AVA presents: "dialogue"...with Derrick Len Span

When you speak with Derrick Len Span, National President of the Community Action Partnership (CAP), you know you are speaking with a person who truly believes in the mission of his organization and who is also a passionate advocate on behalf of the nonprofit sector. And, true to its name, CAP's 1000-plus member network relies on the art and science of community building, partnership development, and collaboration to affect positive change in the communities they serve. In this issue of dialogue, AVA spoke with Span about the importance of community building and collaboration as strategies to increase nonprofit capacity, and the unique role that community action professionals, volunteer resources managers, and nonprofit leaders can play in building community within the nonprofit sector.

Derrick Len Span believes that the survival and success of the nonprofit sector are linked to two critical skill sets that his network's Community Action Agencies practice daily�community building and collaboration. CAP, like other nonprofits, is bracing for trying times ahead due to uncertainty about the economy and increased competition for funding. But in spite of that uncertainty and concern, or perhaps because of it, Span also sees this as a time of opportunity. He says this is the perfect time for CAP, and all nonprofits, to refocus on their missions and to hone the community building and collaboration skills he believes will help them weather whatever challenges the economy, changing community needs, or funding sources might present.

Community building has become a widely used phrase in recent years. Within the community action world, Span notes that community building has a very specific meaning that is solidly linked to resources. "Community building focuses around financial and social capital aimed at economic development in poor and impoverished, and sometimes low-income communities," says Span. He adds, "The strategies employed are community-driven, with broad resident involvement."

While community building may not have such specific meaning in the language of volunteer resources, community action and volunteer resources do share other common phrases and experiences. Within the volunteer resources world, phrases used by community action professionals such as broad resident involvement, citizen participation, community organizing, and civic involvement have a very specific meaning that are also linked to resources: the effective mobilization and management of volunteers. True community building, by Span's definition, requires that money and volunteers be invested effectively�a practice worth noting and applying beyond the community action world.

Span recognizes that volunteering is important for a host of reasons, but at its most basic he sees volunteering as providing an avenue for individuals to take ownership in their neighborhoods and to see the difference they can make in their own communities. An overwhelming majority of the agencies in the Partnership's network engage volunteers of all ages in their daily operations. CAP volunteers serve as local activists, mentors, tutors, and in a wide variety of other positions. Span acknowledges that Community Action Agencies (CAAs) could not carry out their missions without volunteers.

"On average, each CAA has at least seven volunteers for every paid staff person," according to Span. He sees volunteering and effective volunteer resources management as core elements of community building. Because network agencies largely recruit volunteers for their initiatives from the neighborhoods they serve, attracting a diverse cadre of volunteers is a CAA strength. Like many other nonprofits, their challenge, says Span, is in "finding individuals who have the time to volunteer."

Nonprofits are increasingly competing on multiple fronts�for funding, board members, volunteers, in-kind donations, and other resources. However, competition for funds in a sector already stretched beyond its limits discourages organizations from collaborating and sharing information, which is essential in community building. In a free market society the notion that competition is bad seems counterintuitive; competition in the nonprofit marketplace does produce positive results and success stories. But the conflicting interests between competition and collaboration raise a paradox for nonprofit leaders who want to engage in community building and the collaborative process. Ultimately, nonprofit leaders have to make a balanced choice about the strategies they embrace to achieve their missions and support the sector. Span offers the distinction that, "In economic development, competition is good. Competition is not good in terms of community building. Collaboration is better."

Nonprofits play a vital role in building community within the larger society. Nonprofit organizations connect residents from all walks of life with the unifying experience of volunteering, and are largely focused on causes that seek to impact and improve the quality of life. But Span also emphasizes the importance of building community and collaborating within the nonprofit sector, especially when the sector is facing challenging times. The practices of community building and collaboration allow nonprofit leaders and other professionals to model by example how people of goodwill and commitment can work together to develop a safety net to sustain nonprofit services.

A crisis or other triggering event often becomes the cause that brings people to the collaboration table. However, the simple concepts of "strength in numbers" and "knowledge is power" could also serve as the fundamental rationale for any group of nonprofit leaders who decide to collaborate. Before initiating any collaboration, it is important to remember that a collaboration represents both a personal and a professional relationship for its members. As in any relationship, effective communication is essential. That means talking with potential collaboration members about a number of issues, including what community building and collaboration means to them.

It does not matter whether nonprofit leaders and other professionals work in an urban or rural setting, or with as few as one or two of their colleagues versus a network of their peers�they can find ample opportunities to hone their collaboration and community building skills to effect positive change and increase organizational capacity. Community action professionals suggest using a simple checklist and a number of guiding questions to initiate your discussions:

	Start with a conversation about the potential benefits of working on nonprofit community building and collaboration.
		Who in your service area might be interested in collaborating?
		Who shares similar professional or organizational values, challenges, or opportunities with you and your nonprofit?
	Identify the rationale for your collaboration.
		Is there a pressing issue in your community that can trigger your collaboration?
		Is leveraging administrative resources, increasing overall capacity, or professional development an appropriate basis for your collaboration?
	Develop a set of working guidelines.
		What are your expectations for the collaboration? For your membership responsibilities?
		What process will you use to make decisions? Celebrate success? Assess areas for improvement?
	Identify your personal and organizational gifts and strengths.
		What resources and gifts do you personally bring to the collaboration?
		What expertise, knowledge, or other resources does your nonprofit organization bring to the collaboration?
	Implement effective knowledge management strategies.
		How will you transfer and apply relevant knowledge and best practices to improve your services and enhance your impact?
		How will you monitor and assess collaborator participation, accountability, and satisfaction?

Span notes that the nonprofit sector has seen tough times before, and that first and foremost, staying focused on their missions helps nonprofits make the right choices and do the right thing for their stakeholders. Remaining mission-focused in the face of economic uncertainty and other challenges is the foundation of nonprofit capacity. "What I try to convey to our network is that even if funds weren't available, we would still be out there working on behalf of those who are impoverished," Span shares. He fervently believes that dedicated staff and community-based, mission-driven volunteers will continue to fight the good fight and keep the sector alive. As for the Community Action Partnership, Span says, "The kind of work that we do and the passion with which we do it allows us to rise above the clamor for funding and move forward in addressing the issue of poverty in this country."