Tara Kirkland, Greenlights: Thanks for talking with me, April!  Can you tell our readers a little about TreeFolks, your mission and what services you provide here in Central Texas?

April Thomas Rose, TreeFolks: TreeFolks grows the urban forest of Central Texas. Through community partnerships, we plant more than 12,000 trees annually to increase the tree canopy. We also provide education to teach the value of the urban forest ecosystem and how to steward this precious resource.

Annually, we distribute 3,600 street trees to 2,000 Austin homeowners through the NeighborWoods program. This is enough trees to line ten miles of street with shade trees that provide not only aesthetic and property value benefits, but tangible benefits for air quality and storm-water management.

Tara: I know TreeFolks has been very active in the wake of the catastrophic fires that hit Central Texas this past fall. Can you tell me more about that?

April: TreeFolks has provided 1,600 free trees to about 530 households in Bastrop County since November 2011. We have two distribution events planned for Oak Hill and Spicewood in March to distribute another 400 trees. We plan to continue this effort in the coming years, since rebuilding a forest requires a sustained planting effort for several years.

Tara: April, in what ways would you say that TreeFolks has benefited from its Greenlights membership?

April: Well, first of all, we have attended many Greenlights events and trainings, such as the Grantsmanship workshop series, and the Bookkeeping series, which both myself and another staffer attended, at the discounted member rate.  Several of our board members have also attended the Board Essentials workshop.

TreeFolks also participated in the Board Summit last year, and recruited a great board member there!  We hope to be able to attend again in 2012 to recruit more new board members.

I am new to nonprofit work, and have had so many things to learn about effectively managing this organization (fundraising, board and staff relationships/development). Greenlights training and information was timely and effective, helping me and our board improve our organization through our executive director transition.

TreeFolks has a successful 23 year legacy of serving the Austin-area but we have much more to do. Development pressure, record heat, drought, insects and disease all threaten our tree canopy. The urban forest needs effective advocacy to remain resilient in the face of so many challenges. Greenlights has given me and our entire organization a better understanding of how to successfully execute our mission and succeed.

Tara: Sounds like you’ve gotten a lot out of your membership!  Would you recommend Greenlights membership to other nonprofits?

April: Yes!  Greenlights builds your professional network. It teaches and exemplifies the best practices of nonprofit management.

Tara: Lastly, do  you have any advice for other nonprofits who might be facing challenges similar to TreeFolks?

April: Identify and promote the strengths and accomplishments of your organization. Look for relationships with government, nonprofits, or businesses where you can work together for mutually beneficial results.

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To learn more about TreeFolks and upcoming volunteer opportunities, visit www.treefolks.org.

Learn more about Greenlights member benefits and join our community today! Join or renew your membership during this month’s membership drive (by February 29) to be entered for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!

DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards

If you answered yes to any or all of the above, then enter your nonprofit in the 6^th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, generously supported by Cisco, The Case Foundation, and the Nonprofit Technology Network. Video entries are eligible to win up to $14,000 in cash prizes and $6,000 in products divided among the winning nonprofits. Winning videos will be featured on YouTube and the winners will receive free registration to the 2013 Nonprofit Technology Conference. Along with those great prizes, The Case Foundation will also award one $2,500 grant for the most “Fearless” video in each of the four categories: Best Small Organization Video, Best Medium Organization Video, Best Large Organization Video, and Best Storytelling Video.

The DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards were started to promote nonprofits successfully and creatively using video as a catalyst for social change. Over the past six years, Video Award winners have received thousands of dollars in grants and prizes. Just last year, more than 1400 entries were submitted by 821 organizations across the world and prizes were awarded to Post Carbon Institute, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin, American Jewish World Service, and Watershed Management Group.

To enter the 6^th Annual DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, you will need a YouTube account and to submit your inspirational, mission-driven, “Fearless” video by February 29, 2012 here. Judges will select and notify the four finalists of each category by March 12, public voting begins through YouTube on March 14, and winners will be announced on April 5.

Don’t forget to submit your film now. February 29 is quickly approaching!

I live in a two name household. I got married after I had already started down a career track and I decided to keep my maiden name for business purposes. My husband was not bothered by this (although interestingly, it bothers my two daughters for some reason) so I’ve never changed it. You would think in this day and age of divorces, remarriages, single parenting, domestic partner parenting and the like, this would not seem to stump ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ENTITY that sends us hard mail, e-mail, and solicits us by phone. But it does. The question I have is WHY???

The answer would appear simple — they don’t take the time to really know who I or my husband is, or how we are associated. This is mildly irritating to me. We’ve been married with two different names for 20 years. You’d think Vendor A would know this by now. It’s also expensive for them. The amount of hard mail recycled (and before recycled, put into a landfill somewhere), emails deleted, and phone messages not listened to is staggering. But the “soft” cost of irritating me is even more expensive. I haven’t bought anything at Vendor A for 5 years. And I won’t, because I think their marketing department is full of idiots who can’t quite grasp the BASICS of householding.

I share this anecdote because it is but one microcosm of the effect that poorly integrated marketing has. Multiply by millions of organizations and billions of people and think about the indirect and direct profit loss. How much higher could the US GDP be if all these organizations captured 1% more revenue? How much more investment in innovation and expansion could be made with a mere single percentage point of gross margin? The impact could be staggering.

There are organizations that do it well, and I reward them richly as my Visa bill would attest. For example, when I log into Vendor B (where we have a shared account), they ask me if I am Michael or Sara. They know what I purchased last, they suggest new items based on what I bought, and when I check out, they thank me. They do the same for my husband. They get a little confused by my teenagers because they buy under both of our credit cards, but all in all, a fantastic integrated experience. Bravo. Vendor B is one of the most profitable retailers in the world, and it isn’t JUST because they are 100% online.

My point is this:  A commitment to building an integrated marketing experience and really understanding your buyers or donors is the best investment you can make in long-term marketing return and customer loyalty. Make 2012 the year you commit to it.

A published author, with dreams of living in Italy when she retires, Sara Spivey serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for Convio. With 25 (±) years of marketing experience Sara knows that listening to the market and what makes clients and buyers happy is the key to success. As a professional marketer, she enjoys developing programs that reveal something to people that they hadn’t really thought about doing, or only dreamed of doing, and then provide them software and services to do it. She believes humor and intellect are important in being successful and with two soon to be teenage daughters, she’s going to need both just to stay ahead.

Tara Levy: Hi Irit! Please tell us a little about your organization and its mission.

Irit Umani, Executive Director:  The Trinity Center was created by a parishioner of the St. David’s Episcopal Church, which is located across the street for the main hub of service providers to the homeless population here in Austin. It was created from the community’s commitment to serve the less fortunate and to “love thy neighbor.” The mission of Trinity Center is to serve the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the homeless and poor in Austin.

Trinity Center offers a sense of belonging to a community; it accepts folks where they are and is open to all no matter their ability and/or readiness to make progress. Trinity Center is based on a spiritual practice of loving all and on a commitment to compassion in action.

Tara: Thanks. Can you talk a little bit more the services you provide that put this compassion into action?

Irit: We offer a short devotional service and breakfast each morning, case management to those who choose it, and some financial assistance aimed at re-establishing lost documents, co-pay for medication, and bus passes

Two days a week we serve women only, because women are the most vulnerable and least served among the homeless population. We offer homeless and poor women a weekly support group, access to showers and to lightly-used clothes.

Trinity Center also provides access to computers, a free-of-charge phone line, a mailing address to those with no address, and computer classes. Twice a week we host Art From the Street—a unique organization that offers a free-of-charge art studio to homeless people.

You know, I came here following nearly twenty years of work in the women movement to end Domestic Violence, and I have deep respect for the huge accomplishments of this movement which is saving millions of lives. And yet, like many other social movements, it started by many small groups of women, often meeting in their own homes, who got together as sisters to change women’s status in society. With the passing of years it moved from sisters helping sisters to professionals helping clients.

It becomes about how many people you can prove that you moved from point A to point B. Trinity Center helps people move from point A to point B by acceptance, by love, AND with professional services. It became for me the dreamed about opportunity to merge my professional life with my spiritual journey and to live with no separation between these two important components of who I am.

Tara: In what ways would you say that Trinity Center benefited from its Greenlights membership?

Irit: First of all, I benefited from the work with Greenlights personally, as Greenlights was hired by the Trinity Center’s Board of Directors to conduct the search for a new Executive Director in 2009, which resulted with me being offered and accepting the position. This is one of the best jobs I have ever had, and so though this is a very personal answer, I am in personal gratitude to Greenlights.

While the board was searching for a new Executive Director, Greenlights placed Jack Nokes as an Interim Executive Director and the work, the order, and the analysis of the organization that he accomplished in six months has been nothing short of a new Director’s dream. Going forward, my hope and plan is to work with Greenlights on the organization’s strategic planning.

Tara: What advice do you have for other nonprofits who might be facing challenges similar to Trinity Center?

Irit: To stay true to their mission and values, to seek professional assistance, such as Greenlights offers, when needed, to cultivate heart & truth-based relationships among themselves, and to place the people served at the top of their priorities.

Tara: Would you recommend Greenlights membership to other nonprofits? Why?

Irit: With no hesitation. Because Greenlights takes the time to study the organization and to professionally analyze their level of existence and their needs and then offers the tools that enable an organization to move forward and grow.

Learn more about the great work of the Trinity Center or get involved at www.trinitycenteraustin.org.

Learn more about Greenlights member benefits and join our community today!
Join or renew your membership during this month’s membership drive to be entered for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!

In these times of funding limitations and budget cutting measures for ALL nonprofits, one of the tempting targets for the “budget cutting ax” is always the staff development line items. After all, they might not be the items that show IMMEDIATE results like buying food for our clients or paying the utility bills. However, if we as Executive Directors or CFOs analyze our budgets, what is usually the biggest chunk of the expense? The staffing, of course.

While we all search diligently for those staff that come to us with really top level skills (and there are lots of those folks out there job hunting today!) those skills can fast become outdated. In addition, our need to “do more with less” has a tendency to place more and more responsibility on ourselves and our top level managers, leaving them in positions of constantly putting aside the important work of calm, reflective time needed to truly strategize, problem solve for the long term, and give adequate time to our direct reports to keep them functioning at a high level.

I recently worked with the finance and accounting group of a good sized nonprofit. During a two-day retreat, they wanted to focus on team building. Applause to them for still finding resources to actually do the retreat when the dreaded dailies were still waiting for them on their return to the office! In working with the CFO in preparation and during the retreat, one of the issues that came out loud and clear was that she, while being a very capable and talented CFO, struggled daily with the issue of managing her very diverse group and all their “quirks” and issues. “Why,” she lamented, “couldn’t they all just do their jobs without the drama and the constant need for her time and attention.” She felt that she could barely keep up with her high level work, much less supervise the staff and help them be more productive.

Sound familiar? Unless you have a Chief of Staff or Chief Operating Officer, a luxury many smaller nonprofits feel they cannot afford or justify, who among us has not felt that the line outside our door often keeps us from focusing on what we really need to be doing—the high level work and thought that we are so capable of and were hired to accomplish?

I would propose that these scenarios are exactly why Executive Coaching is a crucial investment for EVERY Executive Director and probably for every Senior Manager too.

Benefits of Executive Coaching:

• Builds in dedicated time for the busy executive to take a full stop away from the demands and stresses of the everyday office
• Gives the executive personalized “me” time to discuss and focus on very specific management problems that they may not be able to safely discuss with anyone else in the organization
• Provides an experienced, non-judgmental, non-threatening outsider view to help the executive discuss and consider new, customized management tools and possible solutions to everyday complex management issues
• Provides a regular forum (perhaps at monthly or 6 week intervals) to review progress in use of new techniques and to set new priorities for problem solving

Participants in Executive Coaching usually find that the time and money spent in this very personal type of development is much more beneficial and much more likely to have an immediate impact on their own performance and professional growth than equal time and money spent on group seminars, classes, management publications, etc.

Greenlights’ consultants and members of our Interim Executive Director pool are often able to provide coaching and support. If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact Tara Levy.

Last year, Greenlights launched its Business Partner Program in an effort to help lower costs and increase access to the products and services nonprofits need. We’re happy to report that the list of partners and services keeps growing! Before you make your next purchase, be sure to check out the special deals and discounts offered by our partners as they often have just what you need, for less!

No matter what’s on your shopping list, our Business Partners have you covered:

Event Services

Benefit auctioneer (FUNauctions)

Financial Services

Financial planning, audit and tax expertise (Allman & Associates, Maxwell Locke & Ritter, Padgett Stratemann & Co., PMB Helin Donovan LLP, and Raymond James & Associates)

Online credit card and ACH payment processing (AffiniPay)

Fund accounting software (Sage)

Bookkeeping and back-office support (Easy Office)

Banking (University Federal Credit Union)

HR, Insurance & Legal

HR systems, payroll processing and background checks (ADP)

Talent recruitment (campus2careers)

Retirement and cafeteria plans (Benefit Systems, Inc.)

Health benefits plan (TexHealth Central Texas)

Directors and Officers Liability Insurance (Wortham Insurance & Risk Management)

Legal advise (Texas Legal Protection Plan)

Information Technology

Technology consultant (IT Freedom, KELL Partners, and Nonprofit R+D)

Database and web application expertise (Prelude Interactive)

Marketing & Communications

Email marketing software (Emma)

Marketing/PR services (Morris Ink Advertising Agency)

Video production (One Story Productions)

Professional Development

Professional Seminars (UT Austin’s Program in the Human Dimensions of Organizations)

Special discounts and deals offered by our Business Partners are just some of the great benefits organizations and individuals gain access to when they become a Greenlights member. Check out all the benefits of membership and join or renew membership in the month of February and we’ll enter you for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!

Could your organization benefit from other special deals? Tell us what you’re shopping for in the comments below!

]]> http://www.greenlights.org/blog/2012/02/14/shop-smart-with-greenlights-business-partners/feed/ 0 http://www.greenlights.org/blog/2012/02/13/develop-a-social-culture/ http://www.greenlights.org/blog/2012/02/13/develop-a-social-culture/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:30:29 +0000 Haila Yates http://www.greenlights.org/blog/?p=3463 Okay, that sounds a bit melodramatic… but I believe it.

Whether or not you choose to embrace it, we are surrounded by a highly-connected, always-evolving social ecosystem that has found its voice online. Our up-and-coming leaders are willing to turn down a car or higher salary for flexibility and connectedness. And, let’s face it, many of us are unprepared for an era where the most important skill is the ability to acquire new skills.

How “Social” Is Your Culture?

The organizations who do not work hard to develop and embrace a social culture will struggle to survive in the coming years and many will fail. So, how social is your culture?

Developing a social organization, or a networked nonprofit, requires a certain type of organizational culture, let’s call it a social culture, that supports the organization in developing and cultivating valuable, long-term relationships, online and off.

You have a Facebook account, right? And maybe you’re using Twitter, or maybe you’ve gotten creative and are using social media in innovative ways. But don’t let the shiny tech toys distract you. The organizations that attempt to be social, but do not evolve their culture, will likely find themselves called out by the social masses. Organizations need to adopt a philosophical commitment to being social, rather than focusing on the tools.

Developing a Values-Driven Social Culture

Where to start? There are certain steps to develop and sustain a winning organizational culture, but how do you ensure that your culture supports your work as a social organization? While there is no single answer that is right for everyone, I’ll share what has worked for us at Greenlights.

At Greenlights, we recently evaluated and modified our core values to ensure that they’re still relevant to our staff and our goals as an organization, many of which are hinged on our ability to develop and sustain valuable relationships between Greenlights and our constituents. Many of our core values, if not all, support our work in developing strong relationships. Particularly, our values of integrity, collaboration, learning and service excellence are integral to our work and our ability to create a social culture at Greenlights.

To incorporate our values at Greenlights, we evaluate each other on them annually and ask value-related questions of all new hires, including our interns. On occasion, we revisit our values and update them to make sure they remain relevant. We post them on our website, in our office and in our individual offices so that our core values are always accessible and top-of-mind.

Developing a “Social Staff”

Another important element to creating a social culture at Greenlights has been to encourage social behaviors among all staff, like monitoring and participating in the conversation online, reading blogs authored by our colleagues in the nonprofit sector, and recommending new ways to enhance our work through social media. We share our listening dashboard with all new hires and encourage everyone to help us engage in social media, with training from me, the Communications Manager.

Leadership and culture go hand-in-hand. To ensure our values and social behaviors are demonstrated by leadership, President and Executive Director Matt Kouri is evaluated by all staff on his demonstration of our values, and he’s active in social media!

You can find Matt on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. He writes for Greenlights’ blog and does great when needed to, ohhhh I dunno, play a Micheal Scott-like character for the video we premiered at our 10^th Anniversary, The Greenlights Office.

And we have room for improvement. We’re currently updating our social media policy and will be sharing it with all Greenlights’ staff, interns and anyone how communicates online on Greenlights’ behalf. I also hope to improve our work in tracking social media data, especially engagement, in our CRM so that we have a better picture of a stakeholder’s full engagement with Greenlights, online and off.

It takes a lot of work, but it seems clear that such efforts are going to be increasingly necessary if Greenlights – and other nonprofits – are to be vital and relevant in years to come.

Do you see the need for such a social culture at your organization?  What tips or ideas do you have about creating social culture in the workplace?

The most often questions asked by a new Executive Director—or probably any new hire—probably begin “Do you know where I can find….” A new ED will be going to staff or the board chair and members for a lot of information. You can save your new leader a lot of frustration and time if the staff or board use the interim period, and helpfully and hopefully, an Interim Executive Director, to gather in one place the following documents (one or two indexed three-ring binders will work, so that he will have his own copies readily accessible):

Governance:

•  Organization charter and/or Bylaws
• Any previous long-range or strategic plans
• Two years of Board meeting minutes
• List of the coming year’s board meetings and typical expectations (dates/timelines for performance reviews, budget, staff retreat, board retreat, major events, etc)

Operations/Finances:

• Five years of annual budget summaries
• Two years of financial reports with details, monthly budget, revenues, and expenses
• Purchase order information
• List of grants: what’s committed, what is outstanding
• Credit card information
• Bank access information

Personnel:

• Organization chart—staff and Board
• Bios of staff and board
• Contact information for staff, board, and chief stakeholders (foundation, granting agencies, etc.)
• Current, written job descriptions of staff
• Personnel Manual
• Interim Executive Director log:  Lessons learned*
• Performance goals for the first 3 months*

Communications:

• Two years of newsletters (or website referencing to same)
• An envelope of copies of all current and recent promotional materials
• Instruction on contact/communication systems (internet access, phone, business card, etc.)
• Social media policy

*Two items in the Personnel section may need some explanation:

1. Interim ED Log: A good IED will have kept a list of things begun and accomplished during the transition period from the time he started until the new director begins. Some elements or dynamics of the list may need to be reported confidentially (ex: “bookkeeper very protective of his systems”). However, a listing of what was tried and what didn’t work (ex: “staff felt imposed upon with a new training schedule coupled with changed expectations for staff meetings”) can save the new ED some headache.
2. Performance goals: A good transition management approach through Greenlights and/or a board Transition Committee will have identified some goals and objectives for the first year of ED service/employ to the organization, some hopes and dreams, in addition to the job description. Metrics often accompany such documents (number of new clients anticipated, number of contacts to funding sources, etc.) A shorter version, sometimes referred to as a “30-60-90,” gives objectives for the first 30, 60, and 90 days, and even sets up a review schedule with the Board chair or transition committee. ANYTHING indicating performance expectations will be seen as support. Every new ED will want to know:  what level of performance will you expect in three months, six months or a year? How much time will I have to ramp up?

Do a good job at launch with your ED by providing this kind of documentation, and you’ll hear what I heard in my last role as Interim ED (from the new ED): “This is so incredible, to have all this information.  You cannot believe how helpful this has been and will be.”

View all the blog posts from our Interim ED series. If you have any questions or would like more information about Greenlights’ Interim Executive Director Program or succession planning, please contact Tara Levy.

As Greenlights’ continues our membership drive, I am excited to present the second installment of our series featuring some of the incredible member organizations we get to work with.  This week’s feature nonprofit, Austin Child Guidance Center, is a Greenlights member and holds a unique position in that they have been a member since Greenlights opened our doors in 2001!

Russell Smith, Austin Child Guidance Center’s Executive Director, joined the organization a little over a year ago when he replaced  Dr. Don Zappone, who had lead the Center for almost thirty years. I asked Russell to tell me a little about ACGC and how membership with Greenlights has impacted the organization.

Would you tell me about the mission of Austin Child Guidance Center and the services you offer?

Established in 1951, ACGC is the oldest children’s mental health agency in central Texas. The mission is to improve the mental health of children and their families through early intervention, diagnosis, and treatment to help them develop the emotional skills for meeting life’s challenges. To achieve this mission, Austin Child Guidance Center employs a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors who provide individual, family, and group therapy; psychiatric evaluations and psychological assessments; parent education; and training of current and future mental health professionals. ACGC has provided mental health services to more than 130,000 children and trained more than 650 professionals pursuing master and doctorate degrees in the mental health field.

In what ways has Austin Child Guidance Center benefited from its Greenlights membership?

ACGC had a transition in leadership in 2010, with the long-time Executive Director retiring. Greenlights came in and did an extensive organizational assessment, helping the board and staff identify critical areas that the agency needed to focus on during and after the transition: governance; fundraising; organizational culture; technology; human resources and organizational structure; financial management; and community partnerships. The Greenlights report was used throughout the transition to help focus ACGC on our critical strategic priorities. We continue to utilize the report to assess where we are and what we need to focus on in the future.

ACGC also attended the Greenlights Board Summit in 2011. We connected with many people interested in our mission, and we have added a new board member who we met that evening.

Austin Child Guidance Center has been a long-time member of Greenlights, and we have benefited from their trainings, job postings, executive director search service, resources, and expertise. In my previous position as Executive Director of YouthLaunch, Greenlights consultants led our strategic planning process. Greenlights lent us their conference room for our board meetings, and we benefited from their Financial Toolkit, their trainings, and their guidance.

Do you have advice for other nonprofits as they think about transition planning?

I would recommend that all non-profits develop a leadership transition plan to ensure that the organization does not falter if key leaders leave. I believe that the transition process helped ACGC recognize the things that can be accomplished internally, and the areas in which outside expertise is needed. With some outside help and guidance, we emerged from the transition a stronger agency.

Would you recommend Greenlights membership to other nonprofits?

I do recommend Greenlights membership to other non-profits. Greenlights is a critical resource to non-profits, providing training, consulting, resources, and connections. They are a unique organization providing needed services to the non-profit community.

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Learn more about the great work of the Austin Child Guidance Center or get involved at http://www.austinchildguidance.org/.

Learn more about Greenlights member benefits and join our community today!
Join or renew your membership during this month’s membership drive to be entered for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!

Meg Goodwin Erskine, MRC’s co-founder and executive director, talked with me about her dynamic group and how Greenlights has helped them quickly become an exceptional nonprofit making our community stronger:

Ann: Tell us a little about your organization, its mission and services.

Meg: Since 2009, our mission has been to empower refugees toward self-sufficiency through community, education and reconciliation.  Our current programs include computer literacy, job skills, sewing, soccer, gardening, and children’s and youth programs.  Basically, we are a long-term support network for refugees settled in Austin.

Ann: What does it mean to be a refugee “settled in Austin?”  Is there something special about that phrase?

Meg: For sure. A refugee is someone fleeing persecution that has been legally “settled” in a new country via the UN. Refugees don’t get to choose where their new home will be – they are placed in communities across the US (and the world) that are able to take them in. Austin accepts about 1,000 refugees a year, but the government only provides support services for them for the first six months. As you can imagine, restarting an individual or family’s life in a completely new culture can be pretty daunting and complex, so a wide range of services and programs are needed to help them achieve self-sufficiency.

Ann: In what ways has MRC benefited from its Greenlights membership?

Meg: In many, many ways. We’ve really seen how important it is to take time to attend the workshops, not only because they are always really helpful classes, but also because of the networking you get with others.  I found this to be especially true in the ED Essentials course. In fact, our current board secretary and I met at a Greenlights workshop on logic models! It’s great that our whole organization gets our member benefits, including board members, who we require to attend Board Essentials as part of their orientation. We’ve loved being featured at Board Summit, finding great forms and templates in the Resource Library, and just knowing that we can always call you with questions and you’ll help.

Ann: MRC uses the Mitte Carriage House pretty regularly, too, right?

Meg: Yes, that’s our favorite benefit! We hold our monthly board meetings at the Mitte Carriage House since we don’t have a community center yet. Having such a professional, central and free space that is outside of our regular spaces is wonderful.

Ann: What advice do you have for other small nonprofits who might be facing challenges similar to MRCs?

Meg: Get connected with the larger community and explore strategic alliances with other groups that can help you fulfill your mission.  Our biggest challenge is definitely fundraising, but we’ve found that there are many groups that offer great services that we want to provide to refugees (like computer literacy). For example, we are partnering with Austin Free-Net to provide computer literacy classes since they are experts in that.  MRC brings our expertise of working with refugees, who represent the kind of new, different group of students that Austin Free-Net was looking for. My advice would be to just put the Greenlights membership in your budget and then just take advantage of it, especially by attending events where you can learn and network.

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Learn more about the great work of the Multicultural Refugee Coalition or get involved at www.mrcaustin.org.

Learn more about Greenlights member benefits and join our community today!
Join or renew your membership during this month’s membership drive to be entered for a chance to win a free ticket to the Texas Nonprofit Summit (scheduled for September 20-21, 2012)!