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May 25

Circle Up Indy’s 5th Annual Peace Festival raises awareness about ongoing needs in disadvantaged neighborhoods

By Feature

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer

James C. Wilson, CEO and founder of the nonprofit organization Circle Up Indy, vividly recalls the day he was interviewed by a TV journalist for a story about his volunteerism in Martindale-Brightwood — an Eastside Indianapolis neighborhood plagued by poverty and high unemployment rates.

At the time, Wilson, who grew up in the neighborhood, was astonished that many of his neighbors were calling out to him during the taping … asking him to be a spokesperson on their behalf. “Tell them about the sidewalks! Politicians don’t care about us!,” Wilson said, recalling some of the pleas directed at him.

Those voices stuck with him, prompting him to step beyond his volunteerism to launch Circle Up Indy in 2014. The organization is focused on advocating for initiatives to transform impoverished neighborhoods in Indianapolis and surrounding counties, including Martindale-Brightwood.

Circle Up Indy also hosts an annual festival that is designed to raise awareness and intentionally discuss and address socio-economic disadvantages many black and minority families experience and to increase community accountability across the city, according to an organization statement.

Due to COVID-19, the festival was cancelled in 2020, Wilson said, but the 5th Annual Peace Festival is on for this year. It is scheduled for July 10, from noon to 7 p.m., at Frederick Douglass Park on the Park’s 100th Anniversary. Because of the late start in determining whether the festival would go on as scheduled, Wilson and his team are still seeking commitments for vendors and partners.

Wilson, who also has a podcast through a WISH-TV partnership, acknowledges that he sometimes feels overwhelmed with his role in transforming his childhood neighborhood and others like it. He said he feels a responsibility to advocate for transformation, which, in all too many cases, seems to be a slow process.

“I’m honored but I’m terrified. I just want to help people,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of pressure on me to change things but at times it seems we’re barely pushing the needle. I’m watching friends and family die.”

Wilson, who spent most of his formative years — since the age of 10 — in and out of prison, has first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing some of the youth and families in troubled neighborhoods. “I never had a father teach me how to be a man. The streets taught me what I thought it meant to be a man,” he said.

During his last stint in prison, the trajectory of Wilson’s life took a turn for the better. He met several older inmates who saw his untapped potential. “These brothers taught me so much about life,” he said. “They kept reiterating, ‘they can take your body, but they can’t take your mind.’”

When Wilson was released after serving eight years of a 10-year prison term on a robbery conviction, he thought about those invaluable lessons and attended Ivy Tech, where he became active in volunteerism, including serving as student body president, regularly participating in Lilly Global Day of Service, and serving as president of Collegiate 100, an affiliate of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis.

It was then that his community work caught the attention of a television station, which led to that unforgettable exchange with his neighbors. “After that interview, I didn’t know what to do about all the issues going on in my community … no resources, no jobs, no housing opportunities, lack of quality education,” Wilson said. “They feel snubbed because they don’t see development in their community.”

He considered what he could do to encourage an investment of resources in the community to change outcomes, including health-related programs to address mental health and addiction.

Through Circle Up Indy, he has seen progress but not as much as he had hoped for seven years ago. He is encouraged that an increasing number of individuals representing various organizations have taken the time to visit the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, including executive leaders from Central Indiana Community Foundation, Lilly Endowment, Inc., and Community Health Network, a major sponsor of the 5th Annual Peace Festival.

He noted major milestones such as the opening of a 15,000-square-foot library in 2020 and the Kipp Indy Legacy High, a high school that was founded in 2019.

Wilson noted that housing is a major issue in the community. “Education is always a concern but it’s offset when you have housing issues,” he said. “No one feels comfortable in school if their home situation is not stable.”

Earlier this year, the city of Indianapolis announced that $3.5 million would be invested in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood as part of the Lift Indy program. Under the initiative, at least 10 low-income households will have the opportunity for homeownership through career coaching and home repair.

Wilson said he is hopeful that more changes are coming for Martindale-Brightwood through a strategic, comprehensive plan that takes into account the root causes of the problems in the neighborhood — not just the data.

“It’s just the beginning,” Wilson said. “It takes a community. Not just me. It takes all of us.”

About the 5th Annual Peace Festival

The event, which takes place on July 10, from noon to 7 p.m., at Frederick Douglass Park, offers a wide range of information and resources staffed by local organizations who will help the community focus on addressing untreated trauma, slow economic development, and community accountability through effective programs, resources, employment, entrepreneurial development, and educational opportunities.

The Community Health Network Pavilion (Healthcare Zone), staffed by Community Health Network physicians, nurses, and volunteers, will provide attendees with blood pressure checks, free COVID-19 vaccines, mental health education, and other health-related wellness education.

The festival also will feature carnival games, drawings, prizes, kid zone activities, animal attraction, food and live entertainment.

Circle Up Indy is inviting vendors, exhibitors and volunteers to register to participate. Vendors can register here, exhibitors can register here and volunteers can register here.

May 17

Achieving racial inclusion in the workplace

By Sponsor Insight

by Jeremy York, author, Synergy, adapted from the Society for Human Resource Management

Ensuring people from underrepresented communities are recruited and advanced is far more beneficial for an organization than recruiting or advancing any one individual. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) attempts to level the playing field to allow the best ideas to flourish, connect talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with opportunities that those in the majority often have unfair access to, and empower the best organizations to thrive. Done right, creating diverse, equitable, inclusive organizations yield greater profitability, innovation, and smarter teams.

When employees who are different from their colleagues are allowed to flourish, the company benefits from their ideas, skills and engagement. The retention rate of those workers also rises. Here are five practical strategies for creating an inclusive environment.

  1. Educate your leaders. Your organization’s executives and managers will be instrumental to your DEI efforts. Leaders — especially middle managers — must be held accountable for results. Leaders should be expected to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and, more importantly, to be responsible for the environment in their respective departments. Ongoing feedback from their own managers will help to hold them accountable, as does tying the goal to their performance evaluations.
  2. Form an inclusion council. Consider forming a council comprised of a dedicated group of eight to 12 influential leaders who are one or two levels below the CEO. Carefully select them for their passion and commitment to inclusion. They need to be “a channel for communication” between the rank and file and the C-suite, and that includes advocating for inclusiveness in discussions with top executives when necessary. Ideally, councils should be involved in goal-setting around hiring, retaining and advancing a diverse workforce and in addressing any employee engagement problems among underrepresented employee groups.
  3. Celebrate employee differences. One of the most important ways to show employees that you respect their backgrounds and traditions is to invite them to share those in the workplace. It’s well-known that diversity in teams leads to better decision-making, greater innovation and, ultimately, higher returns. Inclusion is what connects people to the business, and we believe it’s one of the core reasons that diverse employees stay with organizations that recognize and celebrate diversity.
  4. Listen to employees. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your organization’s demographics and people processes to develop specific strategies to promote inclusiveness. Think about the culture you want and how you can create one that is authentic to your brand while meeting the needs of your employees.
  5. Communicate goals and measure progress. Establish and clearly communicate specific, measurable and time-bound goals as you would with any other strategic aim. Every company should first benchmark their culture before they begin investing in it. Here are some actions to follow:

    Conduct a full audit of your people processes — from recruiting and hiring to developing and retaining employees. Couple the data with engagement and other workforce survey data to gain a full measure of your climate.
  • Identify any shortcomings and measurable discrepancies around inclusiveness in your organization.
  • Instill rigor into inclusion strategies with data-driven plans, and measure the results.
  • Establish a clear business case for how the company will benefit by having a more inclusive culture by asking:
  1. What are our inclusion goals?
  2. What are the reasons for those goals?
  3. How do we quantify inclusion?
  4. How will inclusion impact our mission, brand or bottom line?

When you can answer these questions, you’re speaking the language of your stakeholders, legitimizing the business of inclusion and making inclusion a ‘verb’ versus an ideal.

Instead of trying to change some people to fit the organization, we must focus on transforming our organizations to fit all people. To get workplace diversity and inclusion right, you need to build a culture where everyone feels valued and heard.

To hear the full interview with Jeremy York of Synergy, click below.

May 10

Addressing Indianapolis’ food desert challenges

By Feature

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

For many Indianapolis residents, the ritual of getting dinner on the table throughout the week may involve a combination of trips to the grocery store, takeout and delivery from a few favorite restaurants or, as an increasingly popular option, meal kit delivery subscriptions.

Those options are rarely available for at least 208,000 people living in Indianapolis neighborhoods that fall into the category of food deserts, according to “Getting Groceries,” a report published by SAVI in 2019. The report, which tracked the number of people who live in low-income areas with no grocery stores and healthy food options easily accessible by public transportation, revealed a 10 percent increase from 2016 to 2019 — just one year before the COVID-19 pandemic, an event that likely further exacerbated food access challenges.

With grocery retailers closing, as in the case of Marsh in 2017, and others opening or expanding in non-food desert areas of the city, corporations, nonprofits and government leaders have announced plans in recent months to fill the gap.

One of the most recent developments is a proposed14,000-square-foot grocery store near 38th Street and Sheridan Avenue — a location that has been designated as a food desert. Cook Medical, Inc., based in Bloomington, Ind., announced it is collaborating with numerous nonprofit organizations and neighborhood leaders to prepare for the opening of Indy Fresh Market in 2022. The partners include Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, The Indianapolis Foundation, IMPACT Central Indiana, Martin University, the State of Indiana, City of Indianapolis, and the United Northeast Community Development Corporation.

In another recent development, the state of Indiana approved a pilot project that would provide $600,000 to an individual or entity opening a grocery store in a low-income area “where access to resources for food is limited in a consolidated city.” The money is to be used specifically for providing training and acquiring equipment for a store being opened by people who already have private funding to build or rent a building.

Also, Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) and the Anthem Foundation are issuing a series of grants — totaling $2.45 million — under Equitable Food Systems in Indianapolis Neighborhoods, an initiative to increase food access and food security in food deserts. Those applying for the grants may offer a range of options, from community kitchens to urban gardens, grocery stores or mobile markets. 

Ultimately, these latest developments in Central Indiana can make a significant impact in health outcomes for people who currently live in food deserts, said Unai Miguel Andres, a GIS and data analyst for The Polis Center, which launched the SAVI project.

“Having a grocery store will allow you to make more health-conscious choices,” Miguel Andres says. “Living in areas that are lower income can deprive you of healthy food access, which can lead to serious health consequences such as obesity and diabetes. The assumption is that they will be able to improve their health outcomes because of the ease of being able to access healthy foods.”

Miguel Andres also said that it is important to understand the distinction between food insecurity and food access.

“Food access, in general, has gotten worse with Marsh closing (throughout the city) and Kroger closing in economically deprived areas where there’s nothing else,” he said. “That’s the access part. During the pandemic, from an economic point of view, many people lost their jobs and joined those classified as low-income.”

As a result, this new group of people are considered food insecure, Miguel Andres added. “Whether you have the means to access healthy food options, you’re facing food insecurity. The grocery store may be right in front of your house, but you may not be able to afford to shop there,” he said.

Under the Cook Medical partnership, the manufacturer will build the store and IMPACT Central Indiana will provide start-up capital. Two entrepreneurs, Michael McFarland and Marckus Williams, who are from the neighborhood will oversee the day-to-day operations, according to Cook Medical. McFarland and Williams will undergo training at Martin University, which offers business administration degrees. As part of the plan, the entrepreneurs will eventually take over ownership of the grocery store as part of a lease-to-own model.

“Food deserts exist throughout our state,” said Pete Yonkman, president of Cook Medical and Cook Group in a press release. “They are in our cities and in our rural communities. And we know that more than a quarter of Black Hoosiers live in a food desert. The challenges around food insecurity exacerbates already present health inequalities that can impact many generations to come. Michael and Marckus started with an idea to invest in this community and we, along with the many other partners, are excited to support them in this journey.”

Yonkman also said that the project could serve as a model that could be replicated by other partnerships. “With the support of Martin University to provide an educational curriculum for grocery store operations, our hope is that this project can serve as a model that can be replicated in other neighborhoods and communities,” he said “We’re focused on creating a sustainable business model that supports community ownership and continued education so Northeast Indy can reach its full potential.”

Miguel Andres anticipates that partnerships among various entities and individuals are likely to continue as the benefits of healthy food access are increasingly realized. “Nonprofits, hospital and health systems, and community organizations are coming together to open stores in underserved areas because they know there are benefits — healthwise — in providing these resources,” he said.

May 05

Nosotros también somos filantropía: La importancia de la representación en las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y específicamente en la filantropía

By Espanol

por Tashi Copeland
 
La falta de oportunidades, equidad e inclusión en las empresas estadounidenses ha sido un tema muy discutido durante este año. Sin embargo, las entidades sin fines de lucro no pueden excluirse de esta conversación. Múltiples estudios muestran que esta industria todavía es predominantemente blanca, especialmente en términos de roles de liderazgo y juntas directivas. Los líderes de organizaciones sin fines de lucro deben aumentar su conciencia sobre las barreras que enfrentan los aspirantes a líderes de color, desarrollar su capacidad para afrontarlas y, en última instancia, desmantelarlas. 
 
La Fundación Comunitaria de Indiana Central (Central Indiana Community Foundation, CICF) reconoce el efecto dominó en el sector filantrópico cuando hay una falta de diversidad, equidad e inclusión. Sin líderes de color, no hay una comprensión cercana de las experiencias racializadas de esas comunidades. Sin personal de color, hay poca o ninguna responsabilidad ante esas comunidades y, en última instancia, sin perspectivas de las personas de color, hay un refuerzo de la brecha de oportunidades raciales: un sesgo sobre cómo se diseminaron los dólares filantrópicos. 
 
La CICF reconoce que la comunidad negra, la comunidad latina, la comunidad asiática, las comunidades indígenas, LGTBQ + y las personas con discapacidad siempre han estado arraigadas en el sector filantrópico, independientemente de su título o afiliación. Cada uno de nosotros, en CICF, celebramos su trabajo y continuaremos elevando sus voces.

Y esta es la voz de Tashi Copeland, gerente de comunicaciones de CICF, con su artículo, “Nosotros, también, somos filantropía”. 

Filantropía. Un colectivo de personas que se esfuerza por crear un cambio profundo.
Creando causas para elevar al colectivo, ya sea la recopilación de tiempo, talento o tesoro.
Pero falta algo.   

Ustedes pueden apreciar que, desde el principio, esta sección de nuestra sociedad estaba reservada para blancos acaudalados.
Y aunque las décadas crearon innovaciones en campañas de promoción y donación,
las dirigencias, los rostros de los equipos y salas de juntas de estas fundaciones no cambiaron.  

Así que ahora nos encontramos en una situación difícil.
El dilema de 2021 es una pandemia, tanto en nuestros cuerpos como en nuestras juntas directivas.
Cuando las decisiones de financiamiento carecen de reflexión porque no hay un miembro de nuestras comunidades a la vista,
nos ignoran.

Cuando la solicitud de subvención no ofrece otra opción que la lengua de los padres fundadores, (Os Estados Unidos não têm língua oficial…por cierto)
nos silencian.

Cuando las barreras falsas, como esa de que la fundación se quedó corta para dar financiamiento a las organizaciones de base,
nos quedamos cortos en el cambio.

Cuando los directivos solo prestan atención a su círculo con quien comparten las mismas membresías del club,
no podemos ser escuchados.

Cuando la narrativa de las comunidades carece de un lenguaje de activos y solo reduce el déficit,
luchamos por demostrar nuestro valor.

Lo que necesitamos es una verdadera oportunidad, equidad e inclusión, no el engaño simbólico en el que nos encontramos hoy en día.
Pero alguien tiene que ser la chispa para encender estas conversaciones, para posteriores iteraciones, del verdadero cambio.
Para mí, la CICF ha sido esa chispa.   

Es una organización que me permite poner todo mi ser en el trabajo.
De mis trenzas artificiales hasta mis preguntas atrevidas.
Y no cuestiona mi silencio cuando los medios constantemente reavivan mi trauma pasado.

Es una fundación que me da la base para saber que está bien cometer errores.
sin perder mi participación en este trabajo crítico.

Trabajar con un equipo de líderes en los que veo mi reflejo, muestra el cambio que debe realizarse en este sector filantrópico.
  
Sin embargo, yo soy solo una cara en un mar de personas morenas y negras que tocan la puerta de la filantropía.

Estamos listos para quitar la cortina y permitir que entre la luz sobre las disparidades en el sector que está lingüísticamente arraigado en el amor a la humanidad.

Estamos listos para abrir las puertas a las organizaciones que nuestros padres fundadores hubieran considerado una locura.

Estamos listos para construir un vecindario de líderes morenos y negros a quienes se les dé más que migajas.

Estamos listos para compartir el legado de Langston de estar en la mesa cuando llegue la compañía.

Nosotros también somos filantropía.

May 03

We, Too, Are Philanthropy: How Representation Matters in Not-for-Profits and Specifically in Philanthropy

By Sponsor Insight

by Tashi Copeland

To read in Spanish, click here. Translation provided by LUNA Language Services.
 
The lack of opportunity, equity and inclusion in corporate America has been a hot topic this year. However, not-for-profit entities cannot be excluded from this conversation. Multiple studies show that this industry still is predominantly white, especially in terms of leadership roles and boards. Not-for-profit leaders need to raise their awareness of the barriers facing aspiring leaders of color, build their capacity to address these barriers — and ultimately dismantle these barriers. 
 
Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) recognizes the ripple effect on the philanthropic sector when there’s a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Without leaders of color, there’s no intimate understanding of the racialized experiences of communities of color. With no staff of color, there’s little to no accountability to communities of color. And ultimately, with no perspectives from people of color, there’s a reinforcement of the racial opportunity gap — a bias into how philanthropic dollars are disseminated.  
 
CICF recognizes that the Black community, the Latinx community, the Asian community, Indigenous communities, LGTBQ+, and people with disabilities have always been entrenched in the philanthropic sector, regardless of title or affiliation. All of us. We at CICF celebrate their work and will continue to uplift their voices. 

And this is the voice of Tashi Copeland, communications manager at CICF, with my piece, “We, Too, are Philanthropy.”  

Philanthropy. A collective of people, powering on to create profound change.
Creating causes to uplift the collective, 
whether that be the collection of time, talent, or treasure. 
But there’s something missing.   

You see from its erection, this section, of our society was sectioned off for wealthy white men. 
And while the decades created innovations in advocacy and giving campaigns,
the people in power, the faces of these foundations’ teams and boardrooms,
they didn’t change.  

So now we find ourselves in a predicament. 
The predicament of 2021 is a plague of pandemic, both in our bodies and our boardrooms.  
When funding decisions lack insight because there is not a member of our communities in sight,
we are overlooked.

When the grant application lends no option other than the founding fathers’ tongue,
(Estados Unidos tiene no idoma oficial…by the way)
we are silenced.  

When false barriers like the foundation is short-changed to give grassroots organizations funding,
we fall short of change.  

When members of leadership will only lend their ears to their network with the same club memberships,
we cannot be heard. 

When the narrative of communities lacks asset-based language and only pens the deficit,
we struggle to demonstrate our worth. 

What we need is true opportunity, equity and inclusion—not the tokenism delusion we often find ourselves in today.
But someone has to be the spark to fire up these conversations, for further iterations, of true change. 
For me, CICF has been that spark.   

It’s an organization that allows me to bring my whole self to work.
From my faux locs to my bold questions.
And does not question my silence when the media constantly re-triggers my past trauma. 

It’s a foundation that gives me the foundation to be okay with making mistakes
without losing my stake in this critical work. 

Working with a leadership team that I see my own reflection,
mirrors the change that needs to be made in this philanthropic sector. 
  
But I am just one face in a sea of Black and Brown people, knocking on the doors of philanthropy. 

We are ready to tear down the curtains and shine a light on the disparities in the sector that is linguistically rooted in the love of humanity.

We are ready to open doors to organizations’ missions our founding fathers would have deemed insanity.

We are ready to build a neighborhood of Brown and Black leaders who are given more than crumbs. 

We are ready to live out Langston’s legacy of being at the table when company comes. 

We, too, are philanthropy. 

Tashi Copeland is the communications manager at Central Indiana Community Foundation. She has always had a passion for strategic thinking and creative communication. Her ultimate goal is to uplift the voices and stories of those who often are overlooked.

Apr 19

Professionals working or volunteering for nonprofits share how they gained new insights through alternative law program

By Sponsor Insight

by Rebecca Trimpe, writer/editor, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Many professionals working and volunteering in not-for-profit organizations find it invaluable to gain knowledge of the law and how it intersects with their entity’s efforts. You don’t need a law degree to gain that skill set. Leaders at many Central Indiana nonprofits, who are graduates of or current students in the Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) program at IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, shared their insights into how the program has helped them in their positions.

Aura Day, who is on track to graduate in May 2021, volunteers through Families First on the crisis and suicide prevention hotline as a crisis intervention specialist. Day said she is gratified by the immediate impact the organization has on people’s lives.

“Everyone needs support and assistance during different points in their lifetime and being able to support others is not only self-rewarding but it inspires others in many ways,” Day said. “Some people need to hear it’s OK to accept assistance. I believe we aren’t supposed to do life solo. It’s really a way we can start seeing how a small gesture grows into a making a huge impact to our neighbors.” Day said the flexibility of the M.J. program held a lot of appeal because she was able to tailor the coursework to align with her specific interests and to choose from day, evening, or a combination of class times to fit into her schedule.

Arun Murali serves as President of the Board of Directors for Lawrence Township School Foundation and is on the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House of Central Indiana. The 2017 M.J. graduate was drawn to IU McKinney from a desire to learn more about the legal processes that affected his business and to potentially position himself for future board member roles. Murali is passionate about not-for-profits that help people in need and in particular ones that focus on children’s needs. “I think this is an important time for non-profits in the history of the world,” Murali said. “I believe when most people hear ‘non-profit,’ they hear ‘please donate money.’ And while that is an important part of the dynamic there is so much more to it, like organizational leadership, financial management, marketing, volunteering, and more.”

Eddie Rivers, a 2017 M.J. graduate, has worked as a guardian ad litem for more than 20 years and has served many child advocacy organizations. Rivers currently is the chief development officer at Kid’s Voice of Indiana, after serving as its chief executive officer for 15 years. While he already had the skill set needed to work at the organization, Rivers wanted to understand law so that he could better manage the team of lawyers he supervised. “I ran a law firm with only managerial skills and a big heart,” Rivers said. The M.J. program allowed him to focus his coursework on child and family law so he could better understand what the lawyers he worked with were up against in their work at Kids’ Voice.

Melody Schulz took part in Leadership Johnson County (LJC) and, after completing the M.J. program in 2019, she was asked to join the organization’s board of trustees, where she serves as a member of the Alumni Relations Committee. Schulz, a 2017 M.J. graduate, said that the program taught her to think differently and helped strengthen her analytical skills, which she uses to help monitor LJCs’ finances, programs, and performance.

Maureen Shiel is on track to graduate in May 2021 and is IU McKinney’s first M.J./M.A. in Philanthropic Studies at the IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She serves on the board of directors for Impact 100 Indy and serves as the assistant treasurer and vice chair of a grants committee. “I am passionate about non-profit work because I value peace for the human race and our planet,” Shiel said. “I hope to contribute to transformational change in the Indianapolis community and around the world. An M.J. supports my work by enhancing my operational knowledge and ability to manage partnerships with the public sector.”

To learn more about how the M.J. program at IU McKinney, visit the law school’s website.

Rebecca Trimpe is the former editor and publisher of Indiana Lawyer. She also served as managing editor of what was then the Daily Ledger in Noblesville. Trimpe, who has a degree in political science and journalism from Indiana University, writes and edits for the I.U. Robert H. McKinney School of Law’s website, as well as print publications.

Apr 19

Can we end homelessness in Indianapolis?: We may be getting closer

By Feature

Community leaders announce plans to build 96 more permanent housing solutions as part of a comprehensive plan to end and prevent homelessness by 2024

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Charitable Advisors

The road to homelessness can be complex — with individuals and families experiencing varying factors that can lead to them living on the street, in parks or in vehicles, as outlined in Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, sociologist Matthew Desmond provides a rare look into the lives of several individuals who failed to avoid homelessness in Milwaukee.

After years of analyzing the homeless population in Indianapolis, city officials and community leaders realize they still don’t have all the answers — but are hopeful that a comprehensive approach that includes a continuum of care, hundreds of new supportive permanent housing units and rental assistance can put them on the path to ending homelessness by 2024, said Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, the executive director of the Coalition for Homelessness Prevention and Intervention.

While many cities have traditionally focused on short- to medium-term solutions that focus on stabilizing housing within a 12- to 24-month time period, the Indianapolis Continuum of Care (CoC), a coalition of public and private organizations and individuals, has shifted the focus on more permanent solutions for homeless people in Indianapolis, Haring-Cozzi said.

As part of that plan, the CoC recently announced plans to build 96 permanent housing solutions with a $37 million grant awarded by the state of Indiana. The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) has chosen three supportive housing developments in Indianapolis for this year’s round of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). The three local developments will create 96 new units of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis.

The projects include:

  • Hanna Commons, 2800-2910 E. Hanna Ave., Indianapolis, Ind., 46227. Awarded $1.2 million annually for 10 years to provide 50 supportive housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness.
  • St. Lucas Lofts, 2810 E. New York St., Indianapolis, Ind., 46201. Awarded $1.08 million annually for 10 years to provide 50 affordable housing units for youth experiencing homelessness.
  • Compass on Washington Street, 1033 East Washington St., Indianapolis, Ind., 46202, awarded $1.2 million annually for 10 years and $900,000 in Housing Trust Funds to develop 36 supportive housing units for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Construction on all three housing developments is expected to start later this year with an anticipated completion date by the end of 2022. All three developments qualify for Indianapolis Housing Authority vouchers. These projects bring the city of Indianapolis and the CoC closer to its goal of developing 500 new supportive housing units by 2024. Currently, there are 360 supportive housing units under development in the city.

The plan is also focused on preventing homelessness. Haring-Cozzi noted that the pandemic, as of yet, has not contributed to a noticeable uptick in the number of homeless people in Indianapolis as some people had feared.

“When counts were analyzed in January 2021, compared to last January, Indianapolis didn’t see much of a change,” she said. “Even before COVID, Indianapolis was among the few communities nationwide that wasn’t seeing the same type of uptick in homelessness.”

However, the impact of COVID-19 may still need to be realized, she said. The next few months may reveal how if there will be any sustainable fallout caused by the pandemic. “We’re hopeful eviction moratoriums have curbed the impact of the loss of housing and the loss of income, along with people getting rental assistance,” she said.

Apr 12

What’s next?: Make the most of a hybrid work model through strategic planning

By Feature

Local research team reveals the challenges of building an effective plan post-COVID-19, and how to overcome them

by Shari Finnell

As organizations shift their focus to a return to “normal” after COVID-19 restrictions, many leaders are realizing that they must prepare for an entirely new normal — one that accommodates employees’ desire to introduce more flexible work-from-home policies as permanent options.

Leaders can use this unprecedented crossroads to lead their organizations to a more productive environment — with the right planning, according to Sam Julka, president and founder of Doris, a company commissioned to research how remote and in-person working models impact productivity.

Sam Julka,
president and founder of Doris

Doris, which recently released a comprehensive planning guide, “Hello, Hybrid: Your Workplace Playbook:,” captured data and insights from 16 organizations throughout the Midwest to determine the different factors that contributed to work productivity under a hybrid model.

“We studied that concept very deeply,” said Julka, during a recent interview with Charitable Advisors. “We learned there were multiple definitions of the word ‘productivity.’ We also learned through this study that the hybrid work model was going to be where many organizations wind up.”

Organizations that successfully implement hybrid work models can reap numerous benefits, including higher employee retention and optimal recruiting outcomes, Julka said. However, the transition may be difficult. When compared with fully remote and fully in-person work models, hybrid models will be the most challenging to execute well for numerous reasons, Julka said.

For example, the research revealed numerous complexities beyond determining if employees will all work in the office on specified days. Teams will need to figure out policies and protocols around factors like ensuring that employees take PTO; whether it’s acceptable to send and respond to emails beyond normal work hours, managing employees’ work hours to ensure they are avoiding burnout, and assessing career advancement opportunities — whether an employee chooses to work from home or fully in the office, Julka said during the interview.

“The playbook is really meant to help any organization, specifically a leadership team that’s trying to figure out their path forward,” she said. “Instead of writing a research paper, which is what we most often do, we ended up creating a tool to make it as helpful as possible for various organizations.”

Julka noted that the playbook will guide teams through comprehensive planning and deep conversations around their hybrid model, taking into consideration scenarios that are unique to their workplace.

“I don’t think that leadership teams are going to be able to read five white papers, and then just all of sudden have the answers. There won’t be a silver bullet that everyone will be able to follow,” Julka said.

“If you’re going to do a hybrid model, you have to do a very good job of thinking deeply about what your model may look like,” she added. “There will be rigor involved in trying to figure this out, and it will be harder than it was when we all just sort of dropped the pencil at our desk in March of 2020. It will be harder as we start to figure out how to come back effectively.”

Julka also said it is important to anticipate some failure points in all the variables as organizations adapt to a new way of working. It also is critical to recognize that the foundation of a healthy hybrid model is trust and accountability among the workforce,” she said.

“If an organization is thinking about a hybrid model, our recommendation would be to have some pretty serious conversations about what it means to trust your workforce, trust your leaders and how you’re going to all hold each other accountable for what’s going to happen,” Julka said.

To hear the full interview with Sam Julka of Doris, click below.

Mar 29

Is COVID Killing Your Workplace Culture?

By Sponsor Insight

by Jan Breiner Frazier, Planning Plus, LLC

Beginning last March, in a corporate response to the pandemic, the move to working from home became the go-to solution for continuing to operate. Yet, it has been a two-sided coin. On the plus slide, no longer do we need to jump out of bed, hit the shower, feed the kids and rush out the door to what could be a lengthy commute. In the midst of the pandemic, the running joke became we only had to look presentable from the waist up, often hiding pajama bottoms and slippers under our laptops. Kids, dogs, cats and other interruptions became accepted and, often times, were met with humor. Zoom meetings and conferences have become the norm, although many are still having a hard time finding the mute button.

Some managers have cited increased productivity without all the diversions of having multiple bodies in the office. Although email still constantly pings, many of us can now focus and concentrate without the usual interruptions of “Hey, you gotta minute?” Of course, the most significant benefit — and the driving purpose of staying home — is to reduce the spread of the coronavirus by eliminating physical interactions within less than 6 feet. Most employees today do not have private offices, and the shift many made to taking down walls and sharing open spaces may have to shift back.

The projects we primarily engage in with our clients — strategic planning, board development, leadership development — is best done in an interactive setting, where we can share information in large group settings, moving to smaller groups to tackle specific challenges. We have been able to adapt this work via Zoom, and my partners have become quite adept at screen sharing and whisking attendees into “Zoom rooms.” But we have missed the ability to get to know the participants, engage with them on a one-to-one level, and have a bit of fun. Last month, I had the opportunity to speak to a group in person. I was in heaven.

At the same time, we have noticed that even within our small firm, the lack of face-to-face interactions on a consistent basis has caused a few communication breakdowns. While we are focused on our own projects and our own clients, we have lost the team time to be able to think bigger than the project at hand, play with some “what ifs” or come up with new theories or methodologies. And then we thought, If it’s happening to us, how are other companies handling this? So, we started asking our clients about their company culture: What impact has working from home had on your culture? For the most part, the feedback has been less than positive.

We know that when individuals are faced with change that they perceive as negative, they travel through a cycle of emotions, beginning with denial and anger, moving through depression and perhaps resistance, and then — with encouragement — celebrating a new beginning. When we discuss organizational change, our advice to managers is to stay close to those employees who are struggling with change and accepting the new landscape and their role in it. But without personal interaction, how do managers really know where their employees are until productivity slips, mistakes happen, or deadlines are missed? And who is not going through change?

It turns out that the “water cooler” conversations we thought were such time wasters were not; it was a place for folks to come together to share stories, snicker at Tiger King (we know Carole threw her husband to the lions), complain about family dynamics at holidays, and wonder what in the world our managers were thinking when they made THAT decision. But it was a way to connect.

What to do? There are many employees who have embraced working from home and don’t want to go back into the office, for many reasons. But there are also employees who just want to get back to seeing their colleagues in person, work in a professional atmosphere (rather than the kitchen table) and get out of the house! For the sake of your culture, you must strike a balance.

As we discussed this challenge with our clients, we have shared the following advice:

  1. Assuming you can do so safely (and we have learned a lot since last March), develop at least a hybrid situation where full teams can come into the office for one or two days a week. Begin with a short “How is everyone doing?” exchange to start to redevelop their personal interactions that existed pre-2020 and then delve into the agenda.
  2. Keep Zoom or other electronic meetings to 90 minutes. Research is coming out that sitting and passively watching a screen for long periods of time are hard on both the eyes and the brain. Additionally, we know that often in these meetings one set of eyes is on the screen and the other set is on another device checking emails and texts.
  3. Come up with creative ways to keep the team together. We know of organizations that have played games over Zoom, had trivia challenges, or even had contests about who could create the funniest screen saver (our client Quality Mill Supply had a great time with this to break up Zoom strategic planning).
  4. Create a “culture” team that can come up with ideas to continue those interpersonal relationships. One of our long-standing clients, Langham Logistics, has had a Culture Committee for years to plan activities and events for employees. This type of attention to employees is more important than ever.

Of course, we know that not all employees are working from home, and our clients in health care and other human social services have had to continue to be in person and on-the-job for the duration of this time, and the stress is tremendous. They need extra attention during these times as well. While time is precious, and there is a lot to do, keeping your culture intact should be Job One.

Jan Breiner Frazier, the managing member of Planning Plus, LLC, has been a consulting professional since 1988. She has designed and facilitated strategic, annual, and operational planning sessions for a multitude of organizations. Her work with non-profit boards and associations has included strategic planning, board development, and committee structure.

Mar 29

5 ways to keep your first-time donors from 2020

By Sponsor Insight

Understanding these unique contributors can be key to converting them to recurring donors

by Jodi Snell, vice president of Hedges

Global philanthropy skyrocketed in 2020, with nonprofits reporting record-setting contributions from individual donors compelled to support those hit hardest by the pandemic. Many organizations launched crisis fundraising campaigns as the need and demand for services surged beyond available resources. As a result, many organizations were relieved, and a bit surprised, to receive first-time gifts from new donors.

Professional fundraisers are taught that any donor prospect must demonstrate three attributes — an interest in your cause, a link to your organization, and the ability to provide a financial gift. These new donors took the guesswork out of this process for many of you by answering your rallying call. Our clients tell us that in some cases, their first-time donors of 2020 received little cultivation, gave without being specifically asked, or were completely unknown to the organization prior to their gifts. These are unique donors. They see your work as aligned with their personal values and see your organization as effective in delivering solutions during a crisis.

Like many other organizations, your team is likely figuring out return-to-office plans, running various financial scenarios in a still uncertain environment, and trying to support staff members who are tired, stressed, and burned out. Those are big responsibilities that need your focus, but don’t make the mistake of doing so at the expense of retaining your first-time donors from 2020.

Retaining these first-time donors can create a long-term benefit that increases your fundraising return on investment. According to Classy, recurring donors are 440% more valuable than one-time donors and have an average lifetime financial return of $795.62, compared to $147.23 from one-time donors. The opportunity to turn these unique new donors into recurring donors is here and the best way to retain these donors is to make their first giving experience with you a good one. We recommend these five strategies that can turn a one-time gift into a longtime relationship:

  1. Make sure donor communications are timely, transparent, and two-sided.
    These donors have responded to your call for help. It is important that you provide timely communication so they can quickly see the direct impact of their giving and how their support is helping people and communities survive the crisis. Don’t let your communications stop with one point of contact. According to a Donor Loyalty Study conducted by Abila, “For the most part, donors like communication from the organizations they support on a monthly or quarterly basis (52%), although Millennials are more comfortable with (and more accustomed to) more frequent communication.” Lastly, don’t forget to allow your donor to communicate with you. Ask them for time together and learn about them personally, what inspired them to give, and answer questions they might have as they work to learn more about the importance of your mission.
  2. Provide additional ways for donors to engage and connect.
    The Donor Loyalty Study by Abila also reported a close correlation between increased engagement and increased financial giving. Be creative in finding ways for donors to get to know your organization better and allow them the opportunity support you in more ways than financial giving. Consider group volunteer opportunities, interactive online or in-person events that expose donors to a behind-the-scenes look at your work, or invitations to share their expertise in ways that further support your organization. Regardless of the opportunities you create, make sure they provide the donor an opportunity to experience your work in a more personal way allowing them to best understand your unique approach to solving complex problems.
  3. Sharpen your social media focus.
    Right now, many people are relying on social media for connection and who couldn’t use some positive posts? Social media is a great spot for donor recognition (with their permission, of course). Invite donors to submit a quote or video sharing why they support your organization and then feature them on your platforms. In addition, you can use social media to further engage with your supporters. Make sure to respond to your followers when they comment on your posts, reinforcing their engagement. Also consider developing a social media ambassador volunteer group to help expand your organization’s reach. Social media ambassador groups provide a virtual volunteer experience and, when provided with the right tools, can do wonders for your digital range of influence.
  4. Acknowledge your donors and celebrate them.
    Old school stewardship is not completely lost in this virtual world. Handwritten thank you notes and thank you calls still provide a personal touch that is often overlooked. These notes and calls are a great way to let donors know you are thinking about them and that you took the time to personally reach out. When it is safe to do so, in-person donor appreciation events and meetings should resume, but until then, get creative with virtual donor appreciation events (lower cost because people bring their own food!) and virtual meetings to stay connected to these new donors.
  5. Don’t over solicit, but don’t forget to solicit a second gift.
    You called, they answered. Once you have further connected your first-time donors to the organization, go ahead and solicit them for a more specific second gift including options like recurring monthly giving, general operating support, or a special initiative that aligns with their interests. If done correctly, good stewardship of a donor becomes cultivation for the next gift.

It is time to nurture these donor relationships. According to Jay Love, co-founder and chief relationship officer at Bloomerang, “the cost to continually acquire new donors can easily run 50% to 100% more than the dollars collected from them. In fact, it can be several years before any charity breaks even on dollars raised compared dollars spent.” and “most major gifts are made after five years of giving.”

While 2020 was anything but ideal, it did create opportunities to build new relationships that can impact donors and organizations for a lifetime.

Talking about donor stewardship is easy. Creating and implementing an effective plan that retains your donors plan can be challenging when you already have a full plate. Hedges is here to help.

Jodi Snell is the Vice President of Hedges. Whether it is training nonprofit leaders in successful fundraising practices or developing and implementing fundraising plans, Jodi promotes impact-driven approaches to philanthropy and the value of longtime relationships.