Insights From The Sharing Innovation Conference
The week of October 7th I had the opportunity to attend the Sharing Innovation Conference in (suddenly snowy) Denver that was orchestrated perfectly by The Nonprofit Centers Network. The intent of the conference was to bring together individuals from all sizes and types of spaces across North America to share learning, strategy, and impact. We heard from speakers who represented a range of spaces: rural and urban communities, “one stop shops” that provide health and social services, and others that provide affordable, welcoming space and networking opportunities for social impact professionals and organizations. It was refreshing to be with authentic and transparent speakers who were very open to share where they were on their learning journey, what it took to get them to this point, and what they still were working to uncover. Since most of you could not join in the room or online, I wanted to share some of my key learning and I hope that it shifts your thinking and benefits your work in some way.
Did you know that affordable and stable space for social impact organizations are in jeopardy?
While discussions about the affordable housing crisis are ever-present within many communities across the country, many social impact organizations are also suffering. Displacement, gentrification, and rising rents and costs make finding affordable and stable space that provides organizations with a dignified place to do their work and serve others increasing difficult. A new book called Shared Space and the New Nonprofit Workplace was just published and received the 2019 Alliance for Nonprofit Management Terry McAdam’s Book Award. China Brotsky, one of the co-authors and founding Executive Directors of NCN shared wonderful case studies from all around North America of the variety of spaces that are addressing this rising challenge. The book “provides a detailed road map for strengthening nonprofits in communities” according to Rachel Rubin Ross, Chair of the Alliance’s McAdam Book Award Committee. The issue of affordable and stable space will continue to evolve with the growing wealth gap, changes to national tax policy, as well the continual shift in the future of work, how we collaborate, design and use space, and how we leverage interconnected networks to adapt in new environments.
Did you know that sharing space can be a powerful resource when optimizing impact in the social impact sector?
The growth of centers that house multiple nonprofit organizations has increased tremendously from 112 in 2011 to 575 centers across North America in 2019. This includes 18.7 million ft.² of space that support 8,550 organizations. These organizations house 34,770 employees and ultimately save the nonprofit sector $128 million per year that they can instead invest into their programs and services. There also strong outcomes connected to shared space with organizations, such as reported greater achievement of their mission and goals, improved credibility, staff morale, recruitment and retention, enhanced quality of services, as well as financial savings that produce additional stability and net revenue (Data shared by NCN). If you want to find a nonprofit center near you or learn more, please visit https://www.nonprofitcenters.org/.
Did you know that there are models for how to create inclusive and equitable social impact spaces?
Allandra Bulger and Nicole de Beufort, representing CoAct Detroit spoke about the very intentional way that they have worked to include the community and users of their space by focusing on equity and inclusion in their nonprofit center. They really focused on listening and teasing out how the power of networks can make a difference. One of the ways they addressed equity was how they kicked off their opening event. They generated high-quality paper invitations that also included additional paper invites that individuals could distribute to other people who they thought should be there. I love how they took their time in creating the space and did not leave equity and inclusion as the last item on the punch list like many spaces and communities often will do. As we know, but rarely take time to address, when we always invite and talk to the “usual suspects” we will re-create and reinforce the same structures, networks, access, thought leadership, strategies, and results that we are often trying to deconstruct and improve in the first place. CoAct Detroit has created a space that engenders trust and enables people to get information that they need, connect across silos and bring organizations together, and meet organizations where they are, whether they are run by a team of five mighty volunteers, or fueled by five divisions with fifty years of experience.
Did you know that nonprofit hospitals are required to invest in their local communities? Do you know that 56% of hospitals in the U.S. are considered nonprofit and that $95B is available to address community needs?
Michaell Rose of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, CA shared about their work through the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living and the evolution of local and national policies that made investing in community benefit a required activity for hospitals. When you, like me, hear Newport Beach, you might wonder, what poverty? But just like in most other cities, Newport has pockets of poverty in which the average income might be $78,000 a year but $94,000 a year is needed to have a house. When earnings average $19.12 an hour, and $27.62 per hour is needed to secure a one bedroom apartment, this creates disparities that impact all aspects of life. Nonprofit hospitals are mandated to conduct needs assessments of community issues (most of which are related to social determinants of health), craft a community benefit plan, and then allocate funds to address their goals. If your organization intersects with goals they want to address, you could benefit from funding. The Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living is one truly inspiring example of this money in action. It is a one-stop 30,000 square foot revived medical office plaza that serves anyone and everyone (no ID or no residency required, as Michaell said, “If they have a need and they bleed red, we serve them.”). to receive comprehensive services from Hoag or one of their more than thirty community nonprofit partners providing everything from physical and mental health care to yoga, legal aid, food and art programs.
Did you know that there may be other property ownership options beyond traditional real estate?
The Bay area and its nonprofit community is one place that is feeling the pain of displacement. Steve King from the Oakland Community Land Trust shared a case study of #Liberate23rdAve, a massive community-led campaign to buy a building that housed long-time queer and trans people of color-led organizations and tenants and turn it into a land trust . The four community organizations and the tenants that lived above their offices mobilized to buy their space and protect it from redevelopment. There are 250 community land trusts in the United States and more across the globe. Land trusts are just one example of emerging models for how community can regain power in saving space and engaging community.
Did you know that rural communities could teach others about collaboration?
Four changemakers representing rural communities in Canada and the U.S. shared about the complexities and necessity of collaborating in small communities: Margo Olson and Brad Wood of River Valley Resources in Madison, IN and Pamela Geddes and Angie Smith of Alberta Parenting for the Future Foundation in Stony Plain, Alberta. The need to discuss and acknowledge overlap and competition in social impact organizations is essential in rural communities. Everyone must find their role and fill a gap. They shared how it is even more imperative that egos are checked at the door and that people work together to be super creative, open-minded, and client-centered. It is also important for people to provide warm hand offs for referrals and understand how every organization complements one another to provide comprehensive services. These communities face additional challenges around transportation, diversity and equity, resource constraints, and access to resources that others in urban populations might take for granted.
What could be possible if we considered shared space a way that we could also share impact? What if we also shared abundance, opportunities, resources, strategies, solutions, and shared the change? We have work to do to optimize how we work together in social impact and in our communities, but conferences like Sharing Innovation and the change makers in attendance give me hope that we are on our way.