Nonprofit Utopia Podcast

Settling for Misconduct

Between 2012 and 2015 alone, the City of Chicago paid $210 million to settle 655 police misconduct cases.  A disproportionate number of these cases were in African American and Latino neighborhoods, many of which are undergoing significant change.  These cases were typically settled by the City, with no admission of guilt on the part of the officers involved.   Not only did these cases further weaken already strained relationships between the Police and the impacted communities, they diverted resources that could have been otherwise used for city services or neighborhood revitalization.  The Chicago Reporter created an interactive database to analyze the cases at length, and to provide policy makers, activists and journalists with the information they need to make inferences and informed recommendations.
Join Susan Smith Richardson, the Editor and Publisher of the Chicago Reporter,  and me in an informative discussion about their initial findings regarding police misconduct cases; an overview of the database, and ways website visitors may use the data to engage their constituencies to begin the process of identifying critical issues and solutions and increasing police accountability.
 

The Benefits of Being Railroaded

The expansion of the Norfolk Southern’s Englewood  Railyard  required the acquisition of  557 parcels of land, 104 parcels of which were owned by the  City of Chicago, within a local TIF and valued at $1.105 million. The expansion presented a number of challenges, including displacement of Englewood residents through eminent domain, and compounding of existing  environmental problems. 
Rev. John Ellis, an Englewood resident, saw a public notice in the newspaper indicating that the City of Chicago intended to enter into a negotiated sale of 104 parcels to Norfolk-Southern and notified his neighbors, who immediately began to organize.
They created Sustainable Englewood Initiatives, led by John Paul Jones, and engaged other Englewood residents, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the City of Chicago and Norfolk-Southern Railroad to explore the impact of the development upon the community and to create win-win solutions for all parties concerned. 
Rev. Ellis will join us, and give a status report on the Norfolk-Southern CBA with the Englewood community, and share lessons learned from his experiences.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Benefiting Communities Through Mutual Agreement

A Community Benefits Agreement ("CBA") is a contract signed by community groups and a real estate developer that requires the developer to provide specific amenities and/or mitigations to the local community or neighborhood. (Wikipedia)
Join Jody Adler, Allegra Cira Fischer and me in a lively discussion on CBA’s.  We will talk about what CBA’s are; the pros and cons, and some of The Law Project’s work in supporting local community based coalitions in their quest for greater democracy in development. 
Jody Adler is the Director of The Law Project. She specializes in the law of exempt organizations working with community-based nonprofit organizations. Jody has taught classes in nonprofit law and management for Oakton Community College and Spertus College. She is on the board of directors of AIDS Legal Council of Chicago and Changing Worlds, a Chicago-area arts in education organization. 
Allegra is a staff attorney with The Law Project (TLP), which is the community development project of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Allegra’s focus at TLP is on equitable and inclusive development, and she works with coalitions of non-profit organizations in negotiations with developers to secure benefits for surrounding communities, including commitments to build affordable housing, hire local residents and pay livable wages, among other investments important to Chicago neighborhoods and their residents.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.

Navigating the Winds of Change: The Importance of Strategic Planning

The nonprofit landscape is changing dramatically. In spite of the fact that the national and state economies are in recovery, and foundations are giving more money, many nonprofits are finding it difficult to raise funds.  The State of Illinois has unilaterally terminated nonprofit contracts and does not have a budget in place in order to make appropriations.  Foundations’ priorities are constantly changing, and generally speaking, do not fund organizations for the long term. Nonprofits must position themselves for sustainability in the market place.  Any discussion about sustainability must begin with strategy.
Join Valerie F. Leonard for a discussion on strategic planning. She will talk about what a strategic planning process is, and its relationship to business planning; how to develop a theory of change model; how to engage internal and external stakeholders to maximize buy-in; how to align strategies and programs with the organization’s mission, vision , goals and objectives and how to develop and monitor work plans.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121. You don't need an account to listen, but, if you want to participate in an online chat, open a listener-only account at https://secure.blogtalkradio.com/register.aspx?type=listener to participate in a live chat. Visit Valeriefleonard.com. Archived episodes may be found at http://Valeriefleonard.com/NonprofitU, iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.