(This post is from David Holmes, regional training coordinator, Foundation Center-Cleveland.)
Hello from Dearborn, Michigan! I'm attending the tenth annual conference of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, Keys for Nonprofit Excellence. This is my first experience attending the annual conference, and so far I'm struck by the great cameraderie among the attendees--lots of hugs!--and also the great concern being expressed about the future of the nonprofit sector.
The theme of the introductory plenary panel presentation (7/9/08) was "The Evolution of the Nonprofit Sector." Jeanne Bell from CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, Ann Mosle from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Robert S. Collier from the Council of Michigan Foundations, discussed the many challenges they see currently facing nonprofits--the economy, the incipient retirement of a generation of nonprofit leaders, and the lack of focus on long-term sustainability.
The panelists emphasized the importance for nonprofits on becoming "learning organizations," consistently improving accountability, board training, best practices, and their own ability to adapt to change. Peggy Morrison Outon, of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, commented that the most successful nonprofits are those "with a yearning to improve."
All of the panelists underlined the need for long-term capacity-building efforts. Mr. Collier noted that more and more grantmakers understand the value of making investments in ensuring that organizations have the resources needed to function effectively, and suggested that nonprofits integrate capacity building activities into their requests to funders. He also praised funder-implemented capacity-building projects such as the Kellogg Action Lab.
I expect to hear a lot more about capacity-building in the next few days. More to come...
--David Holmes
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