A Client Centered Mindset
Projects may have noticed that we have started to refer to our Fiscally Sponsored Projects as both “clients” and “partners.” This is not a slip of tongue, but a deliberate step towards clarifying our role and relationship with the community we serve. Read more about our shift to a client-centered mindset.
 
New Specialist Assignments
In the past six months of implementing the specialist model, we have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. When we assigned specialists to subject areas, it seemed to make sense to match the specialist with the most experience and passion in the subject area to the project focused on that topic. But our clients are innovative and experts in what they do—so in any particular topic area they may have little in common with other projects and don’t generally rely on us for subject-matter expertise. 

Not surprisingly, for fiscally sponsored projects, common needs are around support with government contracts or grants, or unique revenue models, or complex legal agreements, and other administrative and operational issues. Understanding the primary and unique needs of clients and assigning them to specialists who will deepen or develop such expertise will create effective partnering and more successful clients. Thus, we have carefully evaluated projects based upon their unique combination of primary needs.

We know our clients don’t like to be reassigned—thus this is an ask not a mandate, but we hope each client being reassigned will be open to an improved approach that enables us to provide you with the right support and services by a team who is strengthening their skills to meet your primary needs. We have also sought to limit the number of reassignments. We have just started the process of reaching out; if you are transitioning to a new specialist we will contact you first and then follow-up with those not being reassigned.    

Welcome to Elizabeth Leighty, a new specialist on our Client Services Team!
We are fortunate to have Lizzy, a passionate community development practitioner, land back in her native Bay Area and on our team after extensive work overseas with nonprofits and her master’s degree studies at the University of Denver. In the past decade, Lizzy has studied or worked in France, Uganda, Tanzania, and most recently she worked remotely for a community based organization that helps vulnerable communities in Nicaragua face climate change. Closer to home, Lizzy worked at various organizations in Denver as a program coordinator and a communication/marketing associate. We welcome Lizzy’s dedication to social change through the nonprofit sector and we look forward to bringing her diverse experiences and skills to our clients!
 
Improvements in Financial Reports
Our finance department has been working hard to streamline our financial reporting and donor acknowledgement systems. Below is a list of the recent improvements: 

1. The donor name is now provided for each donation received in the Transaction Detail Report, when we know the name.
2. The balance sheet is now a comparative balance sheet.  The reporting month (July 2016) is compared to the prior month (June 2016) and the prior year (July 2015).
3. The statement of revenues and expenses now reflects a favorable/unfavorable budget variance for both the reporting month and for the year-to-date results. Revenues are favorable when actuals are above budget and unfavorable when actuals are below budget.  The reverse is true for expenses. Expenses are favorable when actuals are below budget and unfavorable when actuals are above budget.
4. CI is now generating and distributing donor acknowledgement letters every Monday for those donations received in the prior week in the amount of $250 or more.  

Our 3rd Annual Holiday Volunteer Day!
This coming holiday season will be Community Initiatives’ third annual team volunteer day! In the past, we have helped Glide Memorial Church in preparing meals for Tenderloin community members and helped the San Francisco botanical gardens revitalize their grounds. Now we are looking for a project to serve this season! If your project could benefit from 3 to 4 hours of help from our staff (12-14 people) in late November/early December, please email Amanda (Amanda@communityin.org). Include your proposed project, available dates and location, ideally accessible by public transportation. We look forward to supporting the important work led by our clients this winter and many winters to come!
 
Recruiting a New Board Member 
Who would be an ideal addition to our talented board of directors? A project leader! Check out this post for more about our ongoing recruitment process, and learn about the skills of our current board.

Funding Resources and Other Opportunities