Networking / collaboration

There’s got to be a way that we can do this on a smart phone, someone thought. “This” was the connection of community members with nonprofits needing help: specifically, the millennial generation. The Methow Conservancy took a strong interest in engaging this age group in work across their community through the GenNxt project. They convened a volunteer fair to bridge the passion for community that this generation brings with concrete ways to “plug in.” Yet connecting people the old-fashioned way, face to face, brings inefficiencies that come with events requiring the attendance of geographically-dispersed people. Smart phone to the rescue. […]

How did baby goats get involved with the oldest wish granting organization in Washington State? Dan Curley, Executive Director of the Wishing Star Foundation, tells the story of how baby goats raised almost $40,000 for the foundation with the help of 110 volunteers. His advice to nonprofits: bring in the community as much as humanly possible. The Wishing Star Foundation grants wishes for children with life threatening illnesses through the help of volunteers, donors, businesses, and the joyfully given support of the local community. Curley explains how inviting the public in as participants of your work, with real investment in […]

For the Blue Mountain Humane Society, an animal shelter is the “happiest place on earth.” It’s where pets and owners are reunited and meet for the first time. Executive Director Sara Archer explains, “It is such a place of hope and possibility.” How did this one nonprofit turn what for many is a sad “pound” holding lost animals, into a place of love and connection? Sara Archer recounts how revamping their mission statement and then focusing on an articulated vision helped her to clearly and boldly engage with the community. Her organization loves to collaborate with nonprofits in their Walla […]