Monica Chen

We can't say enough how important democracy work is to climate progress. In a piece for Inside Philanthropy this week, foundation leaders Cathy Cha and Ralph Lewin remind us that "the strength of democracy — whether at the local, state or national level — has huge impacts on the ability of all funders and our nonprofit partners to deliver results on any issue and for any community." We see the impact of lack of representation across the South, from city councils and state regulatory agencies that greenlight polluting industry at the expense of residents' health, to a rash of state-level voter suppression and anti-protest laws that make it ever harder for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people to be heard. Supporting fair elections, accessible public processes, and engaged and energized voters needs to be all of our business. https://lnkd.in/g-vPep6r

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Exponent Philanthropy is exploring new ways funders can increase their impact! Read and download "How Grantees Think Funders Can Improve" today. This report surveyed over 400 nonprofits across six foundations over the last two years. It highlights how funders can improve in effect and process. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4aCklUc.

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Nonprofit leaders and board members: This may seem shocking to read, but it shouldn't be a surprise. Based on the number of people you employ, this is how many of your staff are looking to leave that you may need to replace: ► 5 total staff = 4 employees leaving ► 25 total staff = 19 employees leaving  ► 50 total staff = 37 employees leaving ► 100 total staff = 74 employees leaving If your staff mostly consists of individuals with fewer than 10 years of professional experience, these statistics become more dire. What does that mean for you? Gallup estimates that the cost of replacing an employee can be as high as TWO TIMES what you are paying them. Those are dollars that could be invested in: ✅ Marketing to reach more people with your current services. ✅ Expanding your programs and the communities you serve. ✅ Building revenue streams to support your financial sustainability. ✅ Increasing salaries and benefits to attract and retain quality employees. ✅ Replacing equipment and other capital needs. ✅ So many other needs that help you fulfill your mission. The Social Impact Staff Retention Project identifies three strategies that can help you retain your employees. Considering how expensive it is to replace staff, can you afford not to follow these strategies? Thank you to Michelle Flores Vryn, CFRE and Evan Wildstein for creating the data, to Sean Hale for posting this and to Meg Taylor for starting a conversation within your network!

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LEVEL UP YOUR NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT SKILLS! Fall 2024 semester of the Nonprofit Management Certificate course at Sonoma State University is now open for enrollment. Join live on Wednesday evenings, Sept. 11-Nov. 13, 2024. Fast-paced live-streamed course on fundamental concepts, best practices & hands-on skills-building, taught by diverse instructors and enriched by students’ experiences. Topics include: * Nonprofit Program Development * Legal Issues * Finance & Accounting * Fundraising (I teach the session on grantwriting) * Board Governance * Leadership -- & more! When you complete the course, you receive a Certificate of Nonprofit Management. https://lnkd.in/ggdECCGv Students rave about the course: * I was offered a higher starting salary after I told the hiring manager I’d just completed this course. * Thank you for leading an inspirational program for nonprofit leaders. It elevated my understanding of working in a nonprofit organization. * Having different instructors each week is refreshing and potent. * Great class for the fundamentals of nonprofit management.

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"Community economic development approaches have lost their way. Many solutions to social and economic challenges focus on how to expand access to a system from which communities have been intentionally and systematically excluded. These “solutions” may pay lip service to root causes but fail to acknowledge that for certain communities to amass wealth in a capitalist framework requires the harm and exploitation of others along class, race, and gender lines. As practitioners, to remedy this, it is our job to find our way back, or better yet, forge a new, more powerful path that centers “repair.” Unless we recognize that racialized capitalism’s primary concern is maximizing profits at all costs, we aren’t doing much to sustain equity with, by, and for our people and planet. A growing number of practitioners and organizations, backed by a robust field of study and ancestral practice, instead believe that economic systems can produce everything our communities need and desire without destroying the cultural, social, and economic wellbeing of others." #netde #equityactionde #vitalconditions

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🌱 Unlock Your Strategic Potential with Mission Bloom! 💫 Attention MEL Directors, Senior Nonprofit Leaders in Nonprofits, and Foundation Learning Officers! Are you struggling to prioritize much-needed strategic work? Are you ready to transform your strategic ideas into actionable plans? At Mission Bloom, we believe that the best strategy work happens through partnership and collaboration. With over 19 years of experience in nonprofit evaluation and strategy, I am here to be your strategy thought partner, helping you move from initial ideas to successful implementation, continuous learning, and sustainable impact. After working with Annie Franceschi and a cohort of other brilliant service business owners, I'm excited to officially launch my signature service -- "Seed to Sustain" Consulting Partnership. ✨ Why Partner with Mission Bloom? ✨ 🌿 Unique Approach: My blended background in research, evaluation, coaching, and facilitation allows me to help you translate strategic insights into practical, actionable strategies. 🌿 Address Unmet Needs: Finally, tackle the strategic work you've been unable to prioritize. Together, we'll create a plan that's not only relevant but also impactful. 🌿 Engage Stakeholders Effectively: We'll work together to ensure your strategy is relevant and meaningful to stakeholders through evaluation and facilitated feedback. 🌿 Foster a Learning Culture: Cultivate an environment where continuous learning and improvement are at the forefront of your strategy. Let’s turn your data and insights into meaningful change and organizational growth. 📅 Book a Free Consultation Today! 📅 Set up a free consultation at http://www.missionbloom.co and let's start transforming your strategy together. #nonprofit #nonprofitstrategy #nonprofitleadership #strategicvisioning #strategy #systemschange #organizationallearning

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Calling Ontario Non-Profits! Accurate data as to what non-profits are facing is crucial in order to forward a story of 'How to make change!' Takes about 10-15 mins to fill out.

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At a time when we need our nonprofits to deliver critical services more than ever, government is underfunding the work, a new study released by Nonprofit Association of Oregon reveals. Nonprofit workers earn just 77 cents on the dollar compared to public sector workers. And just 55 cents on the dollar compared to for-profit workers. These are the people who are being asked to work the front line of our housing and homelessness crisis -- operate shelters, provide behavioral health counseling and connect people to rent and the other support they need so they don't become homeless. Wages are so stagnant that 8 out of 10 nonprofit workers left for the for-profit sector, according to the study, conducted by ECOnorthwest. I hope this report becomes a seed for the change we have long needed in Oregon. Solutions such as prevailing wages and contracting reform will strengthen our state for the benefit of not just people served by nonprofits, but all of us. https://lnkd.in/ekSJhyZM

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*i got this information below from the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services Facebook and I’m sharing here* A new report from Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC) indicates that alternative shelters provide better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness than traditional, congregate shelters. The research, conducted by HRAC on behalf of Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), analyzed the cost, participant experiences, and client outcomes in village-style and motel shelters as compared to more traditional congregate shelters. The study found that motel and village shelters, which provide private living spaces that support the autonomy, dignity, and safety of clients, led to better experiences and more positive outcomes than congregate shelters. This work will inform the implementation of the JOHS Community Sheltering Strategy and support the knowledge base of effective shelter models among homelessness services funders and providers. Read the full report at https://johs.us/reports/

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I just want to amplify this new study. That’s being done around community centric fundraising and philanthropy. Are you using community centric fundraising principles? Have your lead fundraiser or your entire fundraising team sit down together and fill this out.

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When thinking back to my time as a nonprofit CEO, I recall many sleepless nights wrestling with funding challenges. Conversations often focused on writing grants, annual campaigns, and donor engagement, but the results stayed the same. It wasn’t until we started thinking differently that we saw real change. 🚀Imagine a nonprofit and philanthropic world where innovation drives fund development, creating sustainable impact within our organizations, where new ideas are celebrated, and risks are seen as opportunities.  🌟 In my latest Coaching Innovation Blog, Innovating Fund Development for Greater Impact, discover how embracing innovation can transform your organization's approach to funding. ❓How can nonprofits elevate their fund development strategies to create greater impact? 🧠 Cultivate a Culture of Innovation: Encourage an environment where creativity thrives, and risks are part of the growth journey. 🔍 How can you foster a culture of innovation? Reflect on your organization's openness to new ideas and discuss your risk tolerance and risk threshold. 💡 Innovation Pop-ups: Organize regular brainstorming sessions to bring together diverse perspectives and generate innovative new fund development strategies. When we create a culture of innovation that leverages technology and embraces diverse funding sources, we can transform our organizations and the communities we serve. How have you leveraged innovation to support fund development? 🔗 Check out the full article at www.Jordansydnor.com . 

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Are you a donor or a grantmaker? Help our colleagues at 21/64 & the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) gain valuable insights on how you engage philanthropy consultants or advisors to advance your giving. Click here to start the survey > https://bit.ly/49FGn76

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Please, can we stop talking about donors and all stakeholders in the social impact sector for that matter in broad, monolithic terms. Can we please stop saying “donors will never/always do this” or “organizations in the sector believe…” And, if you are offering up these platitudes, please share real stories about conversations with donors to demonstrate your expertise. Please identify what kind of organizations share this particular point of view. I can’t tell you how often I read a viral post and think, well, that’s not been my experience. In fact, my experience was the exact opposite to what hundreds of people have suggested is “truth.” Organizations in this sector, as well as donors, staff and other stakeholders are diverse. While I know we love prescriptive posts that say what is and isn’t truth — in reality— out here on the frontlines — there are many truths. As both a practitioner and a consultant, what I strive to build and mentor are organizations and leaders who are responsive, resilient, open-minded, purposeful and committed to continuous learning. Stay open to possibility. The universe is listening. 🙏 P.S. If Mother’s Day is something you celebrate, I’m wishing you a happy one. This a picture of my mom on her wedding day to husband one of three - my Dad. She was always an inspiration, optimist and believer in possibility. Can’t believe she’s been gone seven years. Hug your loved ones.

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Being "good at fundraising" ≠ a great fundraising leader ❌ Successful fundraisers are really great at doing a whole host of things, including asking the following: ::: How do you collaborate with the CEO and understand their strategy? ::: How do you routinely engage with the program leads? ::: How do you leverage the Board of Directors? ::: How do you partner with the Finance Team? ::: How do you set aside time for donor stewardship? ::: How do you manage your fundraising team beyond dollars raised? i.e. other ways to define "success"? Agree? What else is critical for great fundraising leaders to ask? ___________ #nonprofit #charity #nonprofitlife

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this part, #MYGOD: "If we are to build a just and inclusive world, those with wealth and power must mitigate their need to appear smart and special, acknowledge that they don’t have the moral authority to set priorities, accept that their role is to ensure that the people and communities most affected by systemic injustice have the resources and autonomy to lead, give Multi-Year General Operating Dollars (MYGOD), and otherwise get out of the way."

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Opportunity

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🌎 Client Spotlight, Earth Day Edition 🌎 Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS) is driving climate action and green career skill development for young people in the communities most burdened by pollution across the state of California. Here's how: 🌞 Investing in students: CAPS provides paid training and internships for student leaders to champion climate action projects in their schools. 🏫 Multi-faceted projects: Students lead diverse projects addressing environmental challenges specific to their schools and communities, from building decarbonization to sustainable transportation & zero waste initiatives. 💡 Building sustainable futures: Students foster healthier and safer schools & communities while gaining the skills and experience needed to launch careers in sustainability. 📈 Impact: The results speak for themselves. In just one school district, students reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 28%, unlocked $850K in savings, & secured $20M in sustainability improvements in just two years. CAPS is replicating this work in 7 school districts across the state & seeking to expand further across CA & far beyond. 📣 Learn more about CAPS to support this mission here: https://lnkd.in/eS7CHVi5 📩 Sign up for CAPS' quarterly newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eMhQf3yW 👏 Join me in supporting this work here: https://lnkd.in/eSm6d-Fy

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Leeze’s new blog is on system solutions to support minors experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Hint: they are all cross-system and/or multidisciplinary approaches that put the power back in the hands of youth themselves. These approaches all also accept referrals/clients under ALL definitions of homelessness including at risk and unstably housed populations. You can’t effectively serve minors if you’re excluding unstably housed youth and youth at risk of imminently losing their housing. We get asked all the time how to best support minors. Check it out 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

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