DETROIT- NEW has announced a grant of $50,000 from the McGregor Fund for BoardConnect, its comprehensive board development program. Focusing on Detroit and the tri-county area, the grant will support NEW’s work to build and diversify the pool of nonprofit board candidates in the area and to connect candidates with nonprofits in need of their skills.
�??The generosity of the McGregor Fund will allow NEW to increase the number of trained, skilled candidates we place on nonprofit boards while continuing to provide solid governance training and support to Detroit and tri-county area nonprofits and to community members interested in serving the community on nonprofit boards,�?� says Neel Hajra, President and CEO of NEW. �??By helping nonprofits build stronger boards, BoardConnect has a tremendous impact on nonprofit performance and quality of life in the community.�?�
BoardConnect strengthens nonprofit governance by recruiting and training candidates for nonprofit boards, connecting nonprofits to candidates with needed skills (in areas like business, finance, technology, law, and oversight), and providing training and support to nonprofits on governance topics and best practices. BoardConnect also offers the Board Room, an online collection of downloadable templates and documents that facilitates day-to-day board business and long-term planning. The Board Room has over 250 nonprofit subscribers across the nation.
While other programs helping to place candidates on nonprofit boards exist in the state of Michigan, NEW�??s program differs in that its matching model and close relationship with the national boardnetUSA network offer constituents a formal program combining robust training with matching support for both nonprofits and candidates.
�??I attended a workshop, filled out an online profile, and within a week I had four very interesting applicants,�?� says Mary Ellen Howard, RSM, Director of Detroit�??s Cabrini Clinic. The three candidates who eventually joined Cabrini�??s board �??brought experience from industry, finance, government, consulting, and both for-profit and nonprofit sectors. They have proven to be active, involved, outstanding board members who have made good contacts for the clinic related to fundraising.�?�
NEW is a 501(c)(3) management support organization serving southeast Michigan from offices in Detroit and Ann Arbor. NEW�??s mission is to help nonprofits succeed by strengthening nonprofit management and offering solutions to issues facing the nonprofit community. Since its founding in 1993, NEW has developed and delivered programming to meet the changing needs of nonprofits, helping them fulfill their missions and better serve the community.
NEW currently offers four programs: BoardConnect �?? board matching, training, consulting, and online resources; npServ �?? affordable shared services to meet IT, administration, and specialized staffing needs of nonprofits; ResourceConnect �?? personalized helpline, information, and resource referral for nonprofit management questions; and the NEW Center �?? a multi-tenant nonprofit facility with infrastructure and service offerings for tenants. These programs are delivered by NEW in southeast Michigan with BoardConnect also licensed to local service providers in western Michigan, the Upper Peninsula, and North Carolina. To deliver optimum service in southeast Michigan, NEW partners with the Detroit Regional Chamber, New Detroit, the Michigan Nonprofit Association, and City Connect Detroit.
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