“As you prepare for the holiday season, make it a wrap: Add cross-sector, community partnerships to your year-end checklist.”
To elevate awareness and ignite action around our community’s social, economic, and environmental issues, we periodically feature local influencers to enhance the stories and data analyzed in the Community Foundation’s current TRENDS Report. This month, John Tayer, President & CEO of the Boulder Chamber, shared with us his take on the impact of cross-sector partnerships to develop and sustain community resiliency:
Maybe you’re reading this as you prepare to wrap some holiday gifts, or maybe you’re working furiously to wrap-up some year-end work. Either way, I encourage you to also take some time to wrap-up the loose ends in your annual cross-sector community partnerships.
Many nonprofit organizations depend on their relationships with for-profit businesses and government entities to build a balanced revenue portfolio. From event and program sponsorships, to general administration grants, Boulder County companies and government agencies contribute millions of dollars to the bottom line on nonprofit balance sheets. These financial resources, along with countless employee volunteer hours and in-kind product donations, ensure that our community benefits from the crucial services area nonprofits deliver.
It’s also important to note that our nonprofit organizations are “businesses,” too – and some of the scrappiest businesses of all. Working on thin margins, they employ thousands of our citizens and tend to spend their resources locally. They also deliver services that sustain a healthy and resilient workforce that government agencies would otherwise need to address. Thus, business and government investment in local nonprofits is a powerful investment in the health of our local economy, and the resilience of our community.
I know that’s the case for the Boulder Chamber and the Community Foundation in our work together to produce the annual Boulder County Leadership Fellows program. In the spirit of a true cross-sector partnership, we’re fortunate that the Leadership Fellows program thrives through the generosity of valued corporate, government, and philanthropic partners. In turn, by helping our two organizations develop the next generation of public, nonprofit, and business leaders, investments in the Leadership Program provide long-term benefits for our economy – and our county overall.
So as you prepare for the holiday season, make it a wrap: Add cross-sector community partnerships to your year-end checklist.
Learn more about the far-reaching impact of the cross-sector Leadership Fellows program in the foundation’s newly-published TREND Report.
