START UP
Forming the Flint Funders Collaborative (FFC):
The Flint Funders Collaborative traces its origin to several informal conversations
in
early 2000 between the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Ruth Mott Foundation,
and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. Initially, discussions focused
on the need to improve the quality of proposals they were receiving from local
nonprofit
agencies. They were also concerned about the need for consistent access to
high-quality technical assistance to improve organizational effectiveness and
delivery
of services to the community.
In late 2001, the group began exploring the idea of creating a funding collaborative
focused on increasing the sustainability and effectiveness of local nonprofits.
This
work was facilitated by Anne Glendon, Principal of Glendon Associates, who brought
considerable background in nonprofit co-location, mergers, consulting and other
forms of technical assistance to the group. The United Way of Genesee County
was
invited to join the discussions, and subsequently became one of four funders
now
known as the Flint Funders Collaborative (FFC).
The FFC recognizes capacity building as much more than offering technical
assistance
to organizations that are struggling with particular areas of management. It
also requires rethinking systems and programs in a new, more comprehensive
fashion. Believing that they could be more effective by working together than
separately,
the FFC agreed to pool their resources to improve capacity building and longterm
sustainability in the greater Flint nonprofit sector. To guide their efforts,
they
agreed on four value statements that captured the conceptual basis for their
work:
- Healthy nonprofits are critical components of our democratic society; internally
stable, effective nonprofit organizations are essential to achieving a high
quality
of life in Flint and Genesee County;
- Building the long-term capacity of key organizations in the local nonprofit
sector
is a worthy philanthropic investment that will have a positive, long-term
impact
on the community;
- Building capacity in people and organizations is most effective when it
begins
by identifying existing strengths, creating a realistic plan for a preferred
future,
and then taking the first steps on that journey.
- Long-term sustainability requires a collaborative relationship between
consultants,
funders, and agencies, because together they can accomplish what each
group cannot do alone.
Designing a Place-Based Project:
In mid-2002, the FFC funded research to support the design phase and implementation
of a three-year place-based pilot project to build nonprofit capacity in Flint
and Genesee County. The FFC credits this research, and the careful planning
that
took place prior to designing and launching the BEST Pilot Project, as an essential
first step.
Research findings helped to sharpen their focus on outcomes that would:
- Identify and increase organizational strengths, rather than simply decrease
deficits;
- Improve the quality of proposals that funders receive, so that opportunities
for
future grantmaking and local service delivery would be more targeted, promising
and less duplicative;
- Demonstrate respect for the contributions that nonprofits make to the community,
by investing in their capacity to effectively deliver service with long-term
sustainability;
- Create a cadre of highly-qualified consultants and other technical assistance
providers, supporting the notion that capacity building is ongoing and a valid
use of resources; and
- Document findings and share lessons learned with the field.
Key findings also confirmed substantial receptivity to customized consulting,
organizational assessment, and other technical assistance. Focus groups
of local nonprofit leaders expressed a strong interest in gaining new
perspectives and approaches from consultants outside of Genesee County
for organizational assessment, strategic planning, human resource development,
and higher level fundraising needs. Local technical assistance received
high marks in financial management, marketing, public relations and grassroots
organizing. Based on their findings, the FFC developed a two-phased approach
to nonprofit capacity building, using external consultants to help nonprofits
first assess and then improve their organizational capacities. Because
learning and sharing lessons was regarded as an important outcome from
these efforts, the FFC also developed a powerful evaluation component
to learn from the collaborative effort as well as from the processes and
outcomes of the project itself. The BEST Pilot Project was launched in
July 2003 with fifteen nonprofit agencies and concluded in June 2006.
Based on the success of the Pilot Project, the FFC launched a second cohort
of eight nonprofit agencies—the BEST Project—in 2005. The
processes that have become hallmarks of the BEST Project are outlined in the
next section.
Questions for Consideration:
- What are the environmental and economic realities of the place in which
the capacity building initiative will occur?
- Which philanthropic organizations in the community have a substantial impact
on the nonprofit sector?
- What might funders be able to do together that they cannot do alone?
- Do philanthropic goals match community needs?
- Who are the key stakeholders?
- What are the shared assumptions about major community issues? Is there
current research that supports these assumptions?
- How well are individual funders achieving their goals?
- What experience do the local funders have in collaborating?
- What would be the goals of a collaborative effort?
- What resources are available for facilitating the process?
- How would success be measured?
- Is there commitment to the time and money it will take to achieve these
objectives?
- How can the nonprofit leaders in the community become engaged and trust
this work? How much time and money should be allocated to this part
of the effort?
- What other input should be collected? What process should be used?
- How will this work be perceived by the nonprofit organizations?
--Project Guide Table of Contents--
- Introduction
- Start Up
- Process
- Infrastructure
- Evaluation
- Resources
- Bibliography
- Glossary
- Appendix A: Demographics
- Appendix B: BEST Workshops
- Appendix C: Other Events
Download the entire Project Guide (11.9 MB)
//News
BoardSource Self-Assessment RFP Available!
Nonprofit Governance Summit participants can download the RFP here!
New Nonprofit Capacity Building Opportunity
New Genesee County Initiative Focuses on Nonprofit Governance
New Genesee County Initiative Focuses on Nonprofit Board Governance and Leadership
Exciting opportunity for Nonprofits and Boards
//Frequently Asked Questions
What is expected of an organization that receives a grant in the Assessment Phase?
Board and Staff must agree to invest substantial time needed to participate in specific components of the Assessment, including:
What consulting services are requested?
Consultants working during the Assessment Phase are expected to have a broad general knowledge of nonprofit agencies. During the Phase
How much does each funder contribute to the resources needed for the program?
The amount each partner contributes to the pooled fund is determined by the abilities and responsibilities of the participating