Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Announcing the Resilient Leaders — Resilient Organizations Convenings

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, in partnership with MAP for Nonprofits, Fieldstone Alliance, and Nonprofits Assistance Fund, invites you to an exciting day of learning to build your organization’s resilience. Resilient Leaders — Resilient Organizations will be a convening of nonprofit leaders who seek ways of increasing their organization’s health and resiliency during an extended economic downturn. Register now.

About the Convening

The day will begin with an interactive presentation / dialogue on resilient leadership that will set the stage for participants to formulate decisions about moving themselves and their organizations and partnerships toward greater resiliency.

Participants will attend breakouts led by subject-area experts on three of the following five topics:

  • Board Governance: Understand the unrealized potential of your board and how to move the dynamics of the board forward. What does it take to build a high performance board?
  • Financial Sustainability: Each organization’s financial underpinnings determine the priorities for the next steps toward sustainability. How recession proof is your organization?
  • Realignment/Collaboration: Most organizations are involved in one to several collaborations. What’s your return on investment in collaborating?
  • Innovation: Innovation is at the heart of community improvement. How can unleashing innovation in your field can help you achieve your mission?
  • Technology / Social Media: New social media can carry organizational messages far beyond that achieved with other media. How do you use social media to your benefit?

The day will include lively activity and networking and will conclude with a preview of capacity building resources available.

The goal is for you to leave ready to take action based on an increased understanding of how you can use capacity building resources to improve the health and resilience of your organization and partnerships.

Who Can Attend?

There will be a total of four convenings, two in the Twin Cities area open to current and prior Blue Cross Foundation grantees only and two in greater Minnesota open to all nonprofits—grantees and non-grantees alike.

Each organization is encouraged to have staff and board leadership represented (up to 3 people total). For partnerships that receive funding from the Blue Cross Foundation, 3 to 5 leaders who are representative of organizations in the partnership should attend.

Dates and Locations

  • Wednesday, August 19 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Neighborhood House, St. Paul
  • Saturday, August 22 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Neighborhood House, St. Paul
  • Monday, September 21 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Redwood Area Community Center, Redwood Falls
  • Tuesday, September 22 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Initiative Foundation, Little Falls

Registration Information

There is no charge for attendance. For grantees of the Blue Cross Foundation, attendance is required for those who wish to apply for capacity building grants this fall.

Deadlines:

  • August 12 for metro-area
  • September 11 for Greater Minnesota (Redwood Falls and Little Falls)

We hope you will join us in this important step toward creating healthier communities for tomorrow – register now!

To register or find out more information, please contact BCBSFoundationConvenings@mapfornonprofits.org.

Announcing the Resilient Organizations Fund

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Fieldstone Alliance, Nonprofits Assistance Fund, and MAP for Nonprofits are pleased to announce a collaborative partnership funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. The Resilient Organizations Fund is designed to support organizational capacity building activities for the Foundation’s current grantee organizations and community partnerships.

The Foundation conceived of the Resilient Organizations Fund to strengthen their grantee organizations as they respond to the economic downturn. The Foundation invited three nationally recognized capacity building organizations based in the Twin Cities – Fieldstone Alliance, Nonprofits Assistance Fund, and MAP for Nonprofits – to design and implement the initiative. The partners will collaborate to design and deliver a customized capacity building program, which includes trainings and webinars, an online resource catalog, organizational assessments, and other capacity building activities. Each element is designed to function both as a stand-alone tool, as well as fully integrate with the rest of the program. To increase statewide impact, the Fund is working in partnership with the Minnesota Initiative Foundations for all activities in Greater Minnesota.

The program is designed to lay the foundation for and complement a supplemental funding opportunity. The Foundation has made available $400,000 for capacity building grants. Current grantees who participate in this program are eligible to apply for up to $20,000 in capacity building funds. Each aspect of the Resilient Organizations Fund and its accompanying grants are intended to help organizations become more sustainable, innovative, and better positioned to survive a potentially extended economic downturn.

Joan Cleary, Vice President of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, described the goals of the Resilient Organizations Fund: “Right now organizations are experiencing stress as they try to respond to growing community needs with shrinking organizational resources. Through the Resilient Organizations Fund, we are providing resources that will strengthen the capacity of nonprofits to think and act differently to address these challenges, so they can emerge as stronger, more strategically aligned organizations. Such organizations are best positioned for long-term sustainability, which will in turn create a healthier community for Minnesotans today and tomorrow.”

Carol Lukas, president of Fieldstone Alliance, commented on the initiative: “Nonprofits are being asked to do more at a time when their own revenue streams are diminishing or being deferred. Creative solutions are necessary for organizations to respond to these challenges. Using the collective resources and experience of the partner organizations, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation aims to leverage strategic innovation that enhances organizational effectiveness, sustainability, and community impact.”

Download the press release.

Learn More

Learn more about different components of the Resilient Organizations Fund