Giving Compass' Take:

• Here are steps that individual stakeholders can take to invest in nonprofit organizations that will strengthen surrounding communities. 

• Which organizations in your community could benefit from more investment? 

• Read why nonprofit sustainability relies on investing in people. 

Communities flourish with the help of thriving ecosystems of interconnected, supportive organizations, businesses, nonprofits and government agencies. It can be very easy to live in a “heads-down” world where we focus only on the immediate tasks in front of us to move our own organization forward. However, it is important that we continue to lift our gaze from our own work to see how our efforts intersect with and impact other groups, organizations and businesses in our community.

The more we each invest in the “ecosystem” of our own communities, the stronger our own organizations can and will be. And there are a few easy steps we can all take today to invest in the ecosystems of our own communities:

  • Understand your 'impact map.' Whether we work at nonprofits, businesses, in government or for foundations, it can be easy to zero in on the target audiences we seek to serve.
  •  Be open to partners of all backgrounds. I’ve previously shared the research that shows communities thrive based on the formation of unconventional coalitions — partnerships between groups that otherwise would not cross paths.
  • Make space for connection. While social media can be a wonderful tool to make contacts, nothing quite replaces sitting down and talking with someone in person.

Read the full article about investing in the ecosystem of nonprofits by Steven Moore at Forbes.