▪️Clarify Roles: Every team member has their roles and responsibilities. The more confident someone is regarding their tasks pertaining to the role, the easier it is for you to delegate work and review it. ▪️Set Expectations and Communicate: It's essential to have a clear understanding of your objectives. Communicate one-on-one with your team members to ensure they are on the same page regarding goals. 📢This can contribute to building strategic partnerships by promoting collaboration, trust, and mutual respect among team members. When each team member feels valued and sees their contributions acknowledged, it enhances the overall team dynamics. Want to learn more about what Sonaliz Empowerz can do for your 501c3 organization? I would love to help, DM me or visit www.sonalizempowerz.com today! #strategicfundraisingsolutions #fundraisingsolutions #fundraising #empower #sonalizempowerz #501c3 #501c3nonprofit #WomenofColor #Empowermen

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬? The frustration of working in silos is a theme which comes up time and time again in our conversations with clients here at Scenius Consulting and Coaching. Frustrations which Matt Parkes FRSA MCIOF and I frequently encountered in our previous careers. That’s why when we joined a national UK charity as the directors of fundraising and engagement (aka marketing and communications), we decided to take pre-emptive action. It all started on day one with a coffee and a conversation. We made a pact, there and then, that we would work in partnership. At that time, the fundraising directorate was located on the second floor, while the recently re-structured engagement directorate was scattered across several floors. We were concerned that this physical dislocation would create a barrier to the cross-team collaboration needed to deliver our goals. So, after some careful negotiation, this is what we did: -   Brought the engagement and fundraising teams together on the same floor. -   Knocked down the walls separating the two teams to create a single workspace. -   Created a joint break-out space for both teams to hang out in – because as we all know the most important conversations take place by the water cooler and the kettle! Demolishing the walls between the two teams was a powerful symbol of breaking down silos and working as one team. But the real work was about breaking down internal walls through creating the right environment, projects and processes to support cross-team collaboration. Here are a few joint initiatives which our two teams delivered during the first year: - Pooled resources to commission audience research and created an Insight Hub for use by the whole organisation. - Joined forces to design a five-year fundraising, marketing and communications strategy and budget which received Board approval. - Designed and delivered a high-profile stakeholder event which achieved multiple objectives and won a prestigious national award. - Consideration (i.e. donors’ propensity to give to the charity) grew from 19% to 23% in the same year.   So, if you’re looking for assistance with improving collaboration and teamwork in your own organisation, do please reach out for a conversation with us. We’d love to help, and we promise it won’t involve knocking down any walls! #fundraising #marketing #communications #charity #teamwork #collaboration #teamcoaching #consulting

ArtsHacker Joe Patti examines how perception often shapes reality, this article dives deep into the challenge many nonprofits face – the struggle to convey their mission and purpose effectively. It emphasizes the importance of strong branding, storytelling, and strategic communication to maximize fundraising efforts and make sure people not only understand you're a nonprofit but also grasp the incredible work you do. #Nonprofits #SocialImpact #Visibility #Storytelling #Branding #Communication

While truly probing your motivations may not be easy, holding yourself to account can be an essential ingredient of effective philanthropy. In the latest chapter from our ‘Guide to Giving’, we explore the value of self-reflection and listening to those with lived experience when supporting your chosen causes. #BarclaysPrivateBank #GuidetoGiving #Philanthropy #Philanthropists

WHERE DO WE FIND THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHILANTHROPISTS? In this article, Betty Amsden Foundation Trustee, Chris Wilson, outlines an innovative staff program that fast tracks the joy of giving. A great blueprint for others to consider. #philanthropy #giving #funding #innovation #artsandculture

All in a days work - Sharing a real issue - anyone that has heard me speak I always share … “ I’m not naïve, about RNHS success - it was timing …me, be a Black Women leading an affordable housing organization at the time of George Floyd murder and the social justice awakening… ( we were doing all right, making progress and getting noticed prior but the flood gates opened during that dreadful time )… Knowing the nonprofit sector and philanthropy you know that most programs and services are not revenue generating and are dependent on funding - also lifting up that Non Profits are major employers, and without funding cannot support the largest expense, which are staff salaries especially in high cost area were many of us work to ensure our staff have livable wages… Food for thought : Funders , eliminate the unintended consequence of shifting focus . Data shows in this article organizations will fail without continued suppprt The work needs to continue - and the needs still exist. Allies - Stay off the bandwagon in attempting to create programs for a community that you have not historically served it creates competition and has us all bidding for the same resources that are already scarce. - Don’t follow the money ; or opportunity lean in to the “allyship” and support the organization that have been deep in work and in the crisis before the awakening. For those nonprofit leaders that see evitable risk - let’s rally as a nonprofit community to provide thought partnership and support to see what we can do to keep the mission, vision ,and purpose ALIVE! In order to do this … it needs to be a proactive, not reactive approach, so let’s talk sooner then later… those that have interest let’s connect to create a crisis network where there’s a point of contact to rally our resources so if transitions are needed they can be smooth ones; we as a collective control the narrative - because when we fail , it just seems to hit different … System change is needed in both philanthropy and the nonprofit model ; there needs to be collaboration between all sectors government( federal, state, municipal ) work force development, social service etc . The goal if we really care about the communities we serve is not keeping people poor, in poverty, and dependant but self sufficient! Thank You Regina Celestin Williams for making sure this reached my timelines. Chris Chatmon and Kingmakers of Oakland most of all thank you for lifting up this important and real issue.

🌟 Big opportunity alert for TX nonprofits! Michael Hsu Office of Architecture is offering $20K in pro-bono design services. The nationally recognized practice seeks a new nonprofit partner that demonstrates a need for design services in the Austin or Houston area, where the firm’s offices are located.  Transform your non-profit space with top-notch architecture & interior design. 🏗️ Got a vision for your organization? Apply now & bring it to life! Deadline: May 3. Don’t miss out – details at VirtualBX.com. #DesignForChange #NonprofitSupport #MHOA #VBX #ApplyNow #nonprofit #thursday #thursdaynews

I was on a sales call the other day with a prospect that uses a legacy competitor of Groundswell. I think the person was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. An example: Them: "We only match donations above $50." Me: "Why?" Them: "Because that's the way we've always done it. Matching less than that isn't worth the hassle." Me: "What if there was *literally* zero hassle, and as little as $1 was matched instantly and with no work on your end?" Them: "We'd still want a minimum match." The problem with taking on legacy players is you have to convince their customers to reimagine what's possible. At Groundswell, we ask people not to try to shoe-horn their old way of operating into our system, but rather to design the absolute best employee engagement program as if there were no limits. #CSR #corporatesocialresponsibility #socialimpact #ESG #nonprofit

💭 Have you come across ‘generous leadership’ before? It came up in conversation last week and I’ve been mulling it over ever since.   💚 Being generous by sharing time, ideas, opportunities, meetings, contacts. 💚 Identifying, acknowledging and developing talented people within your organisation. 💚 Delegating worthwhile work, gifting information and granting permission to make mistakes.   In a post a couple of weeks ago, I spoke about moving from a team of two to a team of four. Priya V. and Gabi Smith have added so much richness and creativity to the team dynamic and I hope I'm modelling generous leadership. It’s easy to feel protective of relationships, contacts and opportunities that you’ve worked hard to build, I know I have been guilty of that in the past.   But I’m trying to move to a more compassionate and generous place.   One thing I always notice and admire about the #charity and #notforprofit space is its willingness to share knowledge and experiences. The charity sector collaborates much better than the commercial world, where competition is often king.   I believe the recruitment sector would improve dramatically if we were more generous. We would be better recruiters for it, especially when it comes to important topics like ED&I and increasing and expanding opportunities for all. By sharing best practice and learning from one another.   Here’s a windswept me walking down the embankment, looking forward to today’s team get together. In my experience, #connection helps build our propensity and capacity to be generous. They’re intrinsically linked. By investing in quality, intentional time as a team, we build the relationships that can lead to more trust and generosity.   💚 Even with grey skies, London is a cracking city 💚 #CharityPeople #CharityJobs #FundraisingJobs #CollaborationNotCompetition