Nonprofit Utopia Podcast

Using Community Networks to Maintain Environmental Sustainability

Using examples from rural and urban communities, we will talk about how local networks may be used to develop plans and strategies to address environmental justice and sustainability issues. Featured Guests:  Romona Taylor Williams, Executive Director, Montgomery Citizens United for Prosperity (MCUP) Robert Fishkin, Executive Volunteer Match, Sharon "Sy" Lewis, Executive Director, Meadows Eastside Community Resource Organization (MECRO)

Building Better Boards in the Age of Coronavirus

The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges, the likes of which we have never seen before.  Schools, churches, restaurants, nonprofits, local businesses, and nonessential government and health services are closing temporarily. The need for health and human services is increasing. We are practicing social distancing.  We are conducting business and hosting public forums online. In short, our economy and quality of life as we know it, have changed, and may never be the same again.   
What does this mean for you as a nonprofit board member?  What should you be doing, right now, to help your organization navigate the "new normal"? Listen to the Nonprofit Utopia podcast today at 2:00 pm CST.  We will
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Updates on the COVID-19 pandemicTips for nonprofit governance during a time of crisisCoping strategies from thought leaders in the corporate, nonprofit and faith arenasThe board's role in planning for business continuanceStrategies for increased civic engagement and policy and advocacy campaignsResources that you might find to be useful in your own journey

You Said You Want to Partner. Now What?

Partnerships can take on any number of forms, including co-locating, sharing back office or fundraising staff, permanent joint programming, and mission-based mergers.  Whatever form your partnership takes, there is always more to it than meets the eye.  While no two collaborations are the same, there are always financial, legal, cultural and other relational issues to consider. Forefront’s Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) gives nonprofits the resources they need to sort it all out and position their partnerships for long term sustainability.
Genita C. Robinson, Director of the Mission Sustainability Initiative for Forefront, will talk about MSI; ways organizations can assess their readiness to participate and case studies from some of their grantees.
Call in live at (347) 884-8121 to join the conversation. You can also participate in the live chat.  Archived episodes may be found at iTunes, Podcast Chart, Blubrry and Stitcher.
 

Why Nonprofits Should Care About the Illinois Supreme Court

If you are a nonprofit practitioner, you should be very interested in the innerworkings of the Illinois Supreme Court—particularly if you work in the areas of family services or social, criminal and/or restorative justice.  The rules and practices surrounding evidence; access to competent counsel; sentencing guidelines and diversity, equity and inclusion determine the degree to which justice is truly served.
Join Daniel Epstein, Esq., Candidate for Illinois Supreme Court, for a lively discussion on the issues surrounding the role of the Court; the negative consequences of faulty practices around preserving DNA evidence; restorative justice community courts and how community stakeholders can help create equal justice for all.