Be sure to catch up on Mike Burns column in NonProfit Pro magazine bi-monthly. Here are some of his most recent contributions.
Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free download) in order to view and print PDF files. If you do not have Acrobat Reader here go to Adobe's site for a free copy.
Can a combination of public, private and philanthropic financing, rather than grants, be used to make shared equity homeownership possible? That's the fundamental question explored in a new report by Grounded Solutions Network and BWB Solutions, "Assessing the Feasibility of a Shared Appreciation Loan Fund Designed for Long-Term Sustainable Affordable Homeownership." Freddie Mac partnered with Grounded Solutions Network to produce this report under Freddie Mac's Duty to Serve plan.
The latest edition of the Community Development Investment Review, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, contains six case studies of the Partner in Progress grantees. John Weiser and Carl Sussman authored five of the six case studies.
Practitioners in the field of asset-building across the country are developing innovative approaches to expanding savings opportunities in low-income communities. Unfortunately, these programs and services rarely reach enough scale to transform entire cities, regions, states, or even neighborhoods. This paper is based on insights developed from interviews with practitioners working in the field of asset-building and a meeting conducted by the Living Cities Income & Assets Working Group held on July 26, 2011. With this paper as a guide, funders can better assess the elements of scale best suited for their investments, while practitioners can more effectively design projects for scaling.
A nonprofit organization can increase jobs and income among community residents in many ways. In communities where the challenges of connecting residents to mainstream employment opportunities are sizeable, small business development can be an important alternative. Commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Small Business Development Strategies: Practices to Promote Success among Low-Income Entrepreneurs explores the proven tools used by non-profit organizations to help entrepreneurs succeed. In this newly published report, BWB Partners Kevin McQueen and John Weiser examine various small business development strategies that address different challenges faced in promoting success among entrepreneurs and their businesses. For organizations involved in the economic development field, this report can be a valuable tool for setting up programs to assist new ventures and their owners.
Building brand and building community value can happen together. This article, which appeared in Oct 2006 Brand Strategy magazine, provides case examples of how companies can tap core competencies to create benefits for business and community alike.
Business can be a powerful tool for helping to improve the income and assets of low-income individuals – if a win-win relationship can be crafted. The Ford Foundation's report "Part of the Solution: Leveraging Business and Markets for Low-Income People" provides success models and analytic frameworks that help nonprofits and funders understand how to work with business as a force for positive social change. Click here for the executive summary and here for the full report.
Most companies mistakenly dismiss low-income markets as commercial wastelands. Yet many top corporations — including IBM, Ford, Hewlett Packard, and Texas Instruments – have discovered that investing in and partnering with underserved communities can yield significant profits. Based on rigorous research spanning seven years and 50 cases, Untapped shows how serving consumers and suppliers at the bottom of the pyramid can be the key to addressing corporations' pressing needs: increased sales, a qualified workforce, marketable innovations, reduced costs, and increased quality. But as corporations benefit, so too do communities, through better products, prices, and services, more meaningful job opportunities, and an increased market for their own goods and services. The authors' blend of proven strategies, practical tools, case studies, and cogent insight shows managers how to maximize profits while helping community residents increase income and assets, creating a relationship of mutual gain.
BWB worked with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to create jobs and income in ways that draw on, and are supportive of, traditional culture and values. This final report from the project provides a complete description of the process and action plans developed.
"Having It All" BWB's recent report for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
This report provides public radio stations across the US with a clear analysis of how leading stations were combining good financial health with superior audience service. The report makes recommendations that can help to radio stations to meet their missions and increase their financial sustainability at the same time.
© Copyright 2019 BWB Solutions, LLC.