Midtown Wednesdays

LIVE BLOG: Non-Profits Building Collaborative Networks

Introductions

The value of social network mapping: Who do you collaobrate with? Who do you mentor?

Updates on Open Source Economic Development process work in Indiana, Oklahoma City and in Kentucky. Ed Morrison is leading the WIRED initiative in Indiana

CAAO - Looks, Listens, links. CAAO brings connections to others and facilitate opportunities for people to build relationships. Bank Roundable began about three years ago with people reluctant to share ideas. Now the group is standing room only. networking of insttituions, survey of participants, attendees matched to opportunities at the end of the day. Executive Auction is a successful match making process. Entrepreneurial website is open to the world and provides a place for people to connect.

Stuart Mendel, CSU how do organizations learn better and more intensely when they work with other organizations. In the Learning Environmnet organizations are brought together as a team to build capacity. organizations that thrive are adaptable and participate in replicable acitivites. Non profits create webs of relationships such as the ones IOpen.

David Akers, Cleveland Bridge Builders, Is there a leadership gap? Who is the present leadership? Leadership program helps individuals to figure out projects and then work with their team along with accountability measurements to learn new ways of leading. Can existiing leaders see the new leaders? Sometimes it seems as if there is a filter. Someitmes it is necessary to position people in ways for them to be seen by those in existing power. How do you systematically create ways of connecting? Leadership Cleveland - existing -, Bridge Builders - emerging - and iCleveland - students - will as of July 1 become one entity.

Courtney DeOreo, Entrepreneurs for Sustainability: attracts people from diverse sectors. Highlight opportunities for entrepreneurs. Product and process opportunities. E4S would like to help transform businesses and create new ones. Provide new learning opportunities. E4S now connects 3,000 people through third Tuesdays events to systematically build collects. Gathering information from the networks and begin to close the networks. Will add more more venues www.e4s.org a place for people to gather virtually as well as provide a new place in Glenville to allow people to begin to build out the netowrks by building collaborations together. Akron would like to replicate E4S Tuesdays model. E4S workd with Green Building Collitian and many other reigonal organizations. Don't set boundaries or control the growth. Alot of ideas have had their ideas come out of Tuesdays.

Tony Diggs, Boy Scouts of America, mission is to help boys to advance leadership through scouting. Advancement does not exist in Cleveland. This is because there has not been anyone advancing the relationships. CAAO and Capt Norman has stepped out to help to advance the Merit Badge program in Cleveland. Scouting is all about teaching the boys about leadership.

Capt Norman, is from Cleveland. Norman was mentored by many individuals. For the leaders who are able to mentor and teach children. By not doing this, children are lost because of our own lack of involvement. Sea Scout program is designed around Lake Erie, an abundant resource we have an outstanding value. Capt. Norman teaches updates about the Lake and the changes taking place. Youth need to be educated about this.

Shilpa, Team NEO talks about the organization that builds economic development and connects organizations. TeamNEO came to be by bringing an entity together to attract businesses and retain and grow businesses. A srong team of research and marketing teams to get the word out about what NEO has to offer. Preceptus, a company at Case, was growing very fast and needed expansion support. TeamNEO connects needs and resources of businesses to existing resources in NEO.

Q & A

Many complaints that NEO has too many nonprofits, too much talk and not enough happening is this true?

CAAO connects 9,500 Black Professionals; Boy Scouts depends on collaborations to exist, in 100 years the Boy Scouts has moved out across the globe.

SA Mendel: Society wants to be prosperous; people see the gaps in society and we all watch the compeititon. When people feel strongly enough about something a nonprofit will be formed. Our ability to walk freely is to thanks to nonprofit oprganizaitons.

C DeOreo: after 4 1/2 years E4S thought long and hard about incorporating as a nonprofit. In Cleveland there are alot of opportunities.

CAAO: gets a return of $25 on every $1. CAAO does alot that is not seen. A large funder requested that all Black organizations come together. CAAO does not feel that by building mega bureaucracies will be good for the larger community because of the lack af ability to access information and power. With Connie's background

There is alot of space for civic entrepreneurs. In NEO there are alot of closed areas vs rural areas where it is open.

Eric Johnson Do you see NEO profit driven, growth driven and how does that affrect business?

Most of the people who run organizations are attorneys and not entrepreneurs and not risk adverse. In the 1990's how many multimillionaries were created in NEO? During an economic boom? Very few.

Necessary to mastermind the environemnt that leads to success. Too focused on dictating on success instead of creating the environment

Not for poroits, academics, governments are not known for creating wealth. Looking around the room we see many people are entrepreneurs.

Tony Diggs:
Alof of corporations left the region. The nonprofits came forward to fill the gaps. The corporatins left are the ones who have dwonsized and are too busy paying the bills and not going to be taking on the job of the nonprofits. The region must come together as a region. Everyone must collaborate and replicate the successes we have had.

Clevelander's spend too much time standing in line waiting for permission. We need to create the environments to help ideas to bubble up. There is alot of networking going on in NEO.

Stuart Mendel: ultimately nonprofits need to dig deeper and go beyond networking. What is it that needs to be done? These are the next steps.

Courtney: the people who participate have a passion for doing something.

Shilpa: the focus is to listen to the businesses in NEO. Let the state and county do their job. Listen only to the companies.

Emma: what about tapping into the teens that are looking for jobs? An opportunity to supply experience, education and mentor.

CAAO focuses on educating high schools students. Youth Innovation Forum for students built through collaborations with local institutions. Disappointed in the lack of creativity and ingenuity.

Dot com entrepreneurer built the infrastructure for the websites for the future. This type of thinking prepares for the future.

posted by Unknown @ 5/17/2006