Jo Ann Simons

We remain resolute in our mission, to move families and individuals toward stable housing and independence while embracing the complexities of their human experience. In this pursuit, understanding homelessness is not just a step — it's a transformative journey toward collective healing and societal progress. Everyone wants to eradicate homelessness; let us all use our voices to ensure this is a reality in our state. https://lnkd.in/exZzmVCq

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I appreciate the creativity of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving as the sector continues to rethink capacity building. Some years ago, while planning a conference for the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, I had the opportunity to connect with the Hartford Foundation and I found their commitment to capacity building impressive. As I've written about several times in the past five years or so, including a #trends2023 article I wrote with Trish Abalo, capacity building is a process...a long one at that! Too often we confuse capacity building with technical assistance. They are not the same thing! Technical assistance is focused on solving a problem or learning a new skill. Yes, it's necessary for funders to support technical assistance (TA) needs of their grantee partners, AND it's important to go beyond TA. Technical assistance is part of capacity building, the two must go hand-in-hand. This is what Hartford's Social Enterprise Accelerator program does. The foundation invested in organizations learning new skills for building fee-based revenue (TA), and the 30-month program (yes, two and a half years!) guides organization through business planning, implementation, and first year growth. The resources are available for success! As we consider the example of Hartford, and others, there are some key lessons for us to rethink capacity building... 💡 Long-term investments are crucial 💡 Centering racial equity is a must 💡 Unrestricted, multi-year grants ARE capacity building 💡 Asset-based approaches are more effective 💡 Culture matters (a LOT!) 💡 Systems thinking is critical (and yes, it's connected to racial equity!) 💡 Centering care and rest builds capacity for the long-term 💡 Unrestricted, multi-year grants are capacity building (in case you didn't hear it in the back!) What else is needed for effective capacity building? Would love to hear your ideas in the comments! #capacitybuilding #nonprofitleadership #equitymatters

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Please spread the word!

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Sherella Williams recently wrote a great article for Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia describing Independence Public Media Foundation's grants management system selection process. The article is a great resource for any grantmaker looking for a GMS. There are two elements to system selection highlighted by the article that I found particularly insightful and are not frequently discussed: 1. A good grants management system doesn't just help automate processes but also helps infuse a foundation's values into its grantmaking operations. 2. Looks matter. If the GMS you are using isn’t aesthetically pleasing and intuitive to use, your team won’t like it—and more importantly, may barely use it! You can read the full article in the link below. #grantsmanagement #philanthropy #grantsmanagementsystem

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Questions about the new licensure tiers? Join Lindsey Courtney, Executive Director of NH OPLC and me for this informational workshop. All your questions answered! https://lnkd.in/eaphGuXD

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