Current Capacity-Building Trends for Midwest-Based Grassroots Nonprofits

In August 2022, Resilia hosted a discussion with grassroots leaders across the Midwest exploring challenges that their communities are facing and how local nonprofits are addressing them. The nonprofits are participants in Resilia’s Funder program, which offers customizable resources, 1:1 nonprofit coaching, and many more capacity-building tools for nonprofits.

During the conversation, funders and nonprofits gained insights into local challenges for organizations and actionable strategies they’re deploying to increase their impact in the communities they serve. The panel was hosted by Amber Coté, Resilia’s Senior Philanthropic Partnerships Manager. 

Our featured guest speakers brought an array of nonprofit perspectives from the following organizations:

• Damon Daniel, President at AdHoc Group Against Crime

• Rev. Gwen Sampson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at All Things Through Christ Outreach Ministries, Inc (ATTCOM) 

• Michelle Hart, Executive Director at Bryn Mawr Community Foundation

• Ann Heler, Interim Executive Director at Free and Charitable Clinics of Michigan

• Chris Knestrick, Executive Director at Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless

• Kathleen Helsabeck, Executive Director at Quincy Public Library

Partnerships and Platforms Help Small Nonprofits Succeed

Insights highlighted in the discussion included:

• Small, grassroots nonprofits have had success by partnering with larger organizations that have the people and resources to help.

• Finding and bringing together a group of people to become a voice for their community and reaching out to legislators and representatives about their organizations helps elevate their mission. 

• The more that small nonprofits are out in front in venues and sessions to raise their voices, the more success they have in their missions.

Shift in Funder Mindset to Trust-Based Philanthropy Helps Support Nonprofits

Grassroots leaders spend a lot of time building relationships with the people that walk through their doors, and using that relational expertise must continue to be nurtured in order to put a real dent in the systemic issues grassroots leaders are trying to solve. 

Getting major institutions and local governments to shift and respond to the needs of the people they are serving can help better support grassroots efforts on the ground. When foundations begin to see grassroots organizations as leaders in their local communities, the shift to trust-based philanthropy can occur. 

Fundraising and Board Management Are Top Needs for Grassroots Nonprofits

Resilia’s internal data analysis further revealed specific needs of Midwest-based grassroots organizations:

How Resilia Helps Strengthen Midwest-Based Grassroots Nonprofits 

Rounding out the discussion, our panelists shared how Resilia has helped their organizations build capacity in various ways, and we’d like to leave you with a few of their insights:

“Your resources are phenomenal. I have shared so many of them with my clinics as we help them develop sustainability and stronger best practices. It has been marvelous. Of course no one has enough time to do everything, and to have a document that you can take to a committee and literally cross out things and put in things that are specific to what you do - they’re wonderful.” - Ann Heler, Interim Executive Director at Free and Charitable Clinics of Michigan.

“Even though we’ve been in operation for 23 years, we struggle with getting our messaging out to a larger audience, and especially with obtaining funding. Telling our story and using this platform to share that story and talk about our calls to action - it is going to be a great blessing to be able to get this information out.” -Rev. Gwen Sampson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at All Things Through Christ Outreach Ministries, Inc (ATTCOM)

“One of the biggest benefits of working with Resilia is that we’ve been able to lead some discussions around trauma-informed care for frontline and crisis workers. For Ad Hoc, it’s helped crystallize my vision for where I want to take the organization as it relates to developing resources and tools for others to utilize.” - Damon Daniel, AdHoc Group Against Crime

Resilia is working to address learning and coaching needs for nonprofits across the country through mission-facing and back-office capacity building with online training, customizable resources, storytelling, and 1:1 Nonprofit Coaching. Learn more about how the Resilia Funder Program enables highly customized capacity-building programs for grassroots nonprofits. 

Watch the full replay of the panel discussion by clicking here.