The Foundations of East Chicago has been an icon in the East Chicago communities for over 15 years. This has been made possible by the endowment through the Casino Gaming and the prudent decisions of the Board of Directors. As active members of the community, the Board has funded organizations and individuals in endeavors to enhance the quality of life throughout East Chicago.
As public policy and funding levels are being reviewed, Foundations of East Chicago continues to assess the best opportunities in supporting programs and initiatives. Last year, per the Board’s strategic plan, four components were secured to evaluate next steps. They were capacity building, reporting and measurement, public relations, and technology. All of these components are necessary development areas as the Foundations prepares for the future.
It is important to the Foundations that those organizations awarded funding are prepared to approach business and be sustainable. The services delivered by the granteees vary in many factors, but all add value to the community. For this reason, the Foundations has provided training sessions for all nonprofits.
Throughout 2015, FEC has been providing training series for grantees to help improve their ability to independently carry out and manage aspects of their business such as IT, public relations, fundraising, marketing, community outreach and Board development.
One such training event took place this past July. For this event, FEC partnered with SMDG, LLC and Ivy Tech Community College to offer members from grantee organizations a free seminar on social media management and marketing for nonprofits. Those who attended the event were also offered enrollment in a 3-week social media for business course at a greatly discounted rate.
The Foundations of East Chicago is proud of the relationships developed with numerous providers. It is important to recognize as changes occur, all parties are preparing for those changes. The paradigm shift in philanthropy and advance planning will affect how successful we all are in managing business and the services delivered throughout the community.
