The new Quad Cities Center for Nonprofit Excellence is designed to assist and connect nonprofit leaders like the ones gathered for a standing-room-only December 2023 DevelopmentLink meeting. CREDIT QUAD CITIES COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
With a who’s who of philanthropic leaders on its new advisory panel, the fledgling Quad Cities Center for Nonprofit Excellence is ready to begin designing effective, inclusive programming created by nonprofits for nonprofits. That’s according to Daisy Moran, the executive director of the center launched last fall by the Quad Cities Community Foundation. She told […]
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With a who’s who of philanthropic leaders on its new advisory panel, the fledgling Quad Cities Center for Nonprofit Excellence is ready to begin designing effective, inclusive programming created by nonprofits for nonprofits.DAISY MORANThat’s according to Daisy Moran, the executive director of the center launched last fall by the Quad Cities Community Foundation. She told the QCBJ she’s pleased with the talented advisory committee members selected, and thrilled at nonprofit and public sector buy-in for the Center for Excellence getting ready to take flight.“Our first meeting is set at the end of this month and then after that we hope to start honing in on our flagship programs – what those will look like – and then also our webinar workshops that we will be offering in the spring,” the center’s director said.The center’s goal is to strengthen and grow communities and nonprofits.“As Quad Citians, our lives are made richer every day by the strength and dedication of our region’s nonprofit sector,” QC Community Foundation President and CEO Sue Hafkemeyer told the QCBJ. “We listened to those nonprofits — and the donors who support them — when we designed the Center for Nonprofit Excellence. It’s a resource, a space for collaboration, and a means to share knowledge.”The center will be informed by the new advisory committee. “Everyone seems to be very passionate and understands how important this work is and really understands the bigger picture, which is, if we raise the tide all ships sail,” Ms. Moran said. Choosing the panel wasn’t easy given the mission before them. “This committee is going to be the governance and the lead in what we put out in programing and just sticking to our slogan ‘by nonprofits and for nonprofits,’” she said. Then there is the volume of outstanding leaders who sought to serve. Among them is Jerry Jones, executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Rock Island, who has been tabbed as the center’s advisory committee chair. The MLK Center is knee-deep in creating a plan to transform Rock Island’s West End Revitalization. That work received a big boost from a $300,000 QC foundation grant. The busy Mr. Jones is the perfect fit for the job, Ms. Moran said. “He sits on our board of directors and he’s been helping since the inception of the center and now also as a mentor for me and really guiding me.”Mr. Jones – who as chair will not have voting rights – said “The Quad Cities Community Foundation is an established leader in philanthropy and I believe one reason is due to its value in collaboration and trust. These are two values that will be vital to adhere to in the work moving forward.”The foundation “has repeatedly proven an ability to do so which will allow us to focus less on building relationships and more on aligning ourselves towards strengthening our community’s nonprofits — individually and collectively,” he added.The advisory panel is made up of “community-minded leaders that bring a wealth of expertise and perspective that will enable us to truly pursue building and strengthening the systems, structures, cultures, skills, resources, and power we all need to serve our community with excellence,” he added.A review committee which chose the diverse group of board members considered a variety of variables such as size of nonprofits, subject matter, population served, whether the nominees were emerging leaders or professionals and more. That committee, made up of staff members and a board member, also was “challenged with the volume of excellence contained in the interest forms submitted by the over 80 individuals who applied,” Ms. Moran added.Center leaders will work to ensure that the dozens of leaders not picked this time can share their ideas and expertise now. For example, focus groups will be created, Ms. Moran said, “to leverage all the expertise of the folks that are interested in supporting this work and as the committee’s work evolves there will be a need for their support and guidance as this is a collective approach.” Advisory committee members also will be limited to a single two-year term so others get the opportunity to lead.Inclusiveness remains central to the center’s mission and it is important to committee members including Avery Pearl, assistant director of Together Making a Better Community (TMBC) at Davenport’s Lincoln Community Center. “This initiative ignites my passion for strengthening our vibrant nonprofit landscape,” and he’s “particularly excited to break down the silos hindering collective action. Our nonprofits can only achieve the goal of overcoming community disparities through united efforts,” Mr. Pearl said.“Throughout my experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the struggles many BIPOC (black indigenous and other people of color) nonprofit organizations face despite tirelessly addressing our community’s disparities,” he added. “The center’s promise of comprehensive support – from training and consulting to networking and data sharing – offers a beacon of hope.”Committee member Nicole Carkner, executive director of the Quad City Health Initiative, said, “I know from my work with QCHI that the Quad Cities is a very collaborative community and the center will give us a new way to connect and explore opportunities to support each other in fulfilling our organizational missions.”She added, “The nonprofit sector addresses a wide array of important topics and is an essential part of a thriving community.”MALAVIKA SHRIKHANDEMalavika Shrikhande, commissioner and trustee of the Davenport Public Library, knows that firsthand. “I have grown up seeing my parents involved in community causes and helping where they could. They instilled in me the principle that supporting the community is a responsibility,” said Ms. Shrikhande, who also serves on the Davenport Affirmative Action Commission. “Being involved in community activities has exposed me to different perspectives and cultures, fostering a greater understanding of the world around me.”She also believes the center will build a cohesive network of nonprofits by “fostering a culture of collaboration among different programs and partners, encouraging communication, resource-sharing, and joint initiatives to strengthen the overall impact of the center.”Ms. Moran added that because diversity, equity and inclusion are central to the center and its board, it will strengthen their results.“We want equity to be at the center in everything that we do. We want it embedded in every program and every aspect that we’re launching and not just be its own standalone kind of DEI program that maybe traditionally has been at other institutions,” Ms. Moran said. “And we are really trying to have historically excluded voices be heard and validated and to have as many perspectives as we can to really create and strengthen the Quad Cities nonprofit center.”
Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee
The 15 members selected for the Quad Cities Center for Nonprofit Excellence Advisory Committee – from more than six dozen QC nonprofit leaders – are:
Alvaro Macias, vice president of business development, Ascentra Credit Union and Second Ward Moline alderman.
Ashley Velez, executive director, Humility Homes & Services, Inc.
Avery Pearl, assistant director, Together Making a Better Community (TMBC) at the Lincoln Community Center.
Brian Ritter, executive director, Nahant Marsh.
Cecilia Bailey, executive director, Quad Cities Open Network.
Chase Norris, executive director, Clock, Inc.
Jenny Colvin, chief development officer, River Bend Food Bank.
Kevin Maynard, executive director, Quad City Arts, Inc.
Lee Gaston, finance director, Center for Active Seniors (CASI).
Michael Glanz, executive director, Arc of the Quad Cities Area.
Malavika Shrikhande, commissioner and trustee, Davenport Public Library.
Nicole Carkner, executive director, Quad Cities Health Initiative.
Nicole Cisne Durbin, CEO, Family Resources, and Rock Island-Milan Board of Education member.
Telly Papanikolaou, CEO, Alternatives.
Tom Fisher-King, executive director, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities.
