Scaling Impact: Partnering with Community Foundations

Mary welcomes Cindy Hales from the Capital Region Community Foundation for an intriguing discussion on navigating nonprofit collaboration and capacity building.  Cindy has over thirty years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has served as an executive director of several organizations and has direct fundraising experience in higher education, healthcare, and cultural organizations. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University.

As Vice President of Community Investment, Cindy leads the Foundation's grantmaking programs and builds relationships with nonprofits in the community with support from the community investment team. She works closely with her team and is part of the leadership team.

Mary & Cindy discuss vital strategies for effective nonprofit management, focusing on capacity building and cooperative relationships with funders. Cindy shares insights on succession planning, proactive organization management, and the importance of aligning nonprofit and funder priorities. 

Encouraging nonprofits to build relationships with local community foundations, they offer practical advice for sustainable nonprofit growth. Mary emphasizes the benefits of shifting from reactive to proactive organizational operations through storytelling and real-life examples.

00:00 Introduction to the Nonprofit Experts Podcast 00:34 Celebrating the Success of Season One

02:19 Exciting Plans for Season Two

03:07 Today's Topic: Nonprofit Funder Relationships

03:33 Guest Introduction: Cindy Hale

04:21 Understanding Capacity Building

13:24 Proactivity vs. Reactivity in Nonprofits

17:35 Aligning Priorities with Funders

21:52 Tips for Working with Community Foundations

26:47 Final Thoughts and Encouragement