HIRI PCBR Database - Intermediary Profile Report

PHILANTHROPIC CAPACITY-BUILDING RESOURCES
DATABASE - INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS

Report Title:	Intermediary Profile Report
Report Date:

Organization:	The Nonprofit Partnership	Program ID Number: I-33
Date Profile Created:	March 10, 2010	Date Profile Last Updated: March 10, 2010

Program Summary:
This intermediary organization provides education, training and tools to strengthen nonprofits. It offers capacity-building grants to nonprofits serving northwest Pennsylvania, and its educational services draw participants from New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The majority of its funding comes through the Erie Community Foundation, it collaborates closely and co-locates with the foundation, and while it is now an independent 501(c)(3) organization, it began as the Center for Nonprofit Services, a program of the foundation.

The partnership helps organizations achieve their missions in diverse ways. It collaborates with BoardnetUSA via on-line tools and with local resources that help agencies analyze their board needs and connect with potential new board members. The website assists individuals looking for a board opportunity and nonprofit agencies seeking qualified board candidates. This service enables board candidates and agencies to screen for particular attributes and skills.

The partnership provides capacity-building grants and educational programs. The grants enable nonprofits to secure professional, timely assistance that enhances organizational capacity and addresses important issues of organizational development and effectiveness. Grants focus on diverse areas; organizations chosen to receive technology assistance involving computers and other hardware and software, or website development, participate in a collaborative technology planning process that involves a grant and a volunteer project service team. Additionally, in 2010 half of the grants will support innovative e-marketing projects related to web presence, e-mail campaigns, social networking, online giving, online event management and related efforts. .

The Nonprofit Pro Bono Project matches organizations unable to pay for needed services with local attorneys and certified public accountants who volunteer to provide free consultation and education. Collaborators include the partnership, Erie County Bar Association, Northwestern Legal Services and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Erie Chapter. Through this effort small to medium-sized nonprofits can receive needs assessments and other assistance, with eligibility determined on a case-by-case basis. The services are free, though participating organizations are responsible for paying filing fees and other out-of-pocket costs. Initial assessments may include a review of articles of incorporation, bylaws, IRS determination, personnel manuals and policies, IRS compliance and financial reporting. Consulting assistance is available with such legal and financial issues as starting a nonprofit (incorporation, tax exempt application), employment, real estate, taxes, governance and contractual issues.

The partnership is also involved with two large, federally-funded grant programs. In Strengthening Erie's Work Force, the partnership provides training and supervises staff members that offer one-on-one technical assistance and capacity-building grants to local nonprofits. The community foundation manages funding for this effort.

For the Erie Capacity-Building Collaborative, Greater Erie Community Action Committee (GECAC) handles the funding; the partnership works on the grant review panels as well as providing training and conducting evaluation. This three-year undertaking, funded with Compassion Capital dollars, brings new capacity-building and skill development resources to Erie County nonprofits and faith-based groups. The collaborative offers full day management training sessions, capacity-building grants of between $5,000 and $50,000, and one-on-one technical assistance. It focuses on leadership development, organizational development, program development, revenue development strategies and community engagement. Organizations with an annual operating budget less than $500,000 are eligible, and priority is given to those who serve (1) the homeless or elders in need; (2) at-risk youth; (3) families in transition from welfare to work; (4) persons in need of intensive rehabilitation, such as addicts or prisoners; and (5) couples seeking marriage education and preparation. Additional priority is given to organizations that have historically not received funds from the federal government.

Finally, the partnership serves as a collective voice for the area's nonprofits in diverse settings, has an in-house online marketing specialist who assists nonprofits with e-marketing, and offers nonprofit volunteers and staff a venue to convene and network through peer exchanges.

Community review panels evaluate the partnership's broader initiatives, and a committee of its board evaluates the locally funded work.

Contact Name:	Robert Wooler
Title:	Director
Phone:	(814) 454-8800
Fax:	(814) 454-1572
E-mail Address:	rwooler@thenonprofitpartnership.org
URL:	www.thenonprofitpartnership.org

Address:

459 West 6th Street, P.O Box 1698
Erie, PA 16507

Date Program Began:	2005	Total Funds Awarded for Most Recent Fiscal Year:	$37,158
Date Program Scheduled to End:	N/A	Total Capacity-Building Operating Expenses for Most Recent Fiscal Year:	$70,000/$314,000

How Program is Operated:

Run internally by the intermediary

Number Staff/Consultants:

3.4/8

Background Materials Available:

Yes

Geographic Areas Served:

National:

International:

Selected States:	Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio
Geographic Details:	Grants only to organizations serving northwest Pennsylvania; educational activities draw participants from the three states

Types of Capacity-Building Assistance Offered to Nonprofits:

1. Grants:	2. Direct Service:	3. Direct Financial Support:
General	Assessment of Service Needs Center (Facility Offering Services) Coaching/Training for Individual Nonprofits Convening Education/Training for Groups of Nonprofits Information and Referral Infrastructure for Peer Networking Participation in Community Capacity-Building Initiative Website with Capacity-Building Assistance	Facilities/Equipment Support

Grants Offered to Capacity-Building Service
Providers and Intermediaries:

*Support for Services to Nonprofits:*	N/A
*General Support:*	N/A

Grants Offered to Support Overall Capacity-Building Infrastructure:

N/A

Areas of Nonprofit Operations Supported:	How Funding/Service Decisions Are Made:
Administration + Finance Communication (Internal/External) Evaluation Facilities Management Fund Development Governance (Board/Executive) Human Resources Information/Technology Support Legal/Risk Management Planning Staff Development/Training	Application by Potential Recipient � Intermediary Selection Pro-active Identification of Applicants by Intermediary

Collaborating Organizations: Arts Erie, Erie Community Foundation, Greater Erie Community Action Committee

Capacity-Building Work Evaluated:	Yes	Evaluation Results Available:	Yes
Frequency of Evaluation:	Ongoing	Type of Evaluation:	Internal, Surveys, Focus Groups, Interviews, Document Reviews, Site Visits, Grantee Self-Reports, Participatory Evaluation

Summary of Evaluation Lessons Learned:
The following lessons learned were among those reported by this program:

Nothing is automatic about education, training and capacity-building grants leading to organizational improvement. The most critical factor in this equation is the quality of organizational leadership, so we have refocused efforts to nurture leadership through peer circles, coaching, mentoring and looking outside the region for answers and assistance.
We have also learned to be more intentional and focused during education sessions about implementation plans, action triggers, and follow-up to ensure that organizations are putting best practices into play in their work.
Both a great hunger and a great need exist for organizations to learn to tell their stories and market themselves in ways that show their unique capacities, profile their results and tap into emotion. To this end, we are using training in storytelling and the e-marketing focus to revolutionize the way organizations present themselves to the community and the world.

In addition, evaluation results indicated the following as some of the significant impacts from this program:

Evaluation work shows that the financial bottom line has improved over time for Erie nonprofits. In 2004, 44% of Erie nonprofits ran operating deficits, but in 2007, only 20% of the organizations incurred deficits. Organizations have improved their capacities to be at least marginally profitable.
Based on plans made during education and training sessions and follow-up work to monitor results, 73% of Erie nonprofits are putting learned skills into practice in their organizations to improve management and governance.