One of the most common recommendations for organizations during this challenging time is to try to innovate and collaborate. These calls for outside the box thinking are important, but how do you start that process? Kate offered some suggestions on how nonprofits could initiate these partnerships. I hope that this blog is another way for the nonprofit community to collaborate. Social media tools — such as blogs, delicious, and twitter — are a great way to easily gather and share ideas and resources. They are also a way to strengthen our community and support one another during this challenging time.
Many organizations, such as Nonprofits Assistance Fund, are working to gather and disseminate resources. Our goal is to collect as many of them as possible and post them here. These posts will be filed under Resource Collections.
Focus on the Economic Crisis
The Foundation Center has created a library of information on the economy. Their Focus on the Economic Crisis features news items, commentary, research advisories, and blog posts from PhilanTopic. It is an excellent collection of materials, with a focus on research and analysis from thought leaders in the field of philanthropy.
Nonprofit Economy Vitality Center
The National Council of Nonprofits (NCNA) has created the Nonprofit Economy Vitality Center. It is designed as an “ever-evolving resource” with materials on the impact of the economy on nonprofits, statistical data on the nonprofit sector, and coping strategies to help nonprofits continue to deliver services.
The Economy and Philanthropy
The Minnesota Council on Foundations has posted a collection of resources on The Economy and Philanthropy. Although it is geared for grantmakers, many of these resources are useful for nonprofits to gauge the impact of the economy on foundation, corporate, and individual giving. They also have sections in the side bar of relevant news items and resources for nonprofits. I also suggest you visit their excellent blog.
Our Call to Action: Building a Collection
I believe that at this time, we have a call to action. At Nonprofits Assistance Fund, it is our mission to help build financially healthy nonprofit organizations. Right now, there are many factors undermining our sector’s financial health and viability. Let’s take advantage of what we do have — tools that facilitate sharing information, as well as savvy and strategic thinkers working to sustain our sector. I encourage you to connect with me and contribute to this collection. But I also ask that you work with anyone else who is gathering this kind of information. For example, you can contact the NCNA and help them keep their collection up to date. If we are all working in concert to harvest resources, we all have the best chance to make it through the winter.
