Ken Shillingford

Beloved Community: Funders, partners, neighbors, allies and friends. Thank you for your support, attention and engagement with the Richmond Rapid Response Fund (R3F) over the last 4 years. It is with mixed emotions I write to share that we have decided to sunset the R3F. It was an honor to lead and be a part of an initiative rooted in and led by the community. We hope that the work done and lessons learned will be able to inform the collective transformative work happening in Richmond and another partner will be able to implement a guaranteed income program in Richmond. In times of crisis and uncertainty we witnessed our community come together to support individuals and families within Richmond. Led by community and government leaders from the City of Richmond, The RYSE Center, EdFUND West, Richmond Promise, and FIERCE Advocates (formally BBK), the Richmond Rapid Response Fund (R3F) was born on May 5, 2020, driven by a community-centered process. The R3F team coordinated with partners from the West Contra Costa Cares Coalition to further connect families with a resource and referral network for ongoing needs and support. The aforementioned organizations have long-term, trusting relationships in the community, which made it possible for us to act quickly in response to COVID-19 and beyond. There are many reasons an initiative might consider sunsetting, including that we are one of the longest lasting pandemic responses and have accomplished our mission to provide rapid response support, while aware recovery will need a cross sector long-term sustained equitable effort. Changes in the funding landscape make guaranteed income, community oversight and direct cash harder to fundraise for. With a fund intermediary structure that relies on external financial management, there may be other organizations better positioned to continue the work. Given the infrastructure of this initiative with 1 staff member, 1 fellow and a Community expert panel and the departure of key leaders from the Core Team, we accomplished a lot! However, given that capacity we are sunsetting to allow resources, including lessons learned to support other bodies of work. I'm so very grateful for how this work has engaged across agencies and issues and to have shared impact with you all. For folks who’d love to keep in touch, please find me at [email protected]. I am more than happy to stay in community thought partnership and community solidarity with the collective and shared work and appreciate leads for next steps including roles and projects. In healing justice and solidarity, jessica travenia

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Does your company distribute grants? run employee engagement programs? do other social impact work? What about measuring, managing and tracking the effectiveness and impact of its CSR work? The Corporate Measurement & Evaluation Community of Practice is conducting a benchmarking survey to understand the state of M&E across the corporate landscape - who is doing it, how, why and what tools and approaches are being used. If you are directly responsible for measuring and reporting on the impact of your companies CSR work, or you have visibility into it, we'd like to hear from you! https://lnkd.in/gv9Deiwi Please note, We have taken special care in crafting the survey so that we aren’t repeating information that can be found elsewhere. This benchmarking will complement that done by ACCP and CECP.  The responses are 100% confidential and data will only be reported in aggregate.  More information on the Corporate Measurement & Evaluation (M&E) Community of Practice in comments.

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New Lead-Free NJ blog post. Lead poisoning is 100% percent preventable. Learn more at www.leadfreenj.org on how you can help protect children from this deadly, life altering neurotoxin and join us in our efforts to address this health hazard. Read the full blog post here: https://bit.ly/4hYMgBN

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During my leadership journey, I've seen first hand the significant competitive advantage that comes from having people with #diverse backgrounds, perspectives, lived experiences working together to contribute to a team's or organization's success. Not to mention how much of a better #leader it has made me to surround myself with people who think differently than I, who've experienced life differently than I, and who approach challenges and opportunities in ways I would have never considered. I'm proud to be working for a company that leans into the important role that #diversity, #equity, #inclusion, #justice, and #belonging play in building strong #nonprofit enterprises equipped to take on some of our world's, region's, community's greatest challenges. #leadership #executivesearch #executive #hiring

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Change in education is a difficult process. Capacity and time for employees is often already maximized. Resiliency for educators and education administrators is a characteristic of an effective and healthy school culture. Learn more about Wipfli’s work in change resiliency and how it can assist schools and districts in driving continuous and meaningful improvement in your district, school, culture, and most importantly your students.

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In New York City, around 1,000 young adults age out of foster care each year, and about 20% of them become immediately homeless. Communities like Homeward Central Harlem -- a supportive housing development in Harlem with services for LGBTQ+ young adults -- provide on-site supportive services such as counseling, case management for residents to access financial and health care benefits, connections to community resources, group activities, and skills-building programs. Here's the thing. We know how to end homelessness. It's to provide supportive housing that benefits individuals and families, provides the stability they need, and also ends up costing less than cycling individuals through jail and emergency rooms. This is the model for moving forward. And it's why nearly a fifth of our tax credit investments are in permanent supportive housing at Enterprise Community Partners. Because we know it works. https://lnkd.in/eDsA_jzt

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Yesterday I led a staff retreat for the Macks Jewish Connection Network — and this is my ✨ I love teaching✨ face... This team of incredible Baltimore professionals are charged with building a stronger sense of community in the city through Relationship Based Engagement and the development of Jewish experiences. Throughout the past year, the staff have been using our project IYUN to deepen their own relationships with one another and to immerse themselves deeply in ideas, concepts, and wisdom from Jewish tradition. Our goal at yesterday's retreat was to help them learn ways to bring this Jewish inspiration more deeply into their work as community builders. We taught some techniques for transmission and facilitation, and we also practiced concrete tools, like our: 🗺️ Roadmap of a Vort — i.e. how to deliver an inspiring Jewish message on the fly 📋 The Spine of a Session — i.e. how to structure the arc of a teaching experience, whether 10 minutes or 2 hours, and 🎤 5 Components of an Effective Mic Drop — i.e. how to close an experience meaningfully and leave an impression Which of the tools would you most like to learn about in an upcoming post?

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Succession planning for finance leadership in the nonprofit sector must be integrated into every organization's strategic framework. The gap in accounting skills and financial leadership is not just a challenge—it's an equity and justice issue. For long-term sustainability, financial leadership in the nonprofit sector should reflect the communities we serve. Join Monica Marie Avery and Shannon Ellis from CompassPoint , Curtis Klotz and myself from Diverge Finance Cooperative, with facilitator Sade Dozan, CFRE from Borealis Philanthropy as we discuss succession planning in financial leadership!

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On this Election Day, I am struck by those around me who are living democracy – not just participating in it, especially the Move for America Fellows. Every day they strengthen communities, listen to different perspectives, and build connections where others see walls. They are not just participating in democracy; they live it every day through a full year of service thanks to our partners at AmeriCorps VISTA. Democracy isn't something we have – it's something we do, one conversation, one connection, one day at a time. Today, share a moment of compassion with someone who sees things differently. Tomorrow, get curious about a perspective you don't fully understand. Then, share what you learned with others. This is how transformation begins. #electionday #nationalservice #americorps #democracy #communitybuilding #moveforamerica

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Thoughtful steps on how to have successful proposals that result in awards.

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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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"Public trust is the currency of the nonprofit sector." Independent Sector "Trust is what makes it possible for us to partner with local communities to do the hard work of systemic change. Our trusted voices as advocates for our missions help drive policy change. Our trusted status makes us an essential partner to government and industry. Trust is vital in recruiting volunteers and in the sector’s work to bridge differences in a divided America. And, without trust, raising the resources we need to do our work becomes infinitely harder." Key findings from the Independent Sector's new report include: 1) After four years of decline, trust in nonprofits has rebounded by 5 points to 57%. 2) Trust in philanthropy remains steady at 33%, lower than trust in nonprofits. 3) Americans trust nonprofits to reduce national divisions more than they trust corporations, government, or media. 4) Americans have less trust in nonprofits to advocate for public policies and conduct nonpartisan voter engagement. 5) There are clear pathways for nonprofits to increase public trust in the sector. Please reach out to discuss how together we can increase public trust in your organization's mission-driven work. https://lnkd.in/d9--XQSz

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If you're not doing Community-Based Collaborative Equity Research (CBCER), are you truly addressing the issues of inequality and social justice? This approach is grounded in priciples of collaboration, mutual respect, and shared decision-making, aiming to produce research that is relevant, actionable, and beneficial to the community involved. The next stop, Chaffee County: “As Diesel mentioned, there are a lot of assets they’re looking to develop here,” Swann said. “With community buy-in, what is most important to the voters and residents of Chaffee County? … Ultimately, we are asking these communities to foot the bill for these types of measures … so we want to make sure there’s buy-in there.” Chaffee County is exploring a Recreation Special District to boost funding for parks in Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs. Trust for Public Land is in early talks on structuring it, focusing on various funding sources, tax impacts, and examples from other communities. A feasibility report is next to help guide the best path forward for all jurisdictions. #ChaffeeCounty #Recreation #CommunityDevelopment https://lnkd.in/gpj5f-vM

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Who will be the superpowers of philanthropy in the next 25 years? Who will have the capacity and resources to influence social, economic, and political arenas? The answer is women. Historically, women have always played crucial roles in philanthropy. Early social service work was seen as “women’s work.” Female philanthropy started with parochial institutions, where nuns, deaconesses, and women of all faiths offered comfort to the marginalized in their communities. Now, with women holding more than half of private wealth in the U.S. and the capacity to influence global change, their impact is poised to grow exponentially. Despite progress, support for women's and girls' organizations remains low, receiving just 1.8% of charitable giving. However, women are stepping up to fill this gap, often giving broadly, holistically, and collectively. They focus on aligning their passion with their resources, working collaboratively, and demanding transparency about the impact of their contributions. Women’s philanthropy offers vast opportunities: from supporting traditional nonprofits to becoming angel investors and engaging in impact investing. In my role as a philanthropic advisor, I work to help women donors align their values with their charitable giving, grow their confidence and celebrate their achievements. #PhilanthropyConcierge #WDM2024 #WomensPhilanthropy #WomenInLeadership https://lnkd.in/gSZhsadi

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Auction item donors are key to helping you hit your revenue goals and providing a memorable experience. Learn how to express your gratitude in this guide for nonprofits:

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