North Central Mass Network of Nonprofits  meeting notes.

July 13th, 2006.

Office of Ronald Ansin, Leominster, MA  01453

I. Introductions:

Welcome.

We will be looking for meeting space for the network.

(Action: Please email ideas to Andrea)

Joanne Foster, Coordinator, Institute for Nonprofit Development will be leaving in mid-August to pursue a MBA at Brandeis University.  Karin Oliveira, Coordinator, Community Builders, will assume the work of facilitating the Network in Joanne’s place.  

Introductions of participants and what their challenges are within their organization:

• How to harness resources to keep up.
• How to budget cuts from state and being leveled funded.
• Having candid and honest conversation with competition in funding.
• DSS is changing policies making it harder for organizations to keep up.
• Volunteers needed.
• Staff needs technology training.
• Finding diversified funding.
• Recruiting volunteers was mentioned several times.
• Rapidly changing technology- hard to keep up.
• Need work for constituents.
• Finding good candidates for positions.

II. Communication

1. Web Site Business Requirements- Pete Cormier- Sterling Music Exchange

The organizations and agencies that make up the North Central Nonprofit Network have identified the need for a website which will promote communication and collaboration across the sector and, which will provide information about the sector to the public.

The basic requirements for the website consist of: content, data collection, data display, search, data export, search engine linking and security.

Please email Pete Cormier with questions. petecormier@comcast.net

1. Introduction to 211- Kathy Heintz- United Way of NCM

As of September 1st, 2006, you will be able to dial 211 directly, until then dialing 1.800.551.2021 will connect you. Hours of operation- M-F (8am-8pm). You will be directed to a live person to assist you with any health or human service need; including emergency services.

First Call for help or 211 are not online.   Kathy informed the group that as of now, United Way has no plans to put their First Call for Help information online.

1. Website Idea for profiles and discussion - Andrea Hart suggested that

Community Builders’ Project Volunteer, a service for volunteers and agencies to locate opportunities and volunteers, www.community-builders.net, could be used to accommodate the Networks website ideas. This website is interactive and offers the ability to custom design the layout and questions. Community Builders is a program housed at MWCC as well and Andrea supports both the INPD and Community Builders.

      Instead of searching for a virtual location for the Network to house this database of profiles, we can alter the Community Builders’ Project Volunteer website to support this.

Each organization can have their own unique login information and update their profiles and volunteer opportunities as often as they like, each organizations site will have all of their contacts names, website links, organizations logos, mission statements and a bit about their organizations. The website is very user friendly, easy to search or browse. In addition to this, the website has a community calendar, which organizations can have Andrea post events and important dates to remember. Andrea has already contacted many of the cities and towns in North Central Mass to put the website link on their websites. By organizations listing themselves on the CB website, it will increase their exposure on the web.

• The consensus was the Network liked the idea very much and was very excited.

(Action: Andrea will start to look at what it will take to input all the information onto the site.)

(Action: Andrea will contact local libraries to have the website link posted there too.)

(Action: Pete and Andrea will meet to discuss website requirements and the current website.)

III. Subcommittee update:

• Public Relations group- Waiting for Dolphin Resources to bring back to the Network the logo and PR campaign ideas.
• Collaboration- To identify ways to achieve deep collaboration in the sector and what it means to all of us. In our August meeting we will meet and discuss this further and identify what it is we really are doing here at the Network meetings.

IV. Updates from Network members:

Kristin Wilson from the Spanish American Center needs Games and Craft items for the kids of the Summer Up program. The items can be dropped of at the Spanish American Center, 112 Spruce Street Leominster, MA. Please contact Kristin for more information- kriswilson78@yahoo.com

Next Meeting will be:

 Thursday August, 17th 9am-11am

@ The Levi Heywood Library in Gardner!