October 2010 Feature Article
Growing Upside
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Foundation Programs Strengthen Nonprofits from the Inside Out
By Liz Potasek
Illustration by Chris McAllister
Photography by John Linn
When a foundation aims to strengthen an entire region, there are at least two strategies to consider.
You can pass around a few shiny apples, or you can fertilize the ground so the trees distribute more fruit. Sure, it’s easier to share apples, but it’s always more effective to grow deeply rooted trees.
VISTA
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Joining VISTA meant living on reduced means, but it also provided Grahek with the opportunity to obtain real-world experience. Through VISTA, Grahek landed a year-long position working with the after-care program at Anna Marie’s Alliance in St. Cloud.
Founded in 1965, VISTA pairs volunteers with organizations involved in anti-poverty work. Central Minnesota VISTAs have done everything from launching programs to provide cars and repairs for people in need to creating a curriculum for financial literacy.
After her year with VISTA, Anna Marie’s Alliance hired Grahek as after-care services coordinator and women’s advocate. “Everything about this job is what I was looking for,” Grahek said of the position she began in August 2010.
When Chris Fastner, Initiative Foundation VISTA program manager, meets new VISTAs like Grahek, he’s struck by the fact that he’s looking at the next generation of nonprofit leaders. “We realize that these people are emerging nonprofit leaders, and we have the privilege of offering them some fantastic training in both leadership and technical skills,” Fastner said. “It’s a benefit to the entire nonprofit sector.”
Fastner leads the central Minnesota effort to help nonprofit organizations recruit, train, and supervise 25 VISTA members in the region. It’s another way the foundation is investing in strengthening nonprofits from the inside out, and the VISTA program is often paired with HOP to maximize impact.
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Healthy Organizations Partnership (HOP)
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So when Hendricks Olson heard about the Initiative Foundation’s HOP program, she saw it as an opportunity to grow from the inside out. She approached her board, and they were ready for change, too.
In 2008, the organization set out on a twoyear training and development process to reinvent itself. Hendricks Olson and her board of directors picked apart every aspect of the organization. They rewrote their bylaws, wrote job descriptions for staff and board members, and developed a three-year strategic plan.
Hendricks Olson says the process was difficult, but worth it. Board meetings are now planned a year into the future and run with military precision and always make quorum.
Now that the board knows its strengths and weaknesses, Child Care Choices is savvier about recruiting new board members and paying close attention to potential members’ skills. Hendricks Olson also feels the organization is on firmer financial ground because they’ve learned about effective ways to pursue funding and present a stronger image.
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“We focus on training board and staff teams, because we believe strong boards are essential to a thriving nonprofit.” said Cathy Hartle, the Initiative Foundation’s senior program manager for organizational effectiveness. “Our outcomes are not always jazzy or easy to explain, but the end result is that these nonprofits become more effective and the community is better served.”
Initiative foundation | 405 First Street Southeast | Little Falls, MN 56345 | (320) 632-9255
