Five Steps to Building a Healthy Relationship for Nonprofit and Corporate Partners
Throughout the year, Common Impact has been taking a closer look at The Knitting Factor as a concept that best explains effective skills-based partnerships. Today we explore the sticky relationship component as a way to describe meaningful partnerships between companies and nonprofits that sustain far past an initial volunteer opportunity. Creating these relationships takes intention, time and an appreciation of the knowledge, resources and needs of both parties.
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Creating Long-Term Partnerships that Stick
If you’ve been following our content this year, you’ve likely heard us mention a concept called “The Knitting Factor,” which brings together three key conditions that enable skills-based engagements between the private and nonprofit sectors to create strengthened, sustainable solutions that don’t come undone when partners part ways. There are three key characteristics that make up The Knitting Factor, but for skills-based volunteering to become truly transformative, organizations need to find the “sticky” relationships that enable companies and nonprofits to drive progress on both mission and business-related goals.
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Developing Nonprofit Leaders through Skills-Based Volunteering
Common Impact is exploring the skill sharing component of The Knitting Factor, as a driver for two-way talent exchange between corporate volunteers and nonprofit professionals. When our partners recognize the knowledge and expertise that both sides bring to the table, it creates an opportunity for real talent development and long-term, sustainable partnerships.
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Common Impact Launches Pro Bono Perspectives, a New Podcast to Inspire Social Impact
NEW YORK, NY September 18, 2018 — Common Impact, a nonprofit organization that pioneered corporate skills-based volunteering is launching a new podcast – Pro Bono Perspectives. Hosted by CEO Danielle Holly, Pro Bono Perspectives is the latest in a series of new Common Impact initiatives focused on showcasing the people, organizations and ideas that are shaping new models for purpose-driven work.
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Common Impact, SVP Boston and Impact 2030 Announce Skills-Based Day of Service for Boston
BOSTON, MA September 13, 2018 — Common Impact, a nonprofit recognized as a national leader in skills-based volunteerism, Social Venture Partners Boston, an organization focused on engaged philanthropy, and Impact 2030, a collaborative initiative that seeks to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through corporate volunteerism are launching a new model for citywide impact through a day of skilled service.
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Common Impact Expands Leadership Team with Addition of Tara Cardone, Chief Operating Officer
NEW YORK, NY September 10, 2018 — Common Impact, a nonprofit recognized as a national leader in skills-based volunteerism, is expanding its leadership team with the appointment of Tara Cardone as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Tara will be a key partner to Common Impact’s leadership team and Board of Directors as the organization shepherds in the next phase of growth in corporate skills-based volunteerism. This growth will help the organization meet increasing corporate and nonprofit demand for effective skilled volunteer and employee engagement solutions that deliver on business and community goals.
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Turning Data into Stories: S&P Global Volunteers & SARA Share Community Impact
In June, Common Impact worked with our corporate partner S&P Global to deploy a team of skilled volunteers in Charlottesville, VA. The volunteer team was eager to share their expertise in data management with a nonprofit partner seeking to better communicate their stories of impact through data. SARA or the Sexual Assault Recovery Agency was excited to work with S&P experts to help organize their existing metrics and identify key data to highlight the effectiveness and importance of their prevention and response activities. While we’ve worked on data management engagements in the past, what made this particular project unique was the participation from the of an entirely female volunteer team working with a nonprofit whose mission, although not exclusive to women, was timely and focused on issues critical to women.
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Using Skills-Based Volunteerism to Diversify STEM Leadership
Through our work developing strategic partnerships that engage business professionals to create positive community change, we see two major STEM education challenges that skilled volunteerism can help address. Last week, we wrote about how skills-based volunteerism can help build capacity within the social sector to effectively deliver STEM education. Today we are sharing our perspective on how STEM education and volunteering can increase representation for women and diverse communities in both the social and corporate sector.
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Building Capacity for STEM Focused Nonprofits
Around the world, employers are seeking highly-skilled workers to take on existing and emerging roles in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, also known as STEM. Workforce development and education, particularly as related to STEM, are two of the largest focus areas for corporate and foundation giving as well as two of the largest mission focuses for nonprofits, according to the CECP’s 2017 Giving in Numbers report. Yet, even given this great investment, gaps in STEM education still exist, leaving both employers and students without the critical thinking and analytical problem-solving skills sorely needed in our ever-changing global economy. Skills-based volunteerism can bridge this divide by developing a multi-sector solution to building effective STEM programs that both prepare the workforce of the future and create employment opportunities for students and emerging leaders.
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Impact at Work: Mission Economic Development Agency Project Spotlight
In June 2017, Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) reached out to Common Impact to engage the support of a skilled volunteer team in achieving an important but challenging organizational goal – one that many nonprofit organizations are similarly striving to attain. MEDA's mission is to strengthen low- and moderate-income Latino families by promoting economic equity and social justice through asset building and community development. To ensure their work would be truly impactful and align with core themes in racial justice, MEDA’s leadership aimed to create a workplace that was reflective of the community it served.
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