Sandra Day O'Connor Institute Offers Free Civics Education and Research

You say "resources" every week. Here is everything that word is supposed to hold. For most platforms, resources means a PDF folder. A static file someone uploaded once and rarely opens again. But pull the word apart and look at what a community actually needs, and it holds so much more. Inside OneChurch.io, resources means: Food pantry access and counseling connections, reachable directly in the platform rather than a separate workflow. Prayer guides and devotionals living in the same environment as your operational and coordination tools. A searchable community resource directory, so a leader can point someone toward help without ever leaving the app. Volunteer opportunities that show up as a navigable layer, not buried in a bulletin or a spreadsheet. Secure group chats and one-on-one messaging, so faith leaders can coordinate across ministries without switching to a third tool. When the word is finally built out, it stops meaning a document and starts meaning the full capacity of the body of Christ, assembled and navigable for anyone who needs it. 🙏 Explore what resources really means at onechurch.io

Alongside our dedicated partners, donors, and friends, USC has built a trailblazing initiative to support first-generation and limited-income students. I look forward to highlighting this work at the National Conference for Students in Transition today!

A growing volunteer database doesn't always mean a stronger volunteer program. Many nonprofits successfully attract interested volunteers but still struggle with unfilled shifts, low participation, and volunteers who never return after their first opportunity. The challenge may not be recruitment itself, but gaps in the process that prevent interested individuals from becoming active, engaged volunteers. Our newest post explores five common volunteer recruitment gaps and how volunteer coordinators can identify opportunities to improve onboarding, scheduling, communication, and long-term engagement. Before investing more resources in recruitment, make sure your existing process is working. Read the full post: https://lnkd.in/eQ2xvs_u

A growing volunteer database doesn't always mean a stronger volunteer program. Many nonprofits successfully attract interested volunteers but still struggle with unfilled shifts, low participation, and volunteers who never return after their first opportunity. The challenge may not be recruitment itself, but gaps in the process that prevent interested individuals from becoming active, engaged volunteers. Our newest post explores five common volunteer recruitment gaps and how volunteer coordinators can identify opportunities to improve onboarding, scheduling, communication, and long-term engagement. Before investing more resources in recruitment, make sure your existing process is working. Read the full post: https://lnkd.in/eQ2xvs_u

Relationships – A key element of your grant and funding strategy - Development Officers know that fundraising is all about building relationships. But when planning a strategy to increase grants, staff often downplay the need for relationships and focus on Requests for Proposals and funder research. Who is responsible for relationship building? The Executive Director/CEO, Development Officer, Community Relations, the Board, volunteers, staff? Guess what – it is everyone! And you need a good system to make sure the information you learn is captured in a system or database! Document every contribution and grant, everything you know about the donor/funder, and when you have touched base with them (newsletters, emails, letters, face-to-face meetings). Have a plan for how often that donor or funder needs to be thanked and informed about what you are accomplishing!

What could the right funding make possible for your community? Civic & Main helps Indiana towns, cities, counties, and townships navigate the grant process, from identifying a need and researching opportunities to preparing applications and planning for what comes after an award. This video walks through our nine-step approach, including eligibility, matching funds, submission, and grant administration support. And when it’s time to celebrate, we help share your community’s success with ribbon cuttings, media outreach, and a public relations package. Have a project in mind? Let’s talk about the next step. 🌐 https://civicandmain.com Your Trusted Advisor for Funding, Growth, and Community Progress. #CivicAndMain #IndianaCommunities #GrantWriting #GrantFunding #CommunityDevelopment #CommunityProgress

Your presence online is more than your website. Story telling give businesses and nonprofits another way to be discovered, drive readers to their websites, and build visibility over time. When your story lives on a local communications website, its reach can extend beyond your own and into the digital world. Your story deserves to be found. Every article is another opportunity to grow your visibility, connect with your community, and help the right people discover what you do. https://lnkd.in/g3eDttPD

I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with library directors who are convinced they have “X” cardholders and serve “Y%” of their community. Then they look more closely at the data. > With expired records removed > With people who live outside the service area removed > With people who have moved away removed > With duplicate records removed Suddenly, the picture looks very different. The reality is that many libraries may be overestimating how much of their community they actually reach. And that matters. Because before you can talk seriously about community engagement, you need to establish a true baseline of community reach. How many households are you genuinely serving today? And, perhaps more importantly: Who are you not serving? Once you understand that, you can start making informed decisions about where the opportunities for growth really are. #CommunityEngagement #LibraryMarketing #GrowingLibraries #CommunityIntelligence Brendan, Alan, Niche Academy

Your ILS can tell you how many patron records you have, but does it tell you what percentage of your community you really reach? > Expired cards. > Duplicate records. > People who have moved away. > Cardholders outside your service area. They can all make the headline number very different from the real picture. The first session of The Growing Library looks at how libraries can establish a credible baseline for community reach — and why that baseline matters before you begin trying to grow it. You can find more information and access the full five-part series here 👉 https://hubs.la/Q04y6g4V0 #TheGrowingLibrary #PublicLibraries #CommunityEngagement #LibraryMarketing #GrowingLibraries #CommunityIntelligence Brendan, Alan, Niche Academy