Helping Civil Society Organizations

▪ Weekend in Boca
▪ Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network

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.

Weekend in Boca

"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 from December 11-13 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. A bus tour of Boca Raton and Delray beach focused on community development issues and gave participants the chance to observe similarities and distinctions between the two adjacent, but markedly different, communities.

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 summarizes and builds on the discussions during Weekend in Boca II will be published in mid-2009 and will be available on this site at that time.

Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network

To help maintain the sense of momentum arising from Weekend in Boca II, the Office Depot Foundation is implementing a number of communications strategies that, collectively, are known as the Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network. "The participants told us in no uncertain terms that they wanted to stay in touch and continue their work in preparation for Weekend in Boca III in December 2009," Foundation President Mary Wong states.

The following activities are in place or are being planned:

▪ The introduction of an Office Depot Foundation Leadership Network page and group on Facebook, facilitated by Casey Golden, principal and managing partner of Small Act Network.

▪ The publication of the second annual Weekend in Boca white paper. Written by Jay Hein, Stephen Jordan and Mary Wong, the report will provide a glimpse into the dialogue that took place during the weekend and offer a number of strategies to help civil society organizations build capacity in this time of economic uncertainty.

▪ The launch of a monthly webinar series, to be facilitated by Jay Hein, which will feature nationally renowned speakers who will address topics ranging from corporate pro-bono services to disaster preparedness and collaboration among non-profits.

▪ The production of a quarterly newsletter, Leadership Notes, thanks in large part to the assistance of Mark Dobosz of the SCORE Foundation.