BrickWays of Traverse City, Grand Traverse County
(Formerly Grand Traverse Community Management Living Center Corporation and Foundation)

 

 

 

 

 

TYPE OF GRANT
Organizational Capacity Building Grant for Foundation
Organizational Capacity Building Grant for BrickWays

AWARDED
$25,000 capacity building grant for the Foundation
$16,000 organizational capacity building grant for BrickWays

NorthSky Nonprofit Network Services to BrickWays and Foundation
Governance training, organizational capacity assessments, community needs assessment, strategic planning, fund development planning, succession planning, evaluation plan for Community Living Center and Mobile Work Force

TOTAL LEVERAGE
For the first time in its history, the Foundation will be able to hire a fund development director. NorthSky Nonprofit Network consultant Pam Evans is currently in the process of developing protocols and a job description for that position. The BrickWays grant provided funding for a part time office administrator which has greatly improved its office environment, creating badly needed space for privacy, governmental oversight and inventory requirements. A possible conference room may even be in the offing. NorthSky played a pivotal role in helping BrickWays and the Foundation in its capacity building efforts, especially in facilitating identification of community need and planning to meet growing demand to assure long-term sustainability. Both organizations particularly recognized the need to be prepared to fund the positions initially supported by the Rotary Charities grants and now are on a path to do so. NorthSky’s facilitation of succession planning with BrickWays also resulted in the recent successful transition to a new executive director.

SUMMARY
NorthSky cites BrickWays and the Foundation as prime examples of organizations that recognized that they were at a pivotal point in their organization’s life cycle and where they could benefit from NorthSky’s services.  Both organizations invested their time and energy into the capacity building process, which they viewed as a holistic activity and completed in a systematic fashion.  In addition to the consulting projects, board and staff members were regular attendees at NorthSky professional development series sessions and frequent users of the free SBTDC business development services.   For their part, BrickWays and the Foundation get high marks from NorthSky for their willingness to think about the changing landscape and adapt through significant change.  “There was a selflessness of the people involved that really demonstrated their willingness to do what was best to further the mission,” notes Debbie McKeon, NorthSky Executive Director.

COMMUNITY NEED
In the early 70’s, the late Mary Jean Brick founded the Community Living Center.  Growing up with a developmentally disabled sister, she was a visionary who was aware that in the Bay region there were growing numbers of aging parents of developmentally disabled children—who were concerned with what would become of them when the parents were no longer around.  She was also dead set against institutionalizing people with physical and mental disabilities.  Rallying local citizens, she lobbied Lansing and Community Mental Health for funding.  MSHDA (Michigan State Housing Development Authority) financed the first home here.  Now, there are over 30 statewide.

 

Charles Sutberry, Executive Director of BrickWays

 

 

 

 

 

“What I see…”

“It was clear from the outset of our experience with Rotary Charities and its NorthSky Nonprofit Network that they wanted us to be successful.

“NorthSky was flexible and willing to assist.  They were very interested in ensuring that the grant dollars were a good investment.

“They (NorthSky consultants) know what they’re doing.  Our recent progress is proof of that.”