North Central Mass Network of Nonprofits meeting notes.

August 17th, 2006.

Levi Heywood Library, Gardner, MA 01440

I. Welcome and Introductions: Sharing a recent success your organization has had.

Today Joanne Foster, Coordinator, Institute for Nonprofit Development will be leaving us. She will be pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University.  Karin Oliveira, Coordinator, Community Builders, will assume the work of facilitating the Network in Joanne’s place.  

A recent success your organization has enjoyed (major funding, successful event, etc).

• Retaining Volunteers.
• Day of Caring successes
• New Space
• 10th Anniversary celebration
• Success of fundraiser/golf tournament
• Strategic planning complete
• New Director.
• Wrote grants.
• Received large grant/funding.
• Awarded peace prize.

II. Work Group Updates:

Communication/website:

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. The profiles are deeper than just stating your organizations mission, the profile has answers such as who lives are you trying to change and what are you struggling with.

A. Communication/Website: Andrea Hart and Pete Cormier provided a presentation on how the Community Builders’ Project Volunteer website can be used to hold the profiles.

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.

 Pete and Andrea presented an overview of the website, explaining the user friendly features.  

Each organization has their own unique login information and can update their organization profiles and volunteer opportunities as often as they like. Organizations do not have to have volunteer opportunities to be on the site. The Community Builders website is linked to several city website and search engines, to increase traffic on the site. The website has unique features such as the community calendar that is easily accessible; agencies can email Andrea directly to post events.  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.

Andrea has also created a blog for the Network to discuss openly about problems they would like to address. The website is: http://ncmassnetwork.blogspot.com/. This is a private blog, it is not displayed anywhere on blogspot’s website, so members of the network can feel free to have their voice heard. Andrea is the administrator in the site, so she may update information as needed.

The Network would like a subcommittee meeting to discuss whether using this site is plausible. Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for 8/29 @4:30pm.

Discussion from the Network:

Will the organization profiles confuse volunteers?

How will we Market this site? - Maybe it could help having our meetings at FATV.

We should work with this for a while; it is accessible, user friendly, and meets our needs.

The blog is fantastic to have!

A subcommittee meeting should happen to discuss the website.

B. PR and Legislative:

Kerry Pascetta, Marketing Director from Dolphin Resources will be coming to our next Network meeting 9/7, to discuss PR campaign ideas and bringing a logo.

One Massachusetts- Mission of the Event- Dual purpose: to inform and to educate, building skills and knowledge. Do we want to support One Massachusetts as a Network? Do we want to have a presentation/workshop that the Network can sponsor- discussing One Massachusetts to the greater community of Nonprofits? 

This could be a second event following up with the May 5th event, to keep the momentum up and the Network name out there.

2nd Step- Have a Legislative Subcommittee meeting. Then someone from the Network can meet with Judy to talk about marketing the event.  

Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for 8/29 @3:00pm

III. Staff transition:

Discussion facilitated by Joanne Foster and Amy Casavina Hall:

            The Institute of Nonprofit Development is housed at the Center for Democracy and Humanity at the College. The Center serves as an umbrella for outreach programs. The Institute has been facilitating the Network of Nonprofits. The Coordinator position for the Institute is not being filled with the budget problems that the College is facing.

BUT, the Institute will still be going strong; the temporary staff plan will be Amy Casavina Hall, the recent Executive Director of the Center for D & H, will be coordinating the Institute, along with the assistance of Andrea Hart. Karin Oliveira, the coordinator of Community Builders, another program at the Center for D & H, will be facilitating the Network with Sayra Pinto’s, guidance- Associate Vice President of Inclusion at MWCC.

            Joanne Foster’s position was seed funded through the North Central Mass Community Foundation. A private donor provides funding for the Mini Grant’s and Technical Assistance. Currently MWCC has lost funding, and has a freeze on hiring, until significant grant money comes in.

All of the staff members want to move forward through this funding crisis at the College, and insure the Institute and Networks further successes in the community.

Community Builders mission is to build community and promote volunteerism, encouraging civic engagement. Community Builders also builds capacity with nonprofits to help with volunteers in the organization.

Within the Center for Democracy and Humanity our challenge has been to make the individual programs successful. This staff transition is the first step to breaking down the silos and walls dividing the programs. Karin’s role will be to build community assets and resources.

As the Center moves forward in internal restructuring, Amy encourages you to contact her for further questions or suggestions. acasavina@mwcc.mass.edu.

IV. Next Steps:

PR and Marketing Campaign for the Network

Website – for the Networks organizational profiles.

Next Meeting will be:

 Thursday September 7th 9am-11am

@ FATV in Fitchburg!