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| Providing innovative research, unsurpassed education, and engaged and principled outreach for leaders and potential leaders of the nonprofit community. |
Connections
The Center will bring people together for the exchange of best practices, mentorship, and networking to further build the capacity of the sector and its leadership.
Connections hold to certain principles:
- Connections will bring together diverse stakeholders who have common interests in a spirit of shared inquiry and problem solving.
- Connections will be used as a vehicle to identify and work toward Center priorities.
- Connections will be guided by advisory boards that engage corporate, foundation, university, and nonprofit interests.
Certain activities will be of initial priority:
- “Communiversity” dialogues and lectures that bring nonprofit leaders to the table with university stakeholders to explore contemporary issues and set future priorities for the Center.
- A campus organization – “Students Advancing Non Profits” -- that engages undergraduate and graduate students in learning about and participating in the nonprofit sector and the Center.
- A “Resource Exchange Clearinghouse” that connects university faculty and staff – in real time -- with nonprofit leaders around strategic and organizational issues.
Special Partnerships and Projects
Consistent with the Center’s mission, we are working to develop sustainable partnerships that strengthen the programming of all entities.
The Center is collaborating with a group of scholars, staff, and students to develop an inter-disciplinary PhD and masters degree program in nonprofit and community studies. Degree concentrations will include civil society, healthy communities, and other areas as determined by participating faculty and students.
Morgrige Center for Public Service
The Center is exploring a formal alignment with the Morgridge Center for Public Service. In addition to sharing administrative expertise and costs, the two entities would collaborate programmatically around the promotion of “civic engagement” throughout the university and community. Shared projects could include graduate program development, sharing of expertise and dissemination of information between the university and community and public education about the sector.
UW Division of Continuing Studies
Exploration of opportunities for collaboration and alignment are currently under consideration.
The Center is exploring how to strengthen SoHE’s strong institutional connection with Wisconsin Extension. The nonprofit sector is a primary audience for Extension’s work. In addition to sharing integrated faculty appointments – currently 4-H, Family Living, and Program Evaluation – SoHE and Extension would collaborate around building local community capacity, particularly around the complex issues such volunteer leadership, strategic planning, coalition building, conflict management, and diversity.
Through the Council on Foundations, the Center is exploring ways of supporting the principals and staff of family foundations. We are seeking to understand the unique challenges that these foundations play in building their communities, and to understand the ways in which academic partners can help address them. The Center has a high priority on identifying faculty, staff, and students who are interested in this key area.
