Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, because it’s all about community engagement. There’s no other time of the year where you go out and knock on your neighbors doors – anyone with a porch light on is extending an open invitation. Halloween festivities in the workplace also invite people to reach out to people they don’t know very well and start a conversation, whether it’s an autumn happy hour, a lively costume contest, or simply gathering around the candy bowl in the first week of November.
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Kayce Strader
28/Sep/2015
Many people use the words “hotel” and “motel” interchangeably, but there is a history behind the words that gives a clue to the lodging available. Hotel is a French word for public residence, and now typically means an inn of higher quality. Motel is an American invention from the 1920s that played on Hotel with a new twist – an added motor. With Americans traveling more and traveling further in their autos, it became the new norm to stay short amounts of time at an inn before hitting the road again. A motel sign let you know you could motor right up to your room door and be ready to leave again quickly. While the habits and expectations for each are strikingly dissimilar, the only key difference in a hotel and a motel is the location of the room doors – inside or outside.
I recently completed a consulting engagement for a client on tenant recruitment in a nonprofit shared space center. As the centers in our network mature, more are going through the growing pains of vacant space and the dilemma of recruiting the right tenants, both for financial reasons and to complement the collaboration in their spaces. Getting the right tenant mix can be more art than science but there are some key principles I would recommend.
I was glad NCN was able to host a webinar on the Social Return on Investment on 8/26/15. Jennifer Johnstone the President and Chief Executive Officer of Central City Foundation led us through the process they have undertaken to evaluate the performance of their organization. SROI fascinates our members and it’s not surprising. Nonprofit shared space practitioners are hungry for metrics to evaluate their work and to communicate their impact. Members of our network run complex organizations and a single formula to measure success is intriguing.
I was recently invited to join Todd Greer of Synervision Leadership Foundation on their podcast, The Nonprofit Exchange, to talk about why nonprofits share space with one another. You can watch the entire recording online or download it from iTunes. With co-working spaces popping up in communities around the world, many small nonprofits are considering this model for their office space. As many members of our community know, this isn’t a new idea. Nonprofits have been co-working since before co-working was cool – we have centers in the Network that are over 50 years old!
Jonathan Spack
12/Aug/2015
In June I had the privilege of serving on and moderating a panel at the 2015 Building Opportunities conference in Vancouver, a fantastic event that brought together of hundreds of activists from all sectors of society who share a commitment to the evolving field of “social purpose real estate”. Our panel, on mission-driven business models for multi-tenant centers, included presenters from Vancouver, Calgary, Midland, Texas and Boston who engaged a packed room of participants in a lively conversation about how aligning a project’s mission with its business model can produce a wide variety of innovative results. It’s an exciting time to be working in this field!
I’m still reeling from Building Opportunities 2015! The conversations continue to reverberate through our shared space network. Our 57 Boot Camp attendees took home practical tools to apply to their projects back home. In our June webinar I showcased a Highlight Reel of some of the top take-aways from many of the sessions.
We can’t wait to see you in Vancouver for Building Opportunities, co-presented with the Social Purpose Real Estate collaborative. The conference will offer 40 technical workshops, case studies and panels on topics that you’ve asked for: evaluation, business modeling, advanced tenant selection, and our popular “mistakes to avoid." Plus, hear the new State of the Sector data on what’s happening in shared space and services across North America. Check the website for details on speakers, site visits, Boot Camps and networking events. Take advantage of member savings and register now before April 23rd!
Real estate brokers make calls to landlord representatives to locate an array of spaces in the marketplace that are available to fit your needs. Quite often the best space for you has yet to appear on the market but is in the works. Find an expert broker to help you negotiate the best terms possible so you can save money and ensure your lease has the flexibility to accommodate your growth and success as a business.
Season’s Greetings! The Nonprofit Centers Network has changed and grown this year. Read about our year’s highlights and what’s ahead. We look forward to seeing you in 2015!
1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 103
Denver, CO 80202
info@nonprofitcenters.org
720.836.1189
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