NonProfits Group

NonProfits Community Breakfast Comments, December 8, 2005

What role could NMC play in helping you address these trends?

• Help us "grow our own" professional staff (nursing) all levels
• Help get the word out about the benefits provided to this area by migrant farm workers
• Help support cultural sensitivity training
• Expand NMC courses for NPOs in following areas: funding, organization, grant writing, risk review for non-profits/volunteers, technology, "best practices," parliamentary law, effective use of volunteers, leadership, communication, public speaking, financial management, capacity building, board development and recruitment, using governmental resources, and online clases for all of the above
• Keep education affordable and assessible for all ages of learners
• Educational programs for the professionals in homeless issues
• Education of people in good moderate paying jobs
• Educate for uniqueness of northern Michigan--i.e., land management
• Be available to advise township government about statue planning, etc
• Fostering volunteerism
• Sustainable living/communities
• Lifestyle tailored to resources
• Taking responsibility for healthy living
• Support NPOs in obtaining new board members and assist organizations in finding sources for funding grants, foundations, etc
• Use long distance learning to service high school students outside of Traverse City to build interest in history and preservation
• Continue reaching out to schools throughout the area and build on it
• Stewardship of the GLNI--directing it to be effective and equitable.
• Assistance with collaboration and possible space sharing
• Most non-profits have a need to register participants for events and to collect money over the web. GLNI and NMC could provide a plug-in to our websites to collect that data and credit card payments
• Other web site hosting and development services would also be helpful
• Meeting space for Boards at no cost with technology equipment
• Housing needs for developmental disabled adults
• Increase courses in ESL
• Connection to and enhancement of non-profits who provide affordable (subsidized) housing
• Shared use of technology--NMC to link nonprofits for credit card giving and purchasing
• Informational: Be the organization that promotes information based on science and facts vs. emotion
• Continue to search for ways to partner with the community to make the best use of scarce resources and eliminate duplication of services
• Promote and encourage people to walk, bike and take BATA to your campuses
• Reduce auto parking to improve campuses and encourage alternate modes of transportation
• Work with partners to extend and expand trail connections to campus
• Expand the Great Lakes NonProfit Institute.
• Keep an on-line list of collaboratives
• Education/seminar work for grant application/writing and how, where to seek funding possibilities
• Offer driver reassessment programs or driving classes for seniors
• Offer classes in gerontology
• Offer programs on managing volunteers
• Encourage students to volunteer in the community
• Offer computer classes in out-lying areas so seniors don't have to drive so far
• A liaison to connect students of NMC with non-profits to help staff our volunteer base and use of interns
• Teach a class in community-building which addresses such concepts as volunteering and charitable giving. It could also offer opportunities to serve in a volunteer capacity
• "Experiential Sociology"
• As the Old Town Playhouse looks forward, NMC has great potential to be an education partner for art/theatre plus GLNI and its extended services enhances that opportunity
• Help address governance to strenghten Statewide connection and technology
• Also NMC can offer resources to help us understand and open contact the larger regional demographics
• Land Use & Transportation: Promote and support programs that look at new ways to grow and move people
• Political: We have to provide training opportunities for our political leaders that gives them knowledge to support new ways of growth
• Keeping our community, especially our children, connected with the earth; NMC can partner and support local nature centers and other programs
• NMC should be a major partner at the table for community vision processes including: economic development, human services delivery, workforce development, quality of life
• NMC should be lead institution in: knowledge economy/lifelong learning, water studies, renewable energy
• Share resources - building space, communication infrastructure
• Community forums to discuss local issues
• Research new forms of governance
• GLNI - ongoing training re IRS/trends/new laws, best practices, etc.
• Continue to be information resource we can tap into (e.g. access to Foundation Center via computer)
• Bring business leaders and NPO leaders together
• Support of GLNI to build capacities of NPOs to create a better system.
• Extended ed - business skills
• Convener
• Information broker
• Incubator
• Communication
• Create linkages
• Greater facilitation of grants
• Forum on fundraising
• Networking
• Cooperation among nonprofits and their services
• The education requirements for all areas of healthcare need to be provided locally so students don't need to leave area. More people would be interested with support from grants and the ability to stay with families and continue to work
• Degree programs for EMS is greatly needed.
• Info on current trends
• Comprehensive services for management and organizational development
• Keep track of those issues affecting NMC's donor base and job sources (where employees, students live/work to aid in managing a plan for NW Michigan's growth in job and housing opportunities
• Form long-lasting partnerships with those groups who have varied (but similar) interests and publicize the partnerships in the community
• Create or expand business ownership education
• Promote the 40 year relationship idea so larger percent of community keeps studying
• Use seniors as visiting contributors to class instruction
• With economic trends it is difficult to predict what may occur in the short term or long term. NMC's first role should be awareness and then teaching lifelong skills
• For non-profits, NMC should facilitate partnerships within the community that leverage the skills of each organization, making the partnership more attractive to funders
• Access available federal/state and local resources to assist students, including awarding more "credits" for their military education and experiences
• Address special transitional needs, both psychologically and physically.

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