By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – As any not-for-profit group knows, collaboration has become the buzz word in the grant community. Now, two of Buffalo's leading philanthropic organizations are practicing what they preach. The John R. Oishei Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo are sharing three new positions.
Ask any local arts group or human service agency what they are doing to attract grant dollars and they will sum it up in one word - collaboration. In the shrinking local economy, granters are demanding that not-for-profits begin to work together for the good of the whole. The sea change has led to cost savings and innovations in everything from tourism to advocacy.
But, until now, the ones handing out the money have done little to walk the talk. Oishei Foundaton President Robert Gioia said they should be the model.
The foundations share a new communications director, a communications associate, and a manager who coordinates and analyzes information for both foundations. Gioia said the joint positions are creating better communication and efficiencies. And he said they have been able to pass that benefit along to the not-for-profits they serve, which have limited resources to build their own staffs.
He said the information is easily shared, since both foundations work with many of the same organizations. Clotilde Perez-Bode DeDecker is President and CEO for the Community Foundation. She said it has obviously cut the cost of hiring double the staff. But DeDecker said, more importantly, it gives the foundations a better chance to accomplish their missions of effecting social change in the community.
She said the new knowledge manager will be especially valuable with tracking and evaluating the results of the various grants awarded.
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