A Conversation with… Dr. Michael Eric Dyson
August 5, 2009
As part of the new lecture series, Conversations with …, the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of Third Sector New England hosted a presentation by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson for the region’s nonprofit community. The professor, CNN commentator, author and pundit spoke of the central role diversity and inclusion play in building cohesive and effective organizations - and strong communities.
He shared his insights on issues such as the politics of inclusion; the privilege of invisibility; institutional perpetuation of racism; challenging other “isms”; stereotypes and forms of bigotry; and rethinking the paradigm of race, bias, and class prejudice vs. concentrated poverty.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Nonprofit Collaboration: We’ve Got Options
May 13, 2009
A recent Boston Globe article suggested that the nonprofit merger rate has increased due to the economic downturn. In a letter to the editor, TSNE’s Hez Norton, who oversees our new Organizational Transitions program, suggests that there are many other — and often more effective – ways for nonprofits to share resources to better serve constituents.
In “More nonprofits engage in mergers for survival” (April 15, 2009), The Boston Globe examines one way that nonprofit organizations are collaborating - through mergers. While this may be a viable alternative for organizations with compatible missions, it is important to understand that merger is just one of many ways nonprofits are collaborating across the sector.
Third Sector New England was privileged to play a role in the two merger situations profiled in the article. Through our Executive Transitions Program, we placed the interim executive director at Dorchester CARES, who supported that merger process. We also placed the interim executive director and helped lead the transition process with Concilio Hispano that led to merger.
It is critical that nonprofit organizations explore an array of options as they look to meet their mission and best service constituents, especially during these difficult economic times. These options include joint ventures, shared services, merger, shared administration, shared programs and fiscal sponsorship.
The bottom line: Nonprofits need always to be creative in serving their constituents effectively – while keeping mission front and center. Looking at new models of collaboration and partnership has always been important. Now it is more important than ever.
Hez Norton, manager
Executive and Organizational Transitions
Nonprofits and the Stimulus Package
April 9, 2009
Unless you’ve been circling the earth on the International Space Station for the past six months, you know that President Barack Obama signed the 407-page American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, better known as the Stimulus Plan, into law on February 17.
We all know about the huge cost of the act – $787 billion dollars in spending (16) and tax and related provisions (7), the political wrangling before and after its passage and signing, and the large number of funding opportunities (34).
Nonprofits Need to Act Now
All stimulus funding is scheduled to expire in fiscal year 2011 – as stimulus funds are, as the name suggests, intended to be temporary, one-time injections of cash aimed at reviving the economy as quickly and efficiently as possible. The funds have been allocated to help people through the current economic meltdown and are not intended to morph into ongoing governmental assistance programs.
Capacity Building Fund Grantees Announced
January 5, 2009
The TSNE Capacity Building Fund has awarded Planning Grants to 16 networks for the 2008-2009 grant cycle. Projects will help the participating organizations and the network as a whole more effectively achieve a shared goal: collaborating to face a community challenge — while together learning new program management and administrative strategies.
Congratulations to the new grantees!
Bottom Line: Four Workshops That Will Help Your Nonprofit Survive the Economic Crisis
January 5, 2009
To help nonprofit managers navigate the choppy waters ahead, TSNE is offering a series of free workshops focused on quick – but essential – information that can help your organization sustain itself through the crisis.
We are putting the finishing touches on the series and will send an email notification as soon as registration opens. To receive details and registration information, sign up for the TSNe-Training Announcements list.
How would you define capacity building?
September 10, 2008
This video was originally shared on blip.tv by tsne with a No license (All rights reserved) license.
What is ongoing learning for an organization?
July 30, 2008
Why should a nonprofit care about “theory of change”?
July 30, 2008
What is a “theory of change”?
July 30, 2008
Transcript: Read the rest of this entry »
Beginning this fall, we will offer nine (9) workshops designed to help you make a clearer connection between daily management functions and organizational mission — and develop systems that support this alignment.
The workshops will be held monthly from September to November 2008 and January to June 2009 at TSNE’s NonProfit Center. Workshop topics include fund development, financial literacy, marketing and communications, and governance.
You can enroll in one workshop or in multiple workshops. Each will provide you with field-tested tools and concepts to take back to the office to use and share.
The cost for each three-and-one-half-hour session is only $79 (the full-day Effective Supervision workshop is $99), and a discount of $40 will be offered for organizations that enroll in five or more different workshops at the time of registration. TSNE is also offering a discount of $10 off the workshop price for each additional person attending the same workshop from the same organization.
Register now! Space is limited, so register early to ensure availability.
TSNE Capacity Building Fund Grants
July 9, 2008
The Capacity Building Fund (CBF), a program of Third Sector New England, is announcing another round of grants for 2008. It is a two-part process, beginning with Letters of Intent to Plan that are due on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, by noon. We are holding information sessions later this month to provide an overview of the grants and the application process.
Full details on the guidelines and application process can be found on our website. Please review all information about the Capacity Building Fund, particularly the Letter of Intent to Plan guidelines. We encourage you to read the application in its entirety.
| Information Sessions in July |
The CBF will be hosting information sessions, and while not mandatory, interested parties should plan to attend one of the following meetings:
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