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Helping Civil Society Organizations |
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▪ Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network
▪ Weekend in Boca III
▪ Weekend in Boca II
There has been incredible growth in the number of civil society (non-profit) organizations - more than 1 million today vs. 250,000 in 1980. These organizations control $1 trillion in assets and employ more than 20 million people. But many fall short in accountability, do not understand sound business practices and lack business skills.
The Office Depot Foundation recognizes that building capacity in the civil society sector can help to spur innovation and new ideas for addressing vital social issues. We are committed to pursuing these goals through a variety of strategies.
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In an effort to focus on non-profit capacity building throughout the year - and to build on the momentum of Weekend in Boca - we initiated the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network in 2009.
Elements of the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network include:
▪ The publication of an annual white paper based on the knowledge and insights shared during Weekend in Boca. The white paper arising from Weekend in Boca III will be completed in mid-2010. The second Weekend in Boca white paper, "The Business of the Civil Society Sector: Taking Care of Community," provided a glimpse into the dialogue that took place during the 2008 weekend and offers a number of strategies to help civil society organizations build capacity in this time of economic uncertainty.
▪ A webinar series featuring nationally renowned speakers who address a wide range of topics of interest to non-profits. The 2010 schedule for the series, which is facilitated by Jay Hein, president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, will be announced in the near future. In 2009, these webinars featured Del Martin, chair of the Giving USA Foundation, who reported on trends in charitable giving in the United States; and Casey Golden, founder of Small Act, who offered valuable information on the topic of "Social Media: How to make it work for you and your non-profit."
▪ A quarterly newsletter, "Leadership Notes," edited by Mark Dobosz, executive director of the SCORE Foundation.
Membership in the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network is free. Members receive invitations to Weekend in Boca and the webinar series, the newsletter and other information throughout the year. To sign up, please click here.
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Despite tough times and daunting challenges, our communities are surviving; some are even thriving. The ones that do best have been successful in building collaborations and harnessing the energy and resources of their residents, non-profit organizations, governments and the private sector.
In December 2009, Weekend in Boca III - the annual Civil Society Leadership Symposium presented by the Office Depot Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center, the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and the SCORE Foundation - examined what's working in communities and explored opportunities to apply best practices on a local, regional and national scale. More than 125 individuals from across the United States participated.
Beginning with South Florida as an economic, social and environmental case study, two dozen speakers and panelists engaged participants in stimulating conversations about the roles that civil society organizations, government and the business sector can play in meeting current challenges and building sustainability for the future.
Among the presenters were three individuals representing cities that have been affected by natural - and economic - disasters during the past several years:
▪ Rod Roberson, City Council President, Elkhart, Ind., a community that has suffered from double-digit unemployment. Roberson also serves as executive director of Back 2 School Elkhart, a community coalition dedicated to helping children succeed in school.
▪ Shannon Meyer, president of the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Area Chamber of Commerce, whose community was inundated by severe flooding in 2008.
▪ Hal Roark, director of the Broadmoor Community Development Corporation in New Orleans, which is working to redevelop a neighborhood that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Weekend in Boca III included a special focus on business continuity planning and disaster preparedness for non-profit organizations presented by Leslie VanSant, partner in the Global Emergency Group. VanSant is a nationally known expert in communications strategy, media relations, marketing and fundraising for emergency response and development operations. To view VanSant's presentation, follow the links below:
▪ Leslie VanSant Presentation - Part 1
▪ Leslie VanSant Presentation - Part 2
For the first time, Weekend in Boca included a community service project. Inspired by 12-year-old philanthropist Zach Bonner, a symposium panelist and founder of The Little Red Wagon Foundation, participants filled 200 Office Depot Foundation backpacks with school supplies to be donated to The Lord's Place and Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches.
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"Four-dimensional sustainability," strategic collaboration and strategic management were among the key themes that kept more than 70 participants engaged in highly stimulating conversations during Weekend in Boca II, the Office Depot Foundation's Civil Society Leadership Symposium that took place in December 2008, in Boca Raton, Fla. One participant referred to the experience as "an amazing learning and networking opportunity."
The lively and timely discussions were facilitated by Stephen Jordan, senior vice president and executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center; Jay Hein, president of the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research; and Mary Wong, president of the Office Depot Foundation. In addition, special presentations were made by Mark Dobosz, executive director of the SCORE Foundation; Barry Anderson, interim president of Gifts In Kind International; and the American Heart Association.
Among the highlights of the presentations and roundtable discussions:
▪ An exploration of the essential elements of "four-dimensional sustainability" - economic viability, environment, social cohesion and cultural context.
▪ The importance of understanding the 80-20 rule: that one or two social improvements can lead to significant economic benefits.
▪ Identification of key elements of strategic collaboration, including articulating the value of civil society organizations to the government and business sectors; creating a "spider web of connection" and win-win partnerships; building nontraditional relationships between large corporations and small grassroots organizations, and vice versa; and encouraging funder-organized initiatives (corporate, foundation and government) to support consolidation and collaboration.
▪ Delineation of ways to enhance strategic management, such as having clear, achievable objectives and measurable performance indicators; focusing intently on programming; prioritizing "critical" services; and creating a diverse board of individuals with expertise in all the areas needed for effective strategic management.
A white paper that summarized and expanded on the discussions during Weekend in Boca II was published in mid-2009. Please click here to view or download the report, entitled "The Business of the Civil Society Sector: Taking Care of Community."
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