Collin County Nonprofit Leadership Institute Completes First Year

September 16, 2019

12 local nonprofits in first cohort focused on strategies to address community needs

Collin County Nonprofit Leadership Institute participants collaborate.

As Collin County grows, so do its challenges with issues such as homelessness, hunger and affordable housing. To help nonprofits address pressing needs for Collin County residents, CFT and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas joined forces to create the Collin County Nonprofit Leadership Institute, supporting nonprofits that primarily serve low- to moderate-income families and individuals to develop strategic approaches to addressing community needs...

Twelve nonprofits were selected through a competitive process to be part of the initiative’s first cohort and have attended monthly sessions focused on nonprofit and program leadership, with additional learning opportunities for program staff and board members. Further, participating nonprofits received a capacity-building grant of up to $5,000.

2019 Collin County Nonprofit Leadership Institute Participants:

Agape Resource & Assistance Center
Assistance Center of Collin County
Community Health Clinic
City House
Cornerstone Assistance Network
Embrace Texas
Habitat for Humanity of Collin County
The Samaritan Inn
Shiloh Place McKinney
Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
The Turning Point Rape Crisis Center
Veterans Center of North Texas

"I have been a part of several nonprofit cohorts and leadership classes, but they all fall short of the impact that this group has made on both me as a leader and on our organization as a whole. We are now a better, smoother and more impactful organization than when we began." -Dr. Eppy Thern, Executive Director, Shiloh Place

“This cohort has been my greatest value and joy. It is an amazing feeling to be sitting at a grant presentation and seeing your fellow cohort present a grant, and you’re right there beside them rooting for them. Each session is designed to keep you engaged, start from a pain point and take you across the threshold to where you can see your organization not just succeed but thrive.” -Samra Ali, Manager of Programs, Texas Muslim Women's Foundation

“Participating in the cohort has been an opportunity to engage and make new connections with a diverse group of nonprofits and build lasting collaborative partnerships.” -Jackie Rakowski, Executive Director, Community Health Clinic

Using a SIMPLER Way

Working Families Success Advisory Council Member, Terri Rios, shares insights on how The Women’s Center of Tarrant County applied behavioral science techniques to improve services for its clients

The Women’s Center of Tarrant County has never used a “one-size-fits-all” approach for our clients. We look at the issues people are facing and figure out effective ways to create positive change for each person we serve and their situation. That’s one of many reasons being part of the Working Families Success (WFS) Network is a great experience for us. Being in the network of our peers gives us the opportunity to learn new ways to address community challenges.

Helping Our Community Weather the Storm

Ways you can help your neighbors in need as they weather the winter storm

Our North Texas community faced record-low temperatures along with snow and ice over the weekend. With rolling power outages and many in dire need of temporary housing and other resources to stay safe and warm, CFT is especially thankful for our nonprofit partners who are on the frontlines of serving our community. While temperatures are slowly beginning to warm and power is being restored, we know there is still great need amongst our neighbors who remain in crisis and the nonprofits working to support them.

North Texas Funders Align to Provide Additional Support to Nonprofits Through Catchafire

CFT, The Dallas Foundation, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies have come together to partner with Catchafire to bring time-sensitive, virtual support to more than 300 nonprofit organizations in the North Texas region. Through this partnership, invited nonprofits will have access to skills-based volunteers on Catchafire’s virtual platform, where they can complete any number of operational or capacity-building projects together.

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