Patrick Larkin’s Post

Are you engaged in your community? 🤔 In 2023, Serve Virginia and the Virginia Service Foundation introduced the Virginia Community Engagement Index (VCEI). This groundbreaking study aims to understand the current state of service, volunteerism, and civic action in Virginia, as well as to identify the community's top priorities. Take a look at some of the interesting highlights such as, "Why we serve," "Where we serve," "how we serve," and more! https://lnkd.in/eQszbxnE

New Reach Community Consulting is crystal clear on what it does and why. 🎯 Founded on decades of bona fide and credentialed expertise in community engagement, New Reach Community Consulting isn't a Johnny-come-lately in the work. 🚫

At Anders, we give back because we care. Embracing our core value of generosity, we actively invest in the communities where we work and live by supporting organizations with our time, resources and money throughout the year. See how we made an impact in 2023 through our annual Community Impact Report: https://lnkd.in/dEzF_xz

Our Annual Impact Report is here! 🎉 Learn how we impacted over 7,000 lives with housing, community services, education, community development, financial services, and workforce development! Read a copy on our website at www.peopleinc.net.

In 2023, the Community Foundation awarded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships. This funding, and the work it enables, is built on two of the core pillars of the Community Foundation's strategic work: to build community resilience, and to advance social and economic mobility for all of Northern Virginia's residents. You can read a few examples of how our 2023 CIF grantees are changing lives here: https://lnkd.in/ep74uBKz

How can data about national service and volunteerism help us understand the broader context of civic engagement in America? Join us tomorrow as Serve Virginia staff and others share insights in this free webinar hosted by AmeriCorps, featuring case studies of evidence-building efforts from across the nation that generate actionable insights for national service programs, nonprofits, policymakers, and the public: 1) an analysis of motivations to serve among AmeriCorps members, 2) an analysis of civic engagement among AmeriCorps members, and 3) an index that allows Virginians to benchmark their community engagement at the local, state, and national level (Serve Virginia's Virginia Community Engagement Index, or VCEI). Taken together, these cases highlight how bringing together data on the big picture with experiences on the ground can paint a more holistic picture of civic engagement in America. Learn more and register: https://buff.ly/3IYUUju #AmeriCorps30 #CivicEngagement #CommunityEngagement

For 62 years, Blue Hills Civic Association, or BHCA, has stood alongside the people of Hartford’s North End. With the support of organizations like the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, we are making a tangible difference. Our efforts are further empowered by a two-year, $450,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, allowing us to build on the progress we have made in recent years. This investment acknowledges the impact of structural racism, which has left Black-led organizations like BHCA with 76 percent fewer assets than their white-led counterparts. Stable, flexible funding like this is critical to advancing our three strategic goals: economic development and housing, community engagement, and workforce development.

Is your school a neighborhood school? Do partnerships in the community drive value for the students and families you serve? This week I had the opportunity to discuss the strategic role of community partnerships with Jemia Cunningham-Elder, CEO at North Lawndale College Prep in Chicago. We got into: - Evaluating community sentiment - What types of partnerships you might want to look for - Potential pitfalls when leveraging partnerships - Practical considerations for operationalizing programs/partnerships - How partnerships can offer unique opportunities otherwise not possible - The role of a leader/CEO in driving community engagement - much more! Give it a listen 🎧

Now that I have been to a few gatherings where the conversation about "how AI can help housing and community finance" has gone in many different directions, from - trepidation to fear to excitement. As someone who knows a little bit more about this space, I should put a stake in the ground and say what is obvious to me. Housing finance needs all the help it can get, especially at state, city, and local governmental authorities, who have been given the tough job of creating affordability and supply through policy and housing finance and bringing public money to private developers, and having an impact on overall housing supply crises. We need AI to take on the repetitive tasks like - 1. Explain QAPs, answer questions on loan programs, 2. Train staff as well as free them up to do higher-level creative jobs 3. Onboard large amounts of data sets 4. Compare and contrast data sets 5. Do underwriting analyses 6. Create standardization across various organizations This will all ultimately help us build a robust ecosystem around housing finance. I am convinced that we can use AI creatively to have a significant NET POSITIVE IMPACT on housing finance.

It often happens that I get so caught up in my daily life (and head) but I am so thankful for having joined Latinos for Education as a 2024 Latino Board Fellow. Connecting with people who have a shared vision of Latino representation, education, and advancement is invigorating and powerful! - 40% of Fortune 1000 companies are inclusive of Latinos on their corporate boards, reflecting a 5 percentage point increase from 2022 – the second most notable increase since 2019.  - With most of the progress occurring outside of the Fortune 100, minimal progress continues in the Fortune 100, shifting from 53% to 54% in Latino representation. - While slow, Latino board representation continues to rise. The numbers have increased to 5.4% of Fortune 500 seats held by a Latino and 4.9% among Fortune 1000, a 1% and .8% respectively, one of the most notable increases for both segments since 2020. Please take a look at Latinos for Education and their amazing programs that support communities across the United States