Nonprofit Utopia Podcast

Join Noah Temaner Jenkins and me as we discuss grant writing strategies organizations can use as part of their sustainability toolbox.  We will  examine the complete proposal writing cycle; link proposal writing to the program design, implementation and evaluation processes and share strategies you can begin to “try at home” immediately.

Noah Temaner Jenkins is a freelance organizational development and writing consultant for nonprofits. Her project portfolio includes grant writing, fundraising planning, program evaluation, board development, and strategic planning. She is adjunct faculty at UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. Ms. Jenkins teaches grant writing and related classes in the UIC Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. She holds a Master of Urban Planning and Policy and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, both from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

When we last spoke with Carolina Gaete and Cecile  Carroll-DeMello, we learned how they have managed to work with local residents and elected officials to bring democracy to the TIF program, develop affordable housing and make micro-financing available to small businesses from the neighborhood.  They are now ready to launch the TIF Toolkit to share the lessons they have learned along the way with community practitioners around the City. Join us in a lively discussion about the TIF Toolkit and the upcoming community launch.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Between 2012 and 2015 alone, the City of Chicago paid $210 million to settle 655 police misconduct cases.  A disproportionate number of these cases were in African American and Latino neighborhoods, many of which are undergoing significant change.  These cases were typically settled by the City, with no admission of guilt on the part of the officers involved.   Not only did these cases further weaken already strained relationships between the Police and the impacted communities, they diverted resources that could have been otherwise used for city services or neighborhood revitalization.  The Chicago Reporter created an interactive database to analyze the cases at length, and to provide policy makers, activists and journalists with the information they need to make inferences and informed recommendations.

Join Susan Smith Richardson, the Editor and Publisher of the Chicago Reporter,  and me in an informative discussion about their initial findings regarding police misconduct cases; an overview of the database, and ways website visitors may use the data to engage their constituencies to begin the process of identifying critical issues and solutions and increasing police accountability.

The expansion of the Norfolk Southern’s Englewood  Railyard  required the acquisition of  557 parcels of land, 104 parcels of which were owned by the  City of Chicago, within a local TIF and valued at $1.105 million. The expansion presented a number of challenges, including displacement of Englewood residents through eminent domain, and compounding of existing  environmental problems. 

Rev. John Ellis, an Englewood resident, saw a public notice in the newspaper indicating that the City of Chicago intended to enter into a negotiated sale of 104 parcels to Norfolk-Southern and notified his neighbors, who immediately began to organize.

They created Sustainable Englewood Initiatives, led by John Paul Jones, and engaged other Englewood residents, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the City of Chicago and Norfolk-Southern Railroad to explore the impact of the development upon the community and to create win-win solutions for all parties concerned. 

Rev. Ellis will join us, and give a status report on the Norfolk-Southern CBA with the Englewood community, and share lessons learned from his experiences.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

A Community Benefits Agreement ("CBA") is a contract signed by community groups and a real estate developer that requires the developer to provide specific amenities and/or mitigations to the local community or neighborhood. (Wikipedia)

Join Jody Adler, Allegra Cira Fischer and me in a lively discussion on CBA’s.  We will talk about what CBA’s are; the pros and cons, and some of The Law Project’s work in supporting local community based coalitions in their quest for greater democracy in development. 

Jody Adler is the Director of The Law Project. She specializes in the law of exempt organizations working with community-based nonprofit organizations. Jody has taught classes in nonprofit law and management for Oakton Community College and Spertus College. She is on the board of directors of AIDS Legal Council of Chicago and Changing Worlds, a Chicago-area arts in education organization. 

Allegra is a staff attorney with The Law Project (TLP), which is the community development project of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Allegra’s focus at TLP is on equitable and inclusive development, and she works with coalitions of non-profit organizations in negotiations with developers to secure benefits for surrounding communities, including commitments to build affordable housing, hire local residents and pay livable wages, among other investments important to Chicago neighborhoods and their residents.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

The nonprofit landscape is changing dramatically. In spite of the fact that the national and state economies are in recovery, and foundations are giving more money, many nonprofits are finding it difficult to raise funds.  The State of Illinois has unilaterally terminated nonprofit contracts and does not have a budget in place in order to make appropriations.  Foundations’ priorities are constantly changing, and generally speaking, do not fund organizations for the long term. Nonprofits must position themselves for sustainability in the market place.  Any discussion about sustainability must begin with strategy.

Join Valerie F. Leonard for a discussion on strategic planning. She will talk about what a strategic planning process is, and its relationship to business planning; how to develop a theory of change model; how to engage internal and external stakeholders to maximize buy-in; how to align strategies and programs with the organization’s mission, vision , goals and objectives and how to develop and monitor work plans.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Most people would agree that program evaluation is important, but, in practice, many emerging organizations don’t do it.  In some cases, managers are so busy running programs and trying to find the resources to keep them going, that they find it difficult to find the time to reflect.  In other cases, there is no funding to pay an outside evaluator.  Still, others find the whole process to be a mystery.  In the meantime, it’s hit or miss in providing programs that are relevant to the community and attractive to funders.

Join Valerie F. Leonard for a discussion on program evaluation. She will talk about the most common types of evaluation; why they are important; what to do when there’s no funding for evaluation and how the information may be used to strengthen programs.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

When Gallup and the Knight Foundation set out to answer the question “What attaches people to their communities?” they found that the key reasons cited by residents for loving their cities were entertainment and social offerings, how welcoming the city is and its aesthetics — in other words, the arts and culture.  That finding was not news to Alderman Michael Scott, Jr., or his wife Natashee.  The couple have been patrons of the arts for years.  In an effort to build community and make North Lawndale a destination for arts and entertainment, the Scotts started the annual Westside Musical Festival, which will run again on August 20 2016.

Join Natashee and Michael Scott, Jr. as they share lessons learned in developing the festival. We will discuss ways the Westside Music Festival is being used to build community; develop a sense of place for North Lawndale and to spur economic development and tourism.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

It has been over 50 years since North Lawndale has had a comprehensive plan that could be used to attract resources and guide public policy as it relates to transportation, utilities, land use, recreation, and housing.  As a result, much of the limited development that has occurred in recent years has not been coordinated or yielded maximum impact for the community as a whole. There are some pockets of North Lawndale that have seen significant development, while other parts have remained untouched since the 1950’s. In an effort to rectify this situation, the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC) recently held its first annual community planning conference, in partnership with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), at the DRW College Prep High School on Chicago’s West Side. Join us as we recap the conference and share next steps for the community planning process. Guests will be Alderman Michael Scott, Jr., Rodney Brown and Dennis Deer.  Alderman Michael Scott, Jr. represents the 24th Ward on Chicago's West Side.  Rodney Brown and Dennis Deer, along with Host Valerie F. Leonard, are members of the Executive Sub-Committee of NLCCC.

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Today's guest is Shelby Parchman, Director of Programs for Sunshine Enterprises. We will follow up on what has happened over the past several months since he was last on the show. Not only will we look at some of Sunshine Enterprises' success stories, but Shelby will share more lessons learned from his work in the entrepreneurial trenches. He will also discuss ways nonprofits can think outside of the box and how nonprofits can invest their time and resources to reap maximum rewards. Finally, he will discuss ways nonprofits can add value to existing models. 

Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.