Lake Superior Initiative

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Lake Superior Initiative

• Information Session
• A partnership of the Duluth Area Family YMCA and
  United Way of Greater Duluth to build the
  efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of
  community organizations.

YMCA
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WelcomeIntroductions
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Lake Superior Initiative Team

• Program Staff
• Maypakou Ly, Program Manager, Lake Superior
  Initiative
• Jennifer Wages, Program Manager, Communities
  Empowering Youth
• Cameron Kruger, Program Manager, Training and
  Technical Assistance
• Nora Breems, Program Assistant
• Leadership Team
• Duluth Area Family YMCA
• Blair Gagne, Community Services Director
• Mark Hanna, Youth Development Manager
• United Way of Greater Duluth
• Paula Reed, President
• Therese Scherrer, Community Impact Director
• Sandy Woolum, Evaluation Consultant

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Supporting Partners

• Northwoods Nonprofits/University of Wisconsin
  Superior
• Twin Ports Area Nonprofit Coalition
• University of Minnesota Duluth/Office of Civic
  Engagement
• Duluth Public School District/Community Education
  Service Learning
• The Arrowhead Interfaith Council

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What is the Lake Superior Initiative?

• Two Grants
• 1.5 million - Demonstration
• 37 out of 600 applications were awarded
• Funded 20 organizations in first year
• Currently in year two of a three year grant
• 750,000 - Communities Empowering Youth
• 31 out of 446 applications were awarded
• Working with 10 pre-selected youth organizations

• A three-year program to build the efficiency,
  effectiveness and capability of our regions
  community organizations
• A joint project of the Duluth Area Family YMCA
  and United Way of Greater Duluth
• We are one of two communities in the nation to
  receive both grants

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Goal of Grant

• To build the efficiency, effectiveness and
  capability of our regions community and faith
  based organizations
• Three tiers of support will include..
• Trainings open to all agencies that have an
  interest
• Financial support (5,000 to 15,000 grants) to
  60-75 agencies over three years
• One to one technical assistance to funded agencies

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Capacity Building Overview
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What is Capacity Building?

• Activities that build and strengthen your
  organization and increase the effectiveness of
  your work.

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What kind of activities?

• Wide range of activities that develop, expand or
  improve an organizations
• Leadership Development
• Organizational Development
• Revenue Development
• Program Development
• Community Engagement

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Leadership Development

• Activities that foster strong leaders
• Recruiting new and diverse board members
• Providing education to board members
• Recruiting volunteers
• Training volunteers
• Recognizing volunteers

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Organizational Development

• Activities that build a strong foundation
• Starting a non-profit organization
• Developing the mission, purpose and goals
• Conducting an organizational assessment
• Establishing personnel policies
• Establishing financial systems
• Developing a strategic plan
• Upgrading technology
• Providing staff training and development

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Program Development

• Activities that improve the quality of programs
  and
• services your organization provides to meet the
• needs of those you serve
• Determining client needs
• Developing new or expanding existing programs to
  meet client needs
• Tracking program statistics
• Evaluating program effectiveness
• Implementing program improvements

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Revenue Development

• Activities that increase the amount of funds you
• raise from a variety of sources to pay for the
• staff, equipment and other expenses necessary
• to operate your organization

• Developing a fundraising plan
• Receiving coaching on fund development
• Diversifying funding sources

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Community Engagement and Awareness

• Activities that inform people about the work you
• do and encourage strong community
• involvement in achieving your goals
• Developing collaborations with other non-profits
• Developing community partnerships with government
  and businesses
• Developing a communications plan
• Conducting marketing and outreach to inform the
  public and potential clients
• Developing a website

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How Does Capacity Building Happen?

• Developing the skills and expertise in-house
• Hiring a consultant with the expertise to assist
  the organization
• Sending staff to training and professional
  development
• Purchasing hardware and software
• Establishing systems and procedures
• Working in partnership with an Intermediary
• Organization like the Lake Superior Initiative

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Capacity Building True Stories

• Duluth Area Family YMCA Mentor Duluth -
  challenges and rewards of making changes

• Merger of two youth organizations creating a
• stronger organization

• Example from current grantee

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Questions?
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Project OverviewLake Superior Initiative
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Who Gets Help?

• Organizations in all stages
• An established organization that needs a new
  strategic plan
• The mid-size organization needing to incorporate
  technology for community outreach
• A new organization wanting to learn the process
  of filing for non-profit status

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What Are We Offering?

• Customized training, grants and technical
• assistance for organizations that serve

• Individuals and families experiencing poverty
  and/or homelessness
• At-risk youth
• People in transition from welfare to work
• People facing addiction or incarceration
• Former prisoners re-entering the community and
  their
• children

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Award Information

• 20-25 organizations are selected each year
• to receive awards
• Awards range from 5,000 to 15,000
• If your budget is You can request
• Less than 300,000 maximum of 5,000
• 300,000 to lt 750,000 maximum of 10,000
• 750,000 or higher maximum of 15,000

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Eligible Organizations

• Criteria for eligibility
• Choose 2 capacity areas
• Provide services to the target populations
• Serve people in the following 5 counties
  Carlton, Cook, Lake, St. Louis, and Douglas,
• Be an incorporated or non-incorporated
  organization
• Be a faith based or community based organization
• Open to organizations of all sizes and levels of
  experience
• Open to AmeriCorps sites and United Way funded
  agencies

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Priority

• Priority will be given to organizations that
• Serve one or more of the following target
  populations
• People experiencing poverty
• At-risk youth
• People in transition from welfare to work
• People facing addiction
• People facing incarceration
• Former prisoners re-entering the community and
  their children
• Have not received federal grant funding in the
  past five years
• Applicants receive no preference for matching
  funds

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Requirements

• Complete an in-depth Organizational Assessment
  with Initiative staff
• Participate in a Perception Scale Focus group
• Develop a Capacity Building Plan based on
  Assessment with Initiative staff
• Complete Biennial and Final Reports
• Complete Follow-up Questionnaire
• Participate in 15 hours of training
• Receive 15 hours of one-on-one technical
  assistance
• Participate in mentor match

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Questions?
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Allowable Activities

• Awards can be used for expenses and/or
• purposes related to capacity building
• Professional development
• Consultants
• Staff time a maximum of 10 of the request
• Equipment
• Technology hardware/software

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Non Allowable Activities/Expenses

• Activities and expenses this grant cannot cover
• Provision of direct services or for programmatic
  expenses
• Cost of any type of organized fundraising
• Direct fundraising, solicitation of gifts and
  bequests
• Construction and purchase of real estate
• Support of medical/health-related activities or
  items such as medical equipment or supplies or
  medically-oriented trainings, certifications, or
  licensure
• Support of inherently religious activities or
  programs/ services that include or require
  inherently religious activities, such as
  religious instruction, worship or proselytizing

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Conditions for participation

• Sign a Cooperative Agreement listing conditions
  of accepting a financial assistance award
• Agree to the Initiative participation
  requirements listed in Program Announcement
• Participate in orientation, meetings, training
  series, individual technical assistance and
  mentor match

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Conditions for participation (continued)

• Expend funds by December 31, 2009
• Read Guidance to Faith-based and Community
  Organizations of Partnering with the Federal
  Government
• Adhere to applicable Federal laws/regulations,
  including OMB Circulars
• A-122 and 45 CFR 87.1
• Use funds as stated in proposal and for those
  activities deemed allowable

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Process and Timeline
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Letter of Intent

• If you are interested and ready to participate,
• please submit a Letter of Intent. The Letter of
• Intent is a pre-application form where we ask
  for

• Applicants mission, goals, and summary of
  programs
• or services
• Two areas of capacity building
• Reasons you have for seeking capacity building
• Statement that your organizational leadership
  agrees
• to the participation requirements
• Complete and submit the Readiness
  Self-Assessment

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• Application Overview

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Organizational Assessment (sample)
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Training and Technical Assistance
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Accessing Consultants

• Network of prescreened consultants.
• Assistance making connections, writing
  contracts,
• and utilizing consultant talents.
• Technical assistance beyond work plan.

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Capacity Building Trainings

• Free trainings with high quality speakers.
• Access to trainings by partner agencies.
• Select your own trainings with approval.
• Webinars and past training library online.

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Evaluation
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Evaluation Tools

• Readiness Self-Assessment (submit with Letter of
  Intent)
• In depth Organizational Assessment (submit with
  application)
• Perception Scale Focus Group (conducted with
  20-25 selected organizations)
• Pre and Post assessments

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Organizational Assessment (sample)
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Questions?
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Closing Remarks

• Thank you for attending
• Lake Superior Initiative

YMCA