June Funders Newsletter
The Harwood CIRCLE is a growing national network of funders coming together to discover and explore how philanthropy can unleash the potential of people and communities. This quarterly newsletter is the CIRCLE’s latest offering to help you discover new and deeper ways to take action in your community.
HELP! HOW CAN WE GET NONPROFITS TO WORK TOGETHER?
A VIRTUAL CONVERSATION FOR FUNDERS
A recurring refrain we're hearing from funders is that too many of the nonprofits in their communities are trying to tackle the same issues. That in today's environment, well-meaning folks are so hunkered down and locked in, they've lost sight of how to work together and ended up creating duplicate efforts. That the change they want to see in their communities won't happen unless these groups start to work differently.
On Wednesday, August 5 at 1 pm ET, we will host our next funders virtual conversation. We'll explore what we could achieve if we reimagined how nonprofit groups can really work together. You'll also leave with new connections to like minded funders.
IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT WAVE OF PUBLIC INNOVATORS
Our recent Getting Started Virtual Lab certified a new class of Harwood Public Innovators. They join the thousands upon thousands of Public Innovators who are already at the vanguard of creating change in all 50 states and 40 countries worldwide.
Our Public Innovators are special. But not merely because of the time-tested practices they learned through the Harwood School. They are special because of their dedication to their local communities and their willingness to keep stepping forward even when times are tough.
Given the state of our nation, we think you’ll agree: We need more Public Innovators to step forward in order to spread hope, catalyze change, and get our country on a better path.
That’s where you come in. We want you to help us identify a new wave of Public Innovators who can leverage the Getting Started Virtual Lab this fall to create change in your community.
Simply click the button below to let our team know that you’re interested in getting a cohort of Public Innovators moving in your community and we’ll help you get started!
SAVE THE DATE: 2027 SAFE HAVEN FOR FUNDERS
On January 28-29, 2027, we’ll be back in Sarasota for the Third Annual Safe Haven for Funders! This convening is exclusively for funders who, like you, are working in tough complex spaces and seeking to make a real difference in their communities and society.
Stay tuned for more details on this special event that will leave you feeling refreshed, regrounded, and re-energized.
ALAMANCE CHOOSING HOPE OVER DIVISION
Our latest report, Alamance County’s Ripples of Change: Choosing Hope Over Division, showcases the remarkable transformation of one of the most divided places we’ve worked in nearly 40 years. All because people there came together to choose hope over division and rebuild their civic culture.
At the heart of the initiative was Impact Alamance. As they created the For Alamance initiative, they also leveraged it to transform how they work as an organization and their approach to catalyzing change. That in turn has unleashed a series of ripples that have spread throughout the community.
Of course, Alamance’s story is important to the people who live there. But it’s just as important to a divided nation that wonders if it’s possible to move forward together. It is possible. Alamance—and Impact Alamance—offer us a roadmap.
The Harwood Institute in the News
North River Manatee County is experiencing explosive growth. Tucked between two major metropolitan areas—Sarasota and Bradenton to the south and St. Petersburg and Tampa to the north—it’s a highly-sought-after community. But people’s concerns are rising amid its rapid change and the community faces a choice: Further fragment amid the pressures of growth and change or come together to shape a shared future.
We recently partnered with Bishop-Parker Foundation and The Patterson Foundation to release our report, Growing Together in North River Manatee County: Shaping a Shared Future, during a community gathering of more than 150 residents and community leaders. The report’s release is just the first step in a multi-year community initiative in North River Manatee County that seeks to unleash chain reactions of change on issues that matter to people.
Our country desperately needs more examples of communities coming together to forge a common future.
North River Manatee County has what it takes to be another proof point by building on the good that already exists in the community.
The harwood Institute In the News
RDG Youth Hub connects Reading families with youth programs via Yahoo News
Bishop-Parker Foundation awards more than $4.7 million in grants via Bradenton Mag
North River Manatee County Report First Step in Giving Residents a Voice in Area's Future via SRQ Magazine
For Alamance Initiative: Reflections, Ripples, and What Comes Next via Impact Alamance
United Way releases community report after almost 30 listening sessions and $650,000 in funding via ShastaScout
Growing Together: New Report Examines Future of North River Manatee County via The Pulse of Manatee
How C&S Plans to Engage Young People in Civic Problem Solving via Inside Philanthropy
New Civic Path Book Circles Spread Nationwide via The Patterson Foundation
Follow our revamped social media presence for hope, inspiration, and connection.
Forward this to a friend! Together we can create a more equitable, fair, just, inclusive, and hopeful path forward.
