Nonprofit Montgomery Highlights

Advocating for the nonprofit sector

• Held a rally at the County Council building to preserve the social safety net and increase funding for essential services.
• Partnered with MCAEL and the Primary Care Coalition to convene 80 nonprofit and community leaders and 18 elected officials in a Community Roundtable to discuss shared challenges and opportunities of nonprofit and community-based organizations serving the Montgomery County community.
• Advocated successfully to the County Council for a 2% increase to base budget contracts.
• Hosted a County Grants debrief session that provided valuable feedback to County Executive and County Council staff.
• Organized a follow-up roundtable meeting about procurement and county grants that resulted in a Council worksession on the topic with recommended solutions.
• Issued 21 Action Alerts to let members know of impending legislation and policy discussions so that the nonprofit voice can be heard.
• Hosted a Director’s Dialogue to give 42 nonprofit leaders a chance to hear about upcoming budget and policy priorities from the directors of key county agencies.
• Convened nonprofit and DHHS leaders for problem solving and dialogue through four meetings of the DHHS Advisory Committee.
• Educated elected officials on the impact of policies, such as a minimum wage increase, on the nonprofit sector.

Capacity building and leadership development

• Piloted MORE: Metrics and Outcomes for Responsible Evaluation–an intensive learning opportunity that helps nonprofits measure the results of their work. Sixty-six people in 23 organizations participated in the pilot year.
• The FIRM Financial Leadership Institute trained 58 staff and board members from 18 organizations. Another 63 people attended FIRM Alumni sessions, including: FIRM Check Up, Valuing Volunteers, and Partnerships and Mergers.
• A Lunch and Learn on new employment rules drew 30 nonprofit staff.
• Convened two Tables for Ten series (topics this year were changes in health care and development directors) attended by a total of 22 people.
• Inform the community about critical issues, events, funding opportunities, and job openings through our bi-monthly enewsletter. Nonprofit Matters reaches almost 1,200 nonprofit, government, education, and corporate leaders and decision-makers throughout our County.

Collective action to address community needs

• Montgomery Moving Forward, our Collective Impact initiative, began to explore Early Care and Education in the County. MMF kicked off a year of learning and discovery with a Symposium in November, 2016. Almost 200 participants learned about the return on investment of early care and education, and why ECE should be a priority for the whole community. MMF is convening local leaders, holding a series of learning opportunities with national experts, gathering local data through focus groups and surveys, and researching best practices in early care and education systems. Here is the timeline for 2017, and more information about the collective impact approach.
• MMF will issue a Call to Action for system change in Early Care and Education in January 2018. The Call to Action will include policy recommendations and suggested ways that all stakeholders can support Montgomery County’s young children and families.

Assuring Our Sustainability
Over the past year, Nonprofit Montgomery’s Board completed a strategic plan, establishing our mission, vision, and values, as well as our strategic goals for the next three years.

Membership in Nonprofit Montgomery is critical to our work. When we advocate for the sector or apply for foundation funding, decision makers want to know how the nonprofit community supports Nonprofit Montgomery. Your membership shows that you stand with us, and value the visibility and support we provide the nonprofit sector in Montgomery County. And your membership dues directly support our advocacy on behalf of the sector.