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Mar 08

Partner, listen, learn and act to advance diversity, equity and inclusion

By Sponsor Insight

By Karin Sarratt, executive vice president, OneAmerica

(Para leer en español, haga clic aquí) Translated by LUNA Language Services

Just as no individual can fully thrive in isolation, it takes all of us — businesses and non-profits working together — to strengthen our communities and make them more inclusive. As a Black woman and experienced business leader, I believe no organization can truly succeed unless it’s committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Working in the financial services industry has taught me the importance of financial security at all stages of life, and how it can ease the stress of uncertain times. I’m fortunate to work for a company that has made expanded economic empowerment and access to affordable financial security and protection key parts of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategy. I’m grateful that my Central Indiana-based employer, with a heritage of more than 140 years, treasures its community connections and is committed to working with nonprofit organizations to improve lives.

2020 has shown us that when it comes to making our workplaces and communities more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, we must cooperate with others to make concrete advancements together.

Here are three key actions I believe can propel collaborations between businesses and nonprofit organizations that want to make real, lasting progress:

LISTEN: Intentionally connect for the purpose of understanding what we’re all experiencing.

With all that this region, and the nation, faced in 2020, we have an extraordinary opportunity to make significant advancements in our organizations and communities.

At OneAmerica, we’ve been listening and participating at the local and national levels, and with our own workforce.

In the midst of the nation’s renewed focus on racial injustice, the OneAmerica executive leadership team conducted small-group listening sessions to better understand the experiences of our associates. By year-end, every OneAmerica leader and associate had an opportunity to participate in one or more listening sessions.

Our CEO also spent hours, in partnership with other business and community leaders, gaining inputs from local residents and organizations who shared their thoughts and stories about racial challenges and barriers.

These many voices, and the experiences behind each voice, have helped to shape our DE&I strategy.

Our next step in listening, already underway, is conducting a comprehensive organizational assessment to understand our areas of opportunity as well as our strengths. What we learn will inform our DE&I efforts in 2021 and beyond.

Meanwhile, we continue to participate in local, regional and national efforts to maximize our impact, particularly in ways that connect with our core mission of helping people achieve financial well-being.

At your organization, you may also gain insight from being an intentional listener. Be willing to ask for input — you may be surprised by what you hear.

LEARN: See how to partner more effectively to achieve common goals.

Over the decades, our connections with community organizations have led to many mutually beneficial insights and actions. As all of us continue this important work, I’m excited about additional opportunities — whether it’s sharing data, creating workforce pipelines or helping deliver financial wellness programming.

I’m especially excited about the OneAmerica Pathways programs we began in 2018 in cooperation with several local community organizations. The overall goal is to improve individual economic well-being and create career opportunities for people in our home communities. Our efforts began with our Pathways to a Sustainable Income Program, which enables all full-time OneAmerica employees to earn a sustainable income of at least $18 an hour, plus health care and retirement benefits.

In 2019, we debuted the Pathways Junior Fellows Program to build and strengthen our local workforce and improve our pipeline of diverse talent. Working with community organizations, we choose several high school students and recent high school graduates from local schools. Over the summer, they participate in an intense custom curriculum that builds career awareness and business acumen. They learn to network, to experience job shadowing and community volunteering, and to create a capstone presentation.

The program went virtual in 2020. We also added a co-op component for current college students, and we have plans to continue scaling up. We think it’s a blueprint that might work for other employers, too, and we’ve made the curriculum and program documentation available at no cost to anyone who’s interested. Visit www.oneamerica.com/pathways to access program resources.

ACT: Develop action plans focused on what we can solve together today.

After you’ve had the opportunity to listen and learn, use these insights to shape a response or action plan that’s unique to the culture of your organization. A cookie-cutter approach won’t suffice.

Our DE&I strategy is informed by collaboration with local organizations, such as United Way of Central Indiana, and the Business Equity for Indy pledge as well as key alignments nationally with the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI) and The American College of Financial Services (TAC).

We’re working with ACLI, TAC and others on an integrated industry approach to advancing financial wellness, achieving a more inclusive workplace and culture, and workforce and career development. In addition, we’re working together on specific steps toward:

  • Expanded economic empowerment, including helping create a financial-education journey that meets underserved people where they are and inspires action, and collaborating with TAC to use its curriculum for significant community impact.
  • Increased access to affordable financial security and protection. We’re supporting the ACLI in promoting regulatory changes that eliminate potential discrimination in the delivery of our products.
  • Removal of unnecessary barriers to the ability of people of color to become licensed by or employed with the insurance industry. We also support ACLI efforts to make licensing more inclusive.

It’s an exciting time to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. I can’t wait to see what our collaborations lead to as we move forward in 2021 together.

Karin Sarratt is an executive vice president with OneAmerica, an Indianapolis-based provider of retirement plan services, including for tax-exempt organizations, as well as life insurance and long-term-care products, and employee benefits. Karin leads the following OneAmerica areas: human resources, marketing and communications, community affairs, and enterprise strategy.

Mar 01

Herramientas para agilizar la filantropía en 2021: Prepara las bases para el éxito de la recaudación de fondos

By Espanol

(To read in English, click here) Translated by LUNA Language Services

Por Angela E. White, ejecutiva de recaudación de fondos certificada (Certified Fund Raising Executive, CFRE), consultora sénior y directora ejecutiva (Chief Executive Officer, CEO), Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates

Desde marzo de 2020, nuestro lema en JGA ha sido “la generosidad no se ha perdido”. Hemos perdido muchas cosas en nuestras vidas por la pandemia, pero la generosidad no es una de ellas. Los donantes no han dejado de compartir sus dones de tiempo, talento y valores. Hemos sido testigos de esta generosidad para apoyar las campañas, días de donaciones y operaciones en curso, así como un compromiso continuo con el voluntariado; aunque el formato ha cambiado a un mundo virtual.

¿Qué significa esto para el 2021? Mientras esperas seguir cultivando el apoyo filantrópico para su misión de 2021, ¿qué harías para preparar las bases para continuar con la generosidad?

En un blog reciente, publicado por la Escuela de Filantropía Familiar Lilly de la Universidad de Indiana, se pueden encontrar 10 consejos para recaudar fondos en 2021. Entre estos consejos se encuentran buscar nuevas formas de colaborar, crear una comunidad virtual, involucrar a todos sus donantes y, mi favorito, acoger el optimismo. También enfatizan la importancia de seguir recaudando fondos. Como se indica en el artículo, “tu causa sigue siendo digna. Tu trabajo sigue siendo impactante. Aquellos con quienes trabajas todavía tienen necesidades”.

En JGA, incluiríamos las siguientes medidas como maneras clave de agilizar sus objetivos en 2021 y estimular la generosidad para tu organización:

  1. Crea planes a corto plazo para generar un impacto a largo plazo. ¿Tus estrategias institucionales e iniciativas de desarrollo se adaptan a tu entorno cambiante? ¿Has revisado tu plan estratégico actual en virtud de las lecciones aprendidas debido a la pandemia? Tómate el tiempo ahora para asegurarte de que los planes que orientan tu organización y tu operación de desarrollo sean relevantes en este nuevo entorno y apoyen tu plan estratégico.
  2. Concéntrate en tus mejores prospectos e involucra a nuevos donantes. ¿Has recalibrado tus carteras de donantes para 2021? ¿Estás logrando captar nuevos prospectos en un mundo virtual o híbrido? Optimiza tus carteras para que tu equipo se concentre en los prospectos adecuados para recaudar más dinero para tu misión. Debido a los cambios de personal, muchas organizaciones también deberán crear un plan para incorporar nuevos oficiales de desarrollo o carteras de transición. Las organizaciones sin fines de lucro que consiguieron nuevos donantes a partir de iniciativas especiales de recaudación de fondos para la pandemia en 2020, deben crear planes para administrar estas relaciones y retener su apoyo continuo en el futuro.
  3. Recopila información estratégica para tomar decisiones informadas. ¿Estás pensando en crear un servicio nuevo, plan de comunicación o metodología de recaudación de fondos para este año? Primero debes involucrar a tus integrantes y recopilar la información crítica necesaria antes de tomar estas decisiones y lanzar una empresa nueva. Involucra a tus grupos de participantes actuales y potenciales en un proceso de recopilación de información de múltiples etapas. Los datos que recibas durante esta etapa de contribución crucial pueden ayudarte a tomar decisiones informadas y evitar errores costosos.
  4. Concéntrate en optimizar los datos de tus donantes. ¿Los recursos de tu personal están alineados para involucrar a tus mejores prospectos en el inicio del proceso? Los datos optimizados de los prospectos pueden ayudarte a segmentar mejor tu base de donantes y concentrar tus esfuerzos en aquellos prospectos con más probabilidades de hacer una donación a corto plazo. Cuando combinas los datos basados en la capacidad y en el compromiso con herramientas como Acuity®, obtienes información capaz de identificar rápidamente a tus mejores prospectos.

JGA está aquí para ayudarte a evaluar tu preparación en una o más de estas áreas y a acelerar tus objetivos para 2021. Incluso hemos reunido paquetes de servicios especiales que se pueden implementar rápidamente y con una ganancia de inversión alta para ayudar.

¡Por un gran año!

Mar 01

Tools to Fast Track Philanthropy in 2021: Set the Stage for Fundraising Success

By Sponsor Insight

(Para leer en español, haga clic aquí) Translated by LUNA Language Services

By Angela E. White, CFRE, Senior Consultant and CEO, Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates

Since March 2020, our motto at JGA has been “generosity is not cancelled.” So many things in our lives have been cancelled due to the pandemic, but generosity is not one of them. Donors have not stopped sharing their gifts of time, talent, and treasure. We have seen this generosity in support of campaigns, days of giving, and ongoing operations, as well as a continued commitment to volunteerism – although the format has changed in a virtual world.

What does this mean for 2021? As you look toward continuing to raise philanthropic support for your mission in 2021, what will you do to set the stage for generosity to continue?

A recent blog posted by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy offers 10 Tips for Fundraisers in 2021. Among these tips are finding new ways to collaborate, creating community virtually, engaging all of your donors, and – my personal favorite – embracing optimism. They also stress the importance of continuing to fundraise. As stated in the article, “your cause is still worthy. Your work is still impactful. Those you serve are still in need.”

At JGA, we would add the following steps as key ways to fast track your goals in 2021 and spur generosity for your organization:

  1. Create short-term plans for long-term impact. Are your institutional strategies and development initiatives tailored to your changing environment? Have you revised your current strategic plan in light of lessons learned from the pandemic? Take time now to ensure the plans that guide your organization and your development operation are relevant in this new environment and support your strategic plan.
  2. Focus on your best prospects and engage new donors. Have you recalibrated your donor portfolios for 2021? Are you successfully engaging new prospects in a virtual and/or hybrid world? Optimize your portfolios so your team is focused on the right prospects to raise more money for your mission. Many organizations will also need to create a plan to on-board new development officers and/or transition portfolios as a result of staffing changes. Nonprofits that acquired new donors from special pandemic fundraising initiatives in 2020 need to create plans to steward these relationships and retain their ongoing support in the future.
  3. Gather strategic intelligence to inform decision making. Are you contemplating the creation of a new service, communications plan, or fundraising methodology this year? You should first engage your constituents and gather the critical information needed prior to making these decisions and launching a new venture. Engage your current and prospective constituency groups in a multi-pronged information-gathering process. Data you receive during this crucial input stage can inform your decision making and avoid costly missteps.
  4. Focus on streamlining your donor data. Are your staff resources aligned to engage your best prospects early in the process? Streamlined prospect data can help you better segment your donor base and focus your efforts on those prospects most likely to make a gift in the short term. When you combine data based both on capacity and engagement using tools like Acuity® you get actionable intelligence that identifies your best prospects quickly.

JGA is here to help you assess your readiness in one or more of these areas and assist you in fast tracking your goals for 2021. We’ve even put together special service packages that can be implemented quickly and with a high return on investment to help.

Here’s to a great year!

Feb 23

Developing a shock leadership style that guides your organization during a pandemic

By Sponsor Insight

by Sara M. Johnson, FACHE

Leadership theories have been around for many years and are often based on societal norms and the evolution of how people prefer to work. We’ve had the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Contemporary Theories, Contingency Theories, and more.

The most recent theory being studied is Shock Leadership Theory. This latest theory is based on the leadership behaviors that are necessary to lead during the pandemic and other volatile, uncertain, chaotic, ambiguous situations — known as VUCA situations — we may face as leaders.

In 2007, Warren Bennis said he thought that two of the primary threats to world stability were leadership in the context of increased globalization and pandemics. As it turns out, he was correct. When he made that statement 13 years ago, he had no way of knowing that these two would intersect the way they have in 2020 nor that the Shock Leadership Theory would emerge.

While leadership theories continue to emerge, they tend to focus on the behaviors that leaders should exhibit. Our own leadership development pursuits lead us to programs that help us discover ways in which we can behave differently as leaders — how to be more empathetic, how to be more authentic, and how to lead with courage.

But what is it that drives our behaviors? Those behaviors are driven by who we are at our core — our values, our purpose, our heart. So, here is a question for you: Have you recently assessed your leadership core?

I expect many would answer that question with a yes. The pandemic, for all its challenges, has caused many leaders to become more thoughtful about what really matters in life. Leaders are reflecting on who they are, not just what they do.

Our values and who we are at our core drive our behavior and guide us to behave ethically, empathetically, and authentically. When VUCA situations arise, it is our values that are challenged and cause us to ask ourselves, “How should I lead in this situation?” Without clearly knowing our values and the direction those can provide, we can find ourselves adrift trying to navigate the waters of chaotic or uncertain organizational realities.

Our leadership experts at IU Executive Education have created the Holistic Leadership Series that is designed to be an individually transformative process. The series will feature one two-hour webinar on the fourth Wednesday of each month, beginning March 24 and ending Oct. 27. Beginning with the topic of “heart and spirit,” this global series examines a person’s core values, how those have developed over time, and how those values can serve them as they lead. Other topics will include embracive thinking, relational dynamics, and operational leadership.

We know transformative leaders are necessary in today’s unpredictable environment. To respond to this critical need, we have worked to ensure our global series will allow participants to interact with leaders from around the world and still be affordable for executives of all levels. The cost for this eight-part series is just $600. To find out more about the Holistic Leadership Series and to pre-register, visit the IU Executive Education website.

For more information about IU Executive Education, call 317-274-3418 or contact Sara Johnson directly via email.


To find out more about the Holistic Leadership Series and to pre-register, visit the IU Executive Education website.
IU Executive Education Holistic Leadership Series
2-hour webinar
4th Wednesday of each month, March 24-Oct. 27

Pre-register

Feb 23

Local university adopts a rural work college model to transform higher education for nontraditional urban students

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not for Profit News

The profile of students who attend Martin University is anything but traditional. The average age is 38, and more than half are Millennials. Many are juggling low-wage, part-time jobs and parenting responsibilities as heads of household. And it’s not unusual for them to be carrying student debt after transferring from other colleges, according to Ezell Marrs, vice president for enrollment management for the Near Eastside Indianapolis educational institution.

Those unique circumstances led Martin University to introduce a work college model that has been primarily limited to rural and small-town communities until recent years. Under the work college model, students pursue their degree while making a commitment to work and provide service for the university or university partners.

Martin WORKS, the urban work college established with the assistance of a $1 million Lilly Endowment grant, improves students’ odds of better post-graduation outcomes since they will be paired with companies that provide relevant work experience. “They are not paying tuition as part of this program — and they are getting paid a competitive wage with top-tier corporate employers, in some cases, Fortune 500 companies,” Marrs said. “They will engage in learning and work-related experience that will set them up for full-time employment in more profitable careers.”

In some historic work college models, everyone who works at the campus is a student with the exception of faculty, Marrs said. Over the decades, many have evolved to meet new career demands. Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., for example, was founded in 1894 as the Asheville Farm School to give underserved and, in some cases, previously uneducated young people, more solid job prospects through a low-cost education. In 1967, it became a four-year liberal arts college. Today, Warren Wilson College, which has been touted as a “best buy” by Fiske Guide to Colleges, continues its focus on “learning by doing” through a work program and community engagement.

“The work college model has been around for some time, but It’s a fairly new concept for an urban setting,” Marrs said. “Paul Quinn College in Dallas pioneered the urban work college. We are now pioneering an urban work college for post-traditional students.”

Martin Works, which will accept its first students in the fall of 2021, is centered around three pillars to ensure that its students succeed — academics, relevant employment with corporate partners, and community service, with a focus on serving its surrounding neighborhood in the 46218 zip code, Marrs said.

The program also requires that participants first engage in a summer training session to ensure they are prepared to work in corporate settings, Marrs said. “The Martin WORKS Academy, the preparatory piece that proceeds enrollment, will help students learn the skills and foundational courses that will go into their jobs. When we send a student off to a Fortune 500 company, we will ensure they have basic employability skills, including communication skills and other soft skills.”

The work college model addresses some of the inequities inherent in some traditional internship programs in which students are not paid or underpaid to gain experience in their preferred careers, Marrs said. Historically, that has been a challenging prospect for students who can’t afford to forego a steady paycheck. “I know of a student from Ball State who was working in media and not getting paid,” Marrs said. “His situation allows him to be agreeable to that because he needs the experience. Our students have more responsibilities and need both experience and compensation.”

Another component of the program is designed to equip the students for home ownership through affordable housing provided by community partners that specialize in housing, Marrs said.

Martin Works will ultimately give a student the ability to graduate with better job prospects, and the foundation for a stable life — critical steps to addressing racial and social inequities in the community, Marrs said.

“They will walk across the stage with a resume with relevant work experience, a diploma and a job — and very little or no school loan debt,” he said.

Prospective students interested in the program can apply by visiting Martin University’s site.

Feb 15

7 key considerations for analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofit financial reporting

By Sponsor Insight

by Sarah Gregory, CPA, CFE, director, Alerding CPA Group

With COVID-19 having an unprecedented impact on the operations of nonprofit organizations, it’s critical, as a nonprofit leader, financial/accounting professional, auditor or board member, to consider the impact it may have on your year-end financial reporting for 2020.

As your team closes out its financial records for 2020, make sure you take into account the following key accounting and auditing considerations prior to your financial reporting engagement:

  1. Determine options for remote auditing. While access to records may be limited, auditors will still need to gain access to certain records. Ensure that your financial team takes the necessary steps to accommodate remote auditing. Prepare for this type of engagement by reviewing various remote options beforehand.
  2. Assess existing internal controls and segregation of duties over financial reporting. It’s likely they may have been impacted during the year due to staff absences or reductions.
  3. Analyze your organization’s risk for fraud. Your vulnerability to fraud risk may be heightened as a result of the current environment for added incentive or pressure to perpetrate fraud, opportunity to commit fraud, and rationalization to justify a fraudulent action. Examples of risks could include:
  • Fictious revenue – creating incentives and opportunities to record revenue that is fictious. An example could be an individual who inflates their sales since their compensation is directly tied to meeting sales targets.
  • Improper timing of revenue and expenses – improperly recording revenue and/or expenses in a period in which the revenue was not earned or delaying the expense to a later period in which the services were not performed.
  • Federal relief program applications – increased pressure to apply for Paycheck Protection Program funds, including forgiveness due to economic downturn.

4. Prepare for variances in auditing inventory. With COVID-19 disrupting operations, inventory observations may need to be postponed, conducted remotely or performed under different circumstances than prior years.

5. Account for additional disclosures. Be prepared to account for significant financial impacts related to COVID-19. They may require you to include additional disclosures within your financial statements and potential evaluation of going concern issues related to the organizations ability to continue indefinitely and being profitable.

6. Account for delayed ASU. Accounting Standard Update (ASU) 2020-05, Revenue from Contacts with Customers (Topic 606) and Leases (Topic 842): Effective Date for Certain Entities, allowed organizations to delay the effective date these ASU’s for one year. If your organization did not early adopt as of your most recent fiscal year end, you will be required to adopt these ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) in the current year. ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022.

7. Identify delayed payments and waived fees. If your organization received relief from creditors and lessors in the form of delayed payments, waived fees, or adjusted amortization schedules, you will need to ensure you are correctly accounting for these modifications or extinguishment of liabilities.

The impact of COVID-19 will continue to be felt for years to come. As you close out your financial records and prepare for your financial reporting services, make sure you include these considerations as part of your process.

Feb 09

2020: Resumen de un año inolvidable {CICF}

By Uncategorized

por Brian Payne, presidente de la Fundación Comunitaria de Indiana Central (Central Indiana Community Foundation); Tom Kilian, presidente de la Fundación Comunitaria del Condado de Hamilton (Hamilton County Community Foundation); y Jennifer Pope Baker, presidenta del Fondo de Mujeres de Indiana Central (Women’s Fund of Central Indiana)

(Para leer en español, haga clic aquí) Translated by LUNA Language Services

Los titulares están diseñados para captar nuestra atención. Los titulares de 2020 hicieron que las personas de esta comunidad y del país confrontaran la historia racista de Estados Unidos, además de nuestra realidad actual. Desde la destrucción única de la pandemia de la COVID-19 en las personas de color hasta la vigilancia excesiva y la protección insuficiente de estas mismas comunidades, las historias en todo el país destacaron el racismo sistémico que se encuentra arraigado en los cimientos de nuestro país.

Reconocer y sanar las heridas de más de 400 años de opresión sigue siendo desafiante y doloroso. Desmantelar los sistemas que mantienen vivas estas prácticas racistas bajo un velo de daltonismo y una ingeniosa reinvención, a menudo, parece inviable. Pero, citando a James Baldwin, “nada se puede cambiar hasta que se enfrenta”.

A pesar de estos desafíos, la Fundación Comunitaria de Indiana Central (Central Indiana Community Foundation, CICF) y sus filiales, la Fundación Indianápolis (Indianapolis Foundation) y la Fundación Comunitaria del Condado de Hamilton, y el Fondo de Mujeres de Indiana Central, continúan comprometidos con orgullo con los esfuerzos que crean una comunidad que funcione para todos, independientemente del lugar, la raza o la identidad. Cuando creamos nuestros fondos de ayuda equitativa para la crisis económica y de salud ante la COVID-19, nos probamos a nosotros mismos que el principio de “equidad primero” se ha arraigado verdaderamente en nuestras organizaciones. Hemos estimulado a nuestros directivos, al personal y a los embajadores, para que sean innovadores en el apoyo y enriquecimiento de los activos de los vecindarios. Reestructuramos nuestras políticas y prácticas para satisfacer las necesidades de la comunidad. Nos asociamos con directivos corporativos y cívicos para hacer compromisos, con el fin de erradicar el racismo dentro de sus puestos de poder y en sus vidas personales.

Así que, sí, estamos orgullosos de lo que hemos logrado, pero también reconocemos todo lo que aún nos falta en este trabajo. Necesitamos el compromiso de todos para hacer que la equidad se convierta en una realidad. Si se sienten inspirados, y pueden hacerlo, hagan un aporte a nuestro Fondo de Aliados en la Equidad (Equity Partners Fund).Este regalo ayudará a empoderar a las personas, a cambiar los sistemas y a hacer de Indiana Central una región conocida por ser la comunidad más antirracista del país.

Tenga en cuenta que cuando estos titulares hayan pasado, mantendremos nuestra misión de equidad y continuaremos nuestro trabajo para desmantelar el racismo sistémico. Seguiremos eliminando las barreras que separan las oportunidades de muchos de nuestros vecinos. Y crearemos una ciudad incluyente y una comunidad de Indiana central para todos.

Haga clic aquí para ver más de nuestras noticias destacadas.

Feb 09

2020: An Unforgettable Year in Review by CICF

By Uncategorized

by Brian Payne, president of Central Indiana Community Foundation; Tom Kilian, president of Hamilton County Community Foundation; and Jennifer Pope Baker, president of Women’s Fund of Central Indiana

(Para leer en español, haga clic aquí) Translated by LUNA Language Services

Headlines are designed to catch our attention. The headlines of 2020 made people across this community and the nation confront America’s racist history in addition to our current reality. From the unique destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color to the over-policing and under-protecting of these same communities, stories across the country highlighted the systemic racism ingrained in our country’s foundation.

Recognizing and healing the wounds of over 400 years of oppression continues to be challenging and painful. Dismantling the systems that keep these racist practices alive beneath a veil of colorblindness and clever reinvention often seem unfeasible. But to quote James Baldwin, “Nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

In spite of these challenges, CICF and its affiliates, The Indianapolis Foundation and Hamilton County Community Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, continue to proudly commit to efforts that create a community that works for everyone — no matter place, race or identity. We have proven to ourselves that “equity-first” principles have truly become embedded in our organizations when we created our equity-based relief funds for the COVID-19 health and economic crisis. We’ve galvanized our leadership, staff and ambassadors to be innovative to support and uplift neighborhood assets. We’ve restructured our policies and practices to meet community need. We’ve partnered with corporate and civic leaders to make commitments to end racism within their seats of power and in their personal lives.

So, yes, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we also recognize how far we still have to go in this work. We need everyone’s commitment to make equity a reality. If you’re inspired to — and are able — please make a contribution to our Equity Partners Fund. This gift will help empower people, change systems, and make Central Indiana a region known for being the most anti-racist community in the nation.

Know that when these headlines have passed, we will hold to our mission of equity and continue our work to dismantle systemic racism. We will continue to remove the barriers separating opportunity from so many of our neighbors. And we will create an Inclusive City and a Central Indiana community for all.

Click here to view more of our highlights.

Feb 08

Mapa de ruta hacia la unidad: cómo la junta del Museo Estatal de Indiana prevaleció para lograr el cumplimiento entre sus grupos de Amigos

By Espanol

Miembros de la junta y voluntarios de 11 lugares históricos recorren un trayecto de un año para alcanzar un modelo de colaboración

por Shari Finnell, Editora, Not for Profit News

read in English, click here) Translated by LUNA Language Services

Cuando los voluntarios prestan un servicio invaluable a una organización sin fines de lucro puede ser un desafío decirles que se equivocan en algunas áreas fundamentales, especialmente cuando han estado operando de ese modo durante años o, en algunos casos, décadas.

Ese fue el dilema que enfrentó la Junta Directiva del Museo Estatal de Indiana después de la reunión del 6 de marzo de 2019 en la que el presidente anterior de la junta, Greg Pemberton, describió la necesidad de actualizar el plan del Memorando de Entendimiento (Memorandum of Understanding, MOU) para los grupos de Amigos conectados a su red de 11 lugares históricos de todo el estado de Indiana.

“Muchos de estos grupos han mantenido al estado a distancia durante varios años, y algunos desconfían cuando los grupos de Amigos y la organización del Museo Estatal de Indiana y los lugares históricos tienen la misma meta”, dijo Pemberton, antes de dirigir la discusión de la junta sobre las principales áreas de preocupación:

  • Los grupos de Amigos no pueden operar independientemente del sistema general del museo. Sin embargo, muchos habían estado actuando de forma independiente durante décadas: desarrollaron su propia marca para sus sitios web y material de mercadeo, llevaron a cabo actividades relacionadas con la junta para sus respectivos lugares y, en algunos casos, se identificaron como organizaciones 501(c)3 apartes.
  • Algunos de los grupos habían estado entregando de manera inconstante información fiscal al estado, lo cual es requerido por la ley.
  • Cada grupo había estado operando de conformidad con MOU obsoletos, los cuales se redactaron antes de que el sistema de museos se convirtiera en una agencia cuasi estatal en 2011. Todos estos MOU se deberían actualizar para que se alineen con los requisitos legales descritos por la oficina del fiscal general. El nuevo MOU dictaría que todos los fondos y donaciones del sistema de 12 redes, incluido el Museo Estatal de Indiana, deben provenir de un fondo unificado.
Cathy Ferree

Los miembros de la junta parecían tener una actitud optimista porque muchos de estos problemas se podrían abordar rápidamente con un nuevo MOU y una serie de discusiones con sus grupos de Amigos. Al final de la reunión de la junta, Cathy Ferree, Directora Ejecutiva (Chief Executive Officer, CEO) y Presidenta del Museo Estatal de Indiana (Indiana State Museum, ISM), y Kate Brownlee, Directora de Desarrollo del ISM, habían acordado reunirse con los directores regionales y la Junta Directiva de Amigos durante un período de dos meses. La meta final era que los grupos de Amigos operaran de conformidad con los nuevos MOU antes del 1.º de julio de 2019.

Se encontró resistencia en el camino

Resulta que cambiarse al nuevo MOU no fue una propuesta sencilla.

De manera abrumadora, la respuesta de los grupos de Amigos al operar de conformidad con las nuevas pautas fue: “¿Por qué queremos cambiar las cosas?”, recordó Andrew Briggs, quien ha sido miembro de la junta del ISM durante 10 años aproximadamente.

“Muchos de estos grupos se establecieron hace años”, dijo Briggs, un banquero de Geneva, Indiana, quien también se desempeña como Presidente de la Asociación de Banqueros de Indiana. “No tenían una estructura que propiciara una entidad cuasi gubernamental. Hicieron las cosas a su manera, ‘bajo nuestro amparo y número de identificación fiscal’”.

Al menos un grupo de Amigos acudió a sus legisladores para que bloquearan la implementación del nuevo MOU entre los lugares históricos.

“Fue complicado”, recuerda Ferree. “El cambio es difícil para las personas. Muchos de ellos estaban confundidos; no entendían por qué las reglas habían cambiado de repente”.

Muchas de las complejidades habían precedido a este asunto de gobernanza en particular. Casi nueve años antes, el Museo Estatal de Indiana y los lugares históricos emprendieron los pasos para convertirse en una organización cuasi estatal, y funcionar como una agencia estatal y una organización sin fines de lucro.

“Necesitábamos recaudar nuestro propio dinero de una manera que no habíamos hecho antes. Actualmente, el setenta y cinco por ciento de la organización recibe financiamiento del estado y el veinticinco por ciento lo recaudamos nosotros mismos”, dijo Ferree.

Ferree señaló, además, que antes de ese momento, los grupos de Amigos habían operado como organizaciones independientes 501c3. El estatuto que rige las entidades cuasi estatales dictaba un cambio en la forma en que funcionaban y, efectivamente, cambió las relaciones a largo plazo del museo con sus organizaciones de Amigos, según Ferree.

Otro nivel de complejidad se remonta a 2009, cuando el entonces Gobernador de Indiana, Mitch Daniels, anunció un plan para fusionar el Museo Estatal de Indiana y 12 lugares históricos en una nueva agencia. Muchos de los miembros del grupo de Amigos habían participado activamente en sus respectivos lugares, mucho antes de que cualquiera de estas decisiones diera resultado.

“Necesitábamos recalibrar nuestras relaciones”, apuntó Ferree. “La colaboración estaba presente, pero habían podido operar de manera más independiente. No es ni malo ni bueno. Solo necesitábamos estar seguros de que estábamos en sintonía y de que había cosas que todavía teníamos que hacer para convertirnos en una cuasi organización completa”.

“Fue un proceso difícil”, agregó Ferree. “Realmente tuvimos que conversar mucho, escuchar y entender para que pudiéramos hacer este cambio. Y es una propuesta aún más compleja cuando se trabaja con diferentes grupos y cada uno tiene su propia cultura y necesidades”.

Los miembros de la junta invierten en un esfuerzo intensivo para llegar a una resolución

Según Briggs, aunque hubo una fuerte resistencia al nuevo MOU, la junta y el personal sabían que no podían dar marcha atrás. “Queríamos asegurarnos de que todo estuviera bien, y era hora de poner todo en línea para que coincidiera con los códigos del Servicio de Impuestos Internos (Internal Revenue Service, IRS)”, dijo. “Sin embargo, todos estos grupos diferentes hicieron lo que les correspondía. No queríamos correr el riesgo de informar de algo incorrectamente. Eso nos pondría a todos en riesgo”.

Con Ferree y Brownlee encontrando un retroceso significativo como empleados del Museo Estatal de Indiana, varios miembros de la junta, incluso Briggs, asumieron el desafío de acercarse a los grupos de Amigos en lo que resultaría ser una serie de reuniones y conversaciones durante 2020.

La miembro de la junta, Nancy Jordan, dijo que era imperativo que la junta interviniera para resolver el conflicto. “La junta tiene la responsabilidad final de procurar que esta agencia cuasi gubernamental esté cumpliendo con nuestra misión y con los deberes de cuidado”, dijo Jordan, quien es Vicepresidenta Sénior de Lincoln Financial Group. “También queríamos escuchar de primera mano las necesidades, pensamientos e inquietudes de todos estos grupos de apoyo. Su voz es fundamental para nuestro éxito colectivo”.

William A. Browne, Jr., Presidente de la junta del ISM, dijo que era especialmente importante reconocer el valor del grupo de Amigos y, al mismo tiempo, ser directo sobre la necesidad del cambio.

“Los grupos de Amigos han tenido la buena meta de cuidar estos lugares históricos, pero no todos operaban de conformidad con las mismas reglas”, explicó Browne, quien también es Director y Presidente de Ratio Architects, LLC. “Tenemos que justificar cada dólar que generan los lugares y el museo para poder presentar los impuestos de manera adecuada. Eso se convirtió en un problema durante años porque cada uno de los grupos de Amigos operaba de forma libre, por así decirlo. No es el tipo de estructura que se necesitaba establecer para un cuasi gobierno”.

Cuando los miembros de la junta comenzaron a reunirse con varios grupos de Amigos entendieron que la línea de tiempo original no sería suficiente para lograr una verdadera colaboración.

“Empezamos a meternos en esto y nos dimos cuenta de que las personas estaban muy apegadas emocionalmente y estábamos agitando las cosas porque les pedíamos que operaran de manera diferente”, dijo Browne. “Algunas personas se opusieron a eso. Tuvimos que idear una estrategia porque, al final, sabíamos que no sería más que algo positivo para nosotros”.

Enfoque en escuchar a los demás y en colaborar

Según Ferree, el compromiso de la junta de involucrar a miembros de los grupos de Amigos, líderes comunitarios y legisladores locales en las difíciles conversaciones fue clave para lograr una verdadera colaboración.

“Los miembros de la junta hicieron todo lo posible y más, viajaron por todo el estado, pasaron mucho tiempo hablando con las personas y resolviendo las cosas”, dijo. “Se tomaron su tiempo para hacer avanzar la institución en una situación complicada. Propusieron habilidades muy diferentes en la reunión, uniéndose en torno a las fortalezas de cada uno”.

Ferree dijo que como consecuencia de las reuniones, los equipos establecieron pautas para los socios comunitarios, organizaron reuniones trimestrales en las que se podía recibir a cualquier persona de la comunidad y garantizaron la transparencia en todos los niveles.

“Nos dimos cuenta de que necesitábamos formalizar las comunicaciones de una manera que nos hiciera responsables ante los grupos de Amigos”, dijo. “Si vamos a pedirles que nos ayuden a hacer cosas en todo el sistema, debemos ser transparentes”.

Jordan dijo que el enfoque de colaboración final derivó en un resultado beneficioso para todos. “Un gran beneficio intangible ha sido la oportunidad de reunir a los Amigos y grupos de apoyo para aprender unos de otros”, dijo.

Browne dijo que la clave para cualquier asociación exitosa radica en la capacidad de comunicarse y conectarse. “Con el marco adecuado para que esa comunicación pueda ocurrir, puedes superar muchas brechas y problemas”, dijo. “Establecer una estrategia de comunicación es realmente fundamental para tener una relación y un diálogo exitosos a través de la distancia”.

Feb 08

Roadmap to unity: How Indiana State Museum and Historic Site’s board prevailed in achieving compliance among its Friends groups

By Feature

Board members and volunteers at 11 historic sites navigate a year-long journey to reach a model of collaboration

by Shari Finnell, editor, Not for Profit News

(Para leer en español, haga clic aquí) Translated by LUNA Language Services

When volunteers are providing an invaluable service to a nonprofit, it can be challenging to tell them that they have it all wrong in some critical areas — especially when they’ve been operating in that mode for years or, in some cases, decades.

That was the dilemma facing the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites’ board of directors following a March 6, 2019, meeting in which its past board president, Greg Pemberton, an attorney, outlined the need to update a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Plan for the Friends groups connected to its network of 11 historic sites across the state of Indiana.

“Many of these groups have kept the state at arm’s length for several years, and some are untrusting when both the Friends groups and the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites (ISMHS) organization both have the same goal,” Pemberton said during the 2019 meeting, before leading a board discussion on numerous areas of concern:

  • Friends groups cannot operate independently of the overall museum system. However, many had been acting independently for decades, developing their own branding for their websites and marketing collateral; operating board-related activities for their respective sites; and, in some cases, identifying themselves as separate 501(c)3 organizations.
  • Some of the groups had been inconsistently reporting tax information to the state, which is required under law.
  • Each group had been operating under outdated MOUs, which were drafted before the museum system became a quasi-state agency in 2011. All of these MOUs would need to be updated to align with legal requirements outlined by the attorney general’s office. The new guidelines would dictate that all funding and donations from the 12-network system, including the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, must come from one unified fund.
Cathy Ferree, ISM President and CEO

The board members seemed optimistic that many of these issues could be quickly addressed with new Community Partner Guidelines, and a series of discussions with its five Friends groups. By the end of the board meeting, Cathy Ferree, ISMHS president and CEO, and Kate Brownlee, then ISM chief development officer, had agreed to meet with ISMHS regional directors and friends’ board of directors over a two-month period. The ultimate goal was to have the Friends groups operating under the new guidelines by July 1, 2019.

Encountering resistance along the way

As it turns out, shifting to the new agreement wasn’t a straightforward proposition.

Overwhelmingly, the Friends groups’ response to operating under the new guidelines was, “Why do we want to change things?,” recalled Andrew Briggs, who has been an ISM board member for about 1o years.

“A lot of these groups had been set up years ago,” said Briggs, a banker from Geneva., Ind., who also serves as the chairman of the Indiana Bankers Association. “They didn’t have a structure that was conducive to a quasi-government entity. They sort of did things their own way — ‘under our umbrella and tax ID number.’”

According to P. Garrett Adams, President/Board Chair for the T.C. Steele State Historic Site Friends group, the site in Nashville, Ind., had been operating independently for nearly 30 years. The members of the volunteer organization had developed close ties with the site staff and community, actively recruiting volunteers, raising funds for capital improvements and seeking grants to support enhancements, including a recreation of Steele’s studio wagon, and the purchase of AV equipment and golf carts for visitors.

When that model of operations was threatened to be disrupted, members of the Friends group feared that their long-term relationship with the site and its staff also would be impacted, said Adams, who is a pharmaceutical project manager for Eli Lilly & Co. “We were not as concerned about losing autonomy,” he recalled. “We needed a better understanding of the impact on members and membership benefits. The larger focus was on seeking to understand what it meant for our relationship to the site.”

Because of those types of concerns, at least one Friends group appealed to its local legislators to block the implementation of the new MOU among the historic sites, Ferree recalled. “It was complicated,” she said. “Change is difficult for people. Many of them were confused; they didn’t understand why the rules had suddenly changed.”

Many of the complexities had preceded this particular governance issue. Nearly nine years prior, the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites undertook the steps to become a quasi-state organization, operating as a state agency and a nonprofit organization. In the face of declining financial support in state dollars, the new structure gave them the ability to apply for grants and invest in fundraising initiatives.

However, it was all new territory. “We needed to raise our own dollars in a way we had not done before. Currently, 75 percent of the organization is funded by the state and 25 percent we raise ourselves,” Ferree said.

Also, before that time, Friends groups had operated as independent 501c3 organizations, Ferree pointed out. Since the statute governing quasi-governmental entities dictated a change in the way they operated, it demanded a shift in the museum’s long-term relationships with its Friends organizations.

Another layer of complexity dated back to 2009, when then Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels announced a plan to merge the Indiana State Museum and 11 historic sites under one new agency. Many of the Friends group members had been actively involved in their respective sites long before any of these decisions came to fruition.

“We needed to recalibrate our relationships,” Ferree said. “The collaboration had been there, but they had been able to operate more independently. It’s not bad or good. We just needed to be sure we were on the same page; there were things we still needed to do to become a full quasi-governmental organization.

“It was a difficult process,” Ferree added. “It really took a lot of conversation and listening and understanding for us to make this shift. And it’s an even more complex proposition when you’re working with different groups that each have their own culture and needs.”

Board members invest in an intensive endeavor to reach resolution

Although there was strong resistance to the new agreement, the board and staff knew they couldn’t back down, Briggs said. “We wanted to make sure everything was right, and it was time to bring everything in line to match up with IRS codes,” he said. “We had all these different groups doing their own thing. We didn’t want to take the risk of not reporting something correctly. That would put all of us at risk.”

With Ferree and Brownlee encountering significant pushback as employees of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, several board members, including Briggs, embraced the challenge of reaching out to the Friends groups in what would turn out to be a series of meetings and conversations throughout 2020.

Board member Nancy Jordan said it was imperative that the board stepped in to resolve the conflict. “The board has ultimate responsibility to ensure this quasi-government agency is delivering on our mission and meeting the duties of care,” said Jordan, who is a senior vice president at Lincoln Financial Group. “We also wanted to hear first-hand the needs, thoughts and concerns of all these supporting groups. Their voice is critical to our collective success.”

William A. Browne, Jr., ISMHS board president, said it was especially important to recognize the value of the Friends group while, at the same time, being direct about the need for change.

“The Friends groups have had the good goal of taking care of these historic sites but they were not all operating under the same rules,” explained Browne, who also is principal/president of Ratio Architects, LLC. “We have to report every single dollar the sites and museum generates so we can file taxes appropriately. That became an issue over the years because each of the Friends group was operating in a free-form manner, if you will. It’s not the kind of structure that needed to be put in place for a quasi government.”

As board members started meeting with various Friends groups, they understood that the original timeline wouldn’t suffice to achieve true collaboration.

“We started to wade into this, and realized that people were very emotionally attached and we were stirring things up because we were asking them to operate differently,” Browne said. “Some people took exception with that. We had to figure out a strategy because, in the end, we knew it would be nothing but a positive thing for us.”

A focus on listening and collaboration

According to Ferree, the board’s commitment to drawing Friends group members, community leaders, and local legislators into difficult conversations was key to achieving true collaboration.

“The board members went above and beyond, traveling throughout the state, spending a lot of time talking to people and sorting things through,” she said. “They took extended time to move the institution forward in a complicated situation. They brought very different skills to the table, rallying around each other’s strengths.”

As a result of the meetings, the teams established the community partner guidelines, and set up quarterly meetings — to begin in mid-March — and attended by Ferree, board members, and other ISMHS staff. The agenda is set by site staff and the meetings will be run by site managers and regional directors. The meetings are open to anyone in the community, and will provide increased transparency at all levels, Ferree said.

“We realized that we needed to formalize the communications in a way that held us accountable to the Friends’ groups,” she said. “If we were going to ask them to help us do things systemwide, we need to be transparent.”

Jordan said the resulting collaborative approach resulted in a win-win outcome. “A great intangible benefit has been the opportunity to bring the Friends/supporting groups together to learn from each other,” she said.

Browne said the key to any successful partnership lies in the ability to communicate and connect. “With the right framework for that communication to be able to occur, you can bridge a lot of gaps and issues,” he said. “Just setting up a communications strategy is really critical to having a successful relationship and dialogue across distance.”

As a result of that collaborative approach spearheaded by the ISMHS board, the Friends groups are overall pleased with the outcome, Adams said. “We were able to get to a very good place,” he said. “The board did very well in bringing everyone together, talking through ideas, concerns and questions. It worked out very well. We are all now looking through a common lens, and we’re excited about things moving forward and the future of our collaboration.”