Collaborative Activites

Sessions Help Not-for-Profits Form "Dream Team"

Board members who can help an organization achieve its vision and mission are essential to its success. To help not-for-profits hone their skills in selecting directors, the Incarnate Word Foundation sponsored two free workshops in October.

Representatives of more than 20 agencies, churches, schools, and other not-for-profit organizations attended the meetings, which were led by Virginia Klein and Lyn Pickel of Entrepreneurial Leadership Development, St. Louis.

They explored many methods for increasing the effectiveness of an organization's board of directors, including the following.

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The Incarnate Word Foundation and ARCHS (Area Resources for Community & Human Services) are cosponsoring a series of mentoring workshops for faith-based, not-for-profit human services agencies. The workshops provide practical, hands-on information that helps agencies partner with individuals, other agencies, and government entities.

We are sharing the key concepts of the workshops in a series of brief reports that you can use immediately and as the basis for further investigation.

WORKSHOP ON BOARD AND ADVISORY GROUP DEVELOPMENT

WORKSHOP ON CREATING A MARKETING PLAN FOR FAITH-BASED NOT-FOR-PROFITS

WORKSHOP ON EFFECTIVE MENTORING PROGRAMS

Marketing, advocacy, collaboration--these are just a few of the many challenges leaders of religious ministries face in a world far different from the one in which their communities were founded. To provide these leaders with information, skills, and support they can use as they start or continue ministries in today's complex environment, the Incarnate Word Foundation and the Daughters of Charity Healthcare Foundation of St. Louis sponsored this conference, which attracted more than 100 participants.

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The Incarnate Word Foundation supported the first Faith & Health Conference April 11-13, 2000, in St. Louis. The conference, cosponsored by the St. Louis Faith and Health Consortium and the Deaconess Foundation, brought together representatives of social service agencies, foundations, schools of public health and other academic disciplines, churches, and neighborhoods.

Participants examined how human services agencies and faith communities can work together to improve the health of communities. "Health" was defined throughout the conference as encompassing medical care, adequate housing, high-quality education, safe drinking water, clean air, and infrastructure that promotes physical, spiritual, and mental and emotional wellness. Speakers discussed many topics related to the role of faith in promoting health, such as parish nursing, congregation-based ministries, funding opportunities, prevention, spirituality and healing, accountability, and social reform.

This report summarizes the two keynote addresses, by Martin Marty and Gary Gunderson, and two of the conference's 16 workshops: Community-Based Ministries and Funding Opportunities.

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