NCN Receives Grant for Two Shared Space Resources

We’re so excited…and we don’t have to hide it! NCN has received a $55,000 grant from Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative. It will fund the research and publication of Rethinking Overhead: Daring to Share Resources and Strengthening the Safety Net: Human Services Under One Roof. This project will combine qualitative research focused on Human Services centers and Shared Services organizations to establish best practices for creating, maintaining, and growing these unique capacity building programs.

Our current research shows shared space and services create environments for collective impact, increase nonprofit effectiveness, and spur innovation. We know collaborative organizations work together differently and develop cutting-edge solutions for their clients that would be otherwise impossible if they remained siloed. While our 2010 Shared Services Guide remains relevant (and popular), we think it’s time for an update. This research project will further evaluate the efficiency of current shared spaces and let us continue to serve as a thought leader for you–our community. We’re taking your feedback into consideration and making this type of resource even better. The nonprofit sector has changed so much over the past eight years, and we want to take advantage of this opportunity to lead the evolution of nonprofit shared space.

This funding has also allowed our organization to grow. As of this month, I am now in the position of Program Assistant at NCN. After my past six months as an intern, I couldn’t be happier about officially joining the team. This grant was one of my first projects at NCN and established my passion for supporting nonprofit shared space. Being able to see this project from start to finish will be so cool!

As you can imagine, March has been a very busy and productive month for us. We’re already working through the initial stages of this project, and we can’t wait to share our findings (for free!) online.

About Our Blogger:

Chelsea Donohoe

Chelsea Donohoe is currently a Resource Development intern at NCN and graduate student in the Master of Public Administration program at University of Colorado Denver. She also serves as the Marketing Liaison for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Denver’s Fund Development Committee and coaches Special Olympics gymnastics. Before making the switch over to the nonprofit sector, Chelsea worked in broadcast journalism and online marketing.