Summer 2023

Nonprofit Capacity-Building Partnership Aims to Empower Local Organizations

When the nation was struck in 2020 with a series of tragic events that once again brought to light the injustices of inequities for African-Americans and other minority populations, The Dayton Foundation and community partners ramped up efforts to create a fair and equitable community for all our region’s citizens. From this work grew the Nonprofit Capacity-Building Partnership, a collaborative leadership initiative between Mathile Family Foundation and The Dayton Foundation. The initiative is working to strengthen local African-American and African-descent led or majority African-American or African-descent serving nonprofit organizations to better address inequities in Greater Dayton.

“The Mathile Family Foundation is pleased to partner with The Dayton Foundation to ensure all nonprofit leaders have equitable access to high-quality, capacity-building resources,” said Kippy Ungerleider, managing director for Mathile Family Foundation. “We believe the entire Dayton Region benefits when we have a strong, inclusive network of nonprofit organizations meeting the community’s greatest needs.”

The effort launched in 2021 with a survey sent to nearly 350 potential participants in hopes of identifying groups in need of greater support to address inequities for the populations they serve. In 2022, after a series of assessments and interviews, the field was narrowed to a cohort of 32 individuals from 21 nonprofits. The cohort regularly meets for training and networking, which includes meetings with Jay Meyer of J. Meyer Strategies, who provides consulting services and strategic and organizational development assistance.

Beyond the training, the individuals and organizations in the cohort network with one another, coming together to brainstorm resources for similar issues and needs they may currently be experiencing. The cohort also has been introduced to additional nonprofit resources and tools in the region, such as the Miami Valley Nonprofit Collaborative and Dayton Metro Library. Sinclair Community College’s Chief Diversity Officer, Michael Carter, has shared tools to assist the cohort with conducting an equity analysis and taught them ways to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority.

“These nonprofits often possess limited resources due to being historically under-resourced against the challenges and critical issues they address,” said Mary Tyler of Mary E. Tyler Consulting LLC, a consultant for the program. Mary has held one-on-one meetings with the cohort’s nonprofits to discuss emerging and existing needs and worked to connect them with community resources. “Building the capacity of these organizations is an essential tool for empowering organizations and building strong communities in Montgomery County.”

An organization in the cohort that has benefited from these additional resources is Friends of the House of the People, a nonprofit organization that began in the 1970s to help provide shelter and a community of resources for its clients. Representatives from both The Dayton Foundation and Mathile Family Foundation conducted site visits and connected them with partners, which has led to plans for renovating the kitchens and bathrooms in some of their housing facilities.

“We have dedicated board members and volunteers who have been working with a minimum budget to keep our houses livable. Most of the houses were built in the early 1900s, so they need major repairs with costs above our means,” said Loic Kiza, president of Friends of the House of the People, which also assists Rwandan refugees and asylees. “The Nonprofit Capacity-Building Partnership came at the right time to give us hope and boost our energy. The coaching sessions helped us brainstorm and revisit our overall goals to focus on what is important for the people we serve. We are forever thankful for this opportunity to share our experiences with other organizations and to learn from them.”

Building a strong network of support to enhance ongoing learning and growth is the ultimate goal for the cohort, according to Mary Lynn Naughton, managing director for Mathile Family Foundation.

“The Nonprofit Capacity-Building Partnership provides a safe space for participants to be vulnerable with their peers about leadership challenges in the nonprofit sector,” Mary Lynn said. “We hope these talented leaders gain a deeper understanding of the professional management practices that will help their nonprofit organizations thrive and deepen their mission’s impact.”

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