Building Organizational Effectiveness (BOE)
Since its founding in 1995, Community Memorial Foundation (CMF) has focused on building the capacity of its non-profit partners. Through the Building Organizational Effectiveness Program, CMF provides non-profit organizations with continuous learning and improvement opportunities. This, in turn, creates great leaders, effective management, and sound governance.
Currently non-profit organizations serving the CMF target communities can avail themselves of the following programs:
- Organizational Assessment and Action Planning
- Technical Assistance Grants
- Taproot Foundation Grants
- Seminars and Workshops
- Learning Circles
- Below Market Loans through the IFF (Illinois Facilities Fund)
- Access to the Donors Forum Philanthropy Center at the College of DuPage
Organizational Assessment and Action Planning
Community Memorial Foundation believes that an organizational assessment is a useful first step for non-profits that seek to build organizational effectiveness. CMF has partnered with the TCC Group to offer the Core Capacity Assessment Tool (CCAT) to all CMF grantees. TCC is a national consulting firm with a wealth of experience in providing services to non-profits for building organizational effectiveness. TCC Group’s CCAT Assessment allows nonprofit organizational leaders to identify their organization’s strengths and challenges related to leadership capacity, adaptive capacity, management capacity, technical capacity, and organizational culture. This survey tool is easy to use (completed online by board and key staff members) and allows for a truly anonymous and confidential self-assessment of an organization’s core capacities. The CCAT also provides users with a report analyzing their strengths and providing recommendations for future growth and change.
In addition to the CCAT Assessment, CMF offers an in-depth organizational assessment and action planning program. Facilitated by Millennia Consulting LLC, organizations commit to a three month assessment process resulting in a thorough assessment of their internal operations, recommendations for change, and an action plan of concrete next steps to move to the next level in their development.
All CMF grantees will be given the opportunity to take the CCAT assessment or the in-depth organizational assessment. Please contact CMF at 630-654-4729 if your organization is interested.
Technical Assistance Grants
Technical Assistance grants respond to the managerial and operational needs of individual non-profit organizations. The Foundation considers requests to support particular activities aimed at building organizational infrastructure, such as strategic planning, board and/or staff development. Technical Assistance grants generally average from $1,500 to $15,000 and may be submitted to the Foundation throughout the year.
Organizations interested in receiving Technical Assistance support should first complete the CCAT organizational assessment and then submit a brief letter of intent outlining the need for technical assistance. Organizations may then be asked to complete a Technical Assistance Grant Application.
Community Memorial Foundation partners may also apply for a Technical Assistance grant through the Taproot Foundation, which is an innovative partnership of corporate professionals who volunteer their time to provide assistance to non-profit organizations in the areas of marketing, information technology, strategy management and human resources. For more information contact Stacey Boeke at Taproot Foundation at 312-494-9070.
Seminars and Workshops
Throughout the year, Community Memorial Foundation sponsors a variety of educational workshops for its grantee partners. These workshops focusing on management issues, fund development and board development, are offered free of charge to grantees. For more information on upcoming workshops, please contact Tom Fuechtmann at 630-654-4729.
In addition, CMF partners may also attend workshops sponsored by the Donors Forum in Chicago for a reduced rate of $10. Non-profits may access a variety of workshops and seminars presented by national and local experts. To learn more, contact the Donors Forum Library at 312-578-0175 or visit their website at www.donorsforum.org.
Learning Circles
Learning Circles are small, highly focused groups of peers who meet regularly to help each other solve organizational, management, and conceptual issues related to their nonprofit work. Learning Circle participants meet every month in three hour sessions to discuss specific organization and management issues and to seek feedback from their peers.
Below Market Loans through IFF
Through a Program-Related Investment grant, CMF area non-profits have access to below market rate loans. The program is administered by IFF, an organization skilled in lending practices. Through this organization, non-profits in CMF's target area have access to funds for working capital, social purpose business ventures, and capital projects. To learn more, contact IFF at 312-629-0060 or visit their website at www.iff.org
Philanthropy Center at the College of DuPage
The Philanthropy Center is housed at the library in the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. The Center is sponsored by the Donors Forum in Chicago and the College of DuPage. It is supported in part by a grant from CMF, and it provides area non-profits with convenient and accessible philanthropic resources and services ranging from databases and books on philanthropy to a variety of workshops and seminars. Their website is www.cod.edu/library/Philanthropy.
If you would like more information about the Building Organizational Effectiveness Program, please contact Tom Fuechtmann at 630-654-4729.