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We’re heading into hard times. Going forward, it’s going to be even more important for nonprofit leaders to be clear about the impact that they make. An exciting new effort called GreatNonprofits has demonstrated to several of our Members how they can help get the word out to potential donors and others.
The Roundtable’s September 12 event with GreatNonprofits and GuideStar was a “hit” with local Washington-area nonprofit leaders. GreatNonprofits CEO, Perla Ni, and VP of GuideStar's Public Affairs, Dan Moore, explained how their partnership introduces first-hand "reviews" of a nonprofit in GuideStar's new Exchange report. We also heard testimonials from Interstages, SERVE Inc., and Mary's Center, who have already benefited from being reviewed on GreatNonprofits. Check out their reviews:·
GuideStar and GreatNonprofits are encouraging you to solicit reviews from your stakeholders - your clients, volunteers and donors - so that they can appear on GuideStar when the new GuideStar report debuts in November. All you do is find your URL on GreatNonprofits and send it out to your stakeholders and ask them to post a review of you. These reviews will get syndicated onto GuideStar. This will make the work you do visible to potential donors.
Fannie & Freddie: Making a Difference in the National Capital Region
Written by Chuck Bean, on September 30, 2008
I toured N Street Village in the District recently; I heard from some of the residents, and I saw first-hand the good work in their night shelter and their supportive housing. I recall when Doorways’Family Home was under construction over in Arlington; now, this emergency shelter stands as a model, but more importantly, a safe haven for women and children.
Q: What do these important programs at Doorways and N Street Village have in common? And, what do they have in common with several hundred others in DC, Maryland, and Virginia?
A: These programs would not have been possible without the charitable investments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If Fannie and Freddie local investments are not sustained, these programs – and the people they serve – are at risk.
The charitable investments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have had a profound impact on the people of the Washington region. Last year alone, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collectively invested $47 million in nearly 400 nonprofit organizations in the region, including homeless shelters, food pantries and social service agencies. Their investments have stabilized neighborhoods -- visit THEARC in southeast DC. They are “numbers 1 and 2” in philanthropic investments in our region.
Nonprofits in the Greater Washington Area are a vital component in emergency response and recovery for our region, but we, as a region, are also experiencing many of the same shortfalls. In an ongoing effort, the Roundtable, Deloitte, and other nonprofit and government partners are working to identify and address these gaps in the National Capital Region through the Roadmap to Preparedness Initiative.
In a recently released report, Ready or Not?, the National Capital Region nonprofit community, through focus groups, have identified a number of priority gaps in regional preparedness. Many of these gaps align with those highlighted in the report. From this report, we are developing a Roadmap to Preparedness Strategic Plan, which will address these readiness gaps and provide specific actionable initiatives. The final plan will be released at a National Press Club event on October 23rd.
Two upcoming emergency preparedness events that our nonprofit leaders and others are welcome to attend:
• Oct 23, 9:00am: NCR Nonprofit Emergency Preparedness Strategic Plan release at the National Press Club
• Dec 3-4: NCR Meta-Leadership Summit for Regional Leaders (Govt/Nonprofit/Business) – more info to follow
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about the intersection of nonprofits and emergency preparedness.
Future Executive Directors Represent Hope on the Horizon
Written by Rosetta Thurman, on July 15, 2008
On the heels of volumes of sobering research on the so-called "leadership deficit", it's nice to see some hope on the horizon. Over the past month, I've gotten to know some amazing nonprofit leaders who are ready to take up the torch in our nonprofit community. You've heard it all before: There will be a significant deficit of executive leadership available to the nonprofit sector in the next decade. We will need to fill 640,000 jobs by 2016 and 75 percent of current executive directors will leave their jobs within the next five years. Instead of stepping up to lead, about half of current young nonprofit professionals will leave the sector altogether. This is the conventional wisdom of the nonprofit sector in a leadership crisis. Yet, our experience shows in launching the Future Executive Directors Fellowship, that there is a HUGE interest in the field and countless capable people who are willing to replace exiting executive directors in Washington’s nonprofit community.
Yesterday, we announced the first class of the Nonprofit Roundtable Future Executive Directors Fellowship! The selection committee benefited from an absolutely tremendous response and the selection process was very competitive - 25 promising leaders were chosen from a pool of 113 qualified applicants. The number of high caliber candidates demonstrates that our nonprofit community has a deep well of impassioned professionals ready to lead.
We know that the foreclosure rate in our region is skyrocketing (Washington Post: “DC Region’s Foreclosure Rate Soars”), but we don’t always see the faces of those affected by the crisis or feel the ripple effects that foreclosures have on our families and communities. George Mason University’s new study showed that over 15,000 households in our region experienced foreclosure last year. That’s enough to fill all the seats in the new Nationals’ stadium -- with many people spilling over on to the field. Each face in the crowd shows signs of distress. Some have shown up at the doorstep of United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP) in Prince George’s. Others have sought refuge in the emergency shelter at SERVE, Inc. in Prince William. Nonprofit organizations like SERVE and UCAP work daily on the front lines of the crisis helping homeowners, renters, would-be homebuyers, and others whose financial situations are compromised by changes in the economy or housing market.
Nonprofit organizations that provide crisis assistance are familiar with providing groceries, a rent check, or funds for a utility bill – but these same nonprofits are now seeing a host of new clients with needs on a completely different scale. Nonprofits are using up emergency
Raising Our Image, Part 2: Is there an image problem?
Written by Chuck Bean, on June 10, 2008
Does the nonprofit community have an image problem?
If you want the nonprofit community to be known as being “compassionate and caring” – then our image is fine. However, if you want to be known as effective, results-oriented and making an impact – then we all may have some work to do. As Richard Dawson used to say, Survey says!
o Only 18% of Americans said charitable organizations do a very good job running their programs and services, according to a 2006 survey by NYU’s Paul Light.
o 32% of Americans think that nonprofits in America have “pretty seriously gotten off in the wrong direction,” according to 2006 poll by Harris Interactive.
If this is what the average American thinks, you have to wonder government and business leaders think.
Recently, I joined Independent Sector’s “Communications Initiative” and learned more about that Harris Interactive survey and their focus groups with “influentials”. They analyzed the “nonprofit brand” and looked at the attributes of that brand. What they found was that influentials rank nonprofits high on being compassionate and caring, but perceive that nonprofits need to more strongly exhibit elements of effectiveness and achieving results. In a word, the missing link is “Impact.”
In case you missed it, in an earlier blog, I begged us all not to use the “S-Word” - let’s call ourselves the nonprofit community.
I’ll share some thoughts on communicating impact at our June 12 Annual Meeting for CEOs. If you haven’t RSVPd yet, contact Taneem Husain.
We know that the foreclosure rate in our region is skyrocketing (Washington Post: 
Does the nonprofit community have an image problem?