First-Ever $250,000 National Nonprofit Collaboration Prize Contest Ends in Tie Between Two Successful Mergers
"The leadership of the YMCA and the JCC take great pride in this unique affiliation model which is one-of-a-kind in our nation," said Robert Alexander, YMCA of Greater Toledo President and CEO. "The reason for its success has to do with the strong, trusting relationships that exist between people of the Jewish and Christian faiths in our area."
In addition to presenting the $250,000 prize, Lodestar and the AIM Alliance are compiling the wealth of information they gathered from nominees into an information base of effective collaboration models that can be studied and used by nonprofit leaders, grantmakers and academics to advance their work.
Today's announcement comes at a time when many nonprofits are desperately seeking ways to remain viable in an increasingly harsh fundraising environment. Nonprofit professionals reported the lowest overall level of confidence in the fundraising climate for U.S. charities in over a decade, according to the latest Philanthropic Giving Index (PGI) report released in December by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. What's more, a recent survey by the Chronicle of Philanthropy found that many of the nation's largest grantmakers suffered a median 28% drop in assets. These economic pressures have forced many nonprofits across the country to eliminate positions, cut salaries and downsize operations.
"People tend to associate collaborations and mergers with the business world and not nonprofits. But the truth is that these strategies are no less important in the nonprofit world — especially at a time when everyone is looking at how to make their dollars go farther," said Craig Newmark, Founder of craigslist and member of The Collaboration Prize's Final Selection Panel.
"Our Collaboration Prize findings could not have come at a better time," said Lodestar President Lois Savage. "We hope that the models and best practices we identified will help many a nonprofit to weather this storm."
