The people of Indiana have a long and distinguished history of grass-roots community problem-solving. As community issues become more complex, additional help is often needed to build leadership skills that will result in citizens’ abilities to be more effective in addressing their communities’ pressing issues. Nonprofit organizations play a vital leadership role in Indiana’s communities and the staff and volunteers need new tools be effective in serving their communities.
A recent report by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy found that the most significant restraints on Indiana’s 60,000 nonprofit organizations include small staffs and limited financial resources. Forty-eight percent of the state’s nonprofits have no staff and 41% have just 1-2 employees. Half of Indiana’s nonprofits have revenues of less than $40,000. The report has several recommendations that could help strengthen Indiana’s nonprofit sector and among these recommendations are that nonprofits should collaborate and network to build on their strengths and to help them solve the problems facing their communities.
Extension staff, both specialists and Educators, has served 3,487 individuals by offering educational programming to help them build their community leadership skills and become more active in addressing their communities’ issues. A wide range of programming has been offered in both leadership training and organizational capacity building. There are many examples of Extension’s work in this area. The following is an example of one such activity that took place during 2007.
To meet the kind of needs described in the Indiana University study, Purdue Extension offered The Beginner's Guide to Grant Writing Program during the reporting year. This is a statewide program that pairs campus-based specialists with county-based Extension professional in the delivery of a two-way video, two-day workshop. Campus based specialists provide curriculum materials and coordinate administer the training, including the allocation of Continuing Education Credits for Indiana Certified Teachers, Indiana Public Accountants, Indiana Social Workers, and Law Enforcement officers. Cost recovery via gifts, scholarships, and registration fees support general operating administration of a professional development mini grant program for county based Extension professional facilitating on-site training. The workshop was delivered in 23 counties.
The program has built a solid reputation around the state for assisting nonprofits, especially small, community-based organizations. Attendees report that their participation in the program assisted them with applying for and receiving over $5.5 million in funding to address community issues. Grants have supported building renovations, infrastructure development, school-based programs and equipment, small business funding, environmental protection projects, health and human resource projects, programs to enhance computer and health education projects, youth programs, and general operating dollars supporting organization growth and sustainability.
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