James Mueller, President of Mueller & Associates, will be a guest on the Nonprofit Utopia Podcast to talk about his latest book, Onboarding Champions, the the essential guidebook for nonprofit board members and executives. It challenges board members to become champions of governance and provides a roadmap to get there. We will talk about seven recruiting principles of highly effective nonprofit boards, including culture, character, competence, connections, composition continuity and collaboration.  James will share a wealth of information on a number of topics, including how to use a disciplined approach to building diverse and equitable boards; managing your board and leadership team remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to confront board members who put their own self interests above the organization's best interests. 

Nonprofit Utopia hosted a CARES Act forum for nonprofits, churches, performance arts organizations and small businesses on March 6, 2021, from 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM. The live streamed event was facilitated by Congressman Danny K. Davis, and included an update on the COVID-19 Stimulus Package. Mark Ferguson, Illinois Deputy District Director for the SBA, shared an overview of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan, Paycheck Protection Program and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. We also had a panel discussion featuring Daryl Newell, President of Seaway Bank; Ronald Milsap, Vice President, Mission Deposits and CRA, Providence Bank; Lupita Guerro, Business Banking Officer, US Bank and Christyn Freemon, Founder, Project Forward.

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021, passed in December, 2020, extends many relief programs from the CARES Act. It also creates several new programs and provides clarity around some of the questions brought about under the CARES Act passed last spring.  We will look at some of the major provisions of the legislation and how it impacts nonprofits, small businesses and communities.

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)

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 share 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

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.  

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.

Lever for Change is a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Affiliate, whose mission is to unlock philanthropic capital and accelerate positive change around the world’s biggest challenges. Consistent with this mission, the Foundation recently launched the Economic Opportunity Challenge to award $10 million to scale a game-changing solution aimed to improve the economic health of low-income families in the U.S. Join us as Cecilia Conrad, PhD, CEO of Lever for Change and Managing Director of the MacArthur Fellows and 100&Change at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, shares an overview of the Economic Opportunity Challenge, and the application process

With average annual earnings from art projects of around $5,000, the term “starving artist” is closer to reality than cliche. As a result, it is not uncommon for artists to live in marginalized communities. Most arts organizations that create new work have annual operating budgets of less than $50,000; the artists themselves subsidize the bulk of community culture. Grants from government and corporate sponsors account for less than 15% of arts budgets. Ironically, local artists generate significant, measurable economic impact to their communities, returning $8 for every $1 invested. While artists are often the drivers of community re-development, they are not always able to capitalize upon the value they create, as rising real estate values make it difficult to stay. Join Kiela Smith Upton, Legal Shield Independent Associate, and Laura Weathered, Executive Director of the Near Northwest Arts Council, for a discussion on design/build strategies to prevent displacement of local neighborhood artists.

Since 1993, Woods Fund Chicago has awarded more than $65 million to nearly 500 nonprofit organizations in the Chicago region. Central to its grant-making approach is a belief that systemic change is the only way to eradicate poverty and structural racism, and that people most affected by poverty and racial inequity should lead and participate in the process of addressing issues that directly affect them. Consistent with that belief, the Woods Fund has been involved in the creation of the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) framework, and has recently spun off the TRHT Chicago. The TRHT is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to “unearth and jettison the deeply held, and often unconscious, beliefs created by racism”.  Support for the effort was provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF). We will hear from Michelle Morales, the new President of the Woods Fund, and Jose Rico, the first Director of Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Chicago, as they share their vision for breaking down artificial racial constructs that keep us divided.

When Shelby Parchman, Founder of InUrban Strategies, LLC, started coaching small businesses for a local entrepreneurship program, he noticed that many of the businesses with whom he worked were also in urban food deserts--communities with limited access to grocery stores and fresh fruits and vegetables.  Shelby also noticed that the multi-billion local Good Food industry is expanding rapidly, and Chicago’s neighborhoods are uniquely positioned to capitalize.  What would happen if he narrowed his focus to food entrepreneurs serving Chicago’s South and West Sides? Tune in and find out!