North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative

The North Texas Collaborative is in the news:

• Star-Telegram, October 2007: "Nonprofits' Ventures Get Some Help From People In the Know".

• Dallas Business Journal, October 2007: "Eight Nonprofits Embark on Business Boot Camp".

• The Dallas Morning News, July 2007: "Business Lessons For Nonprofits".

Program Overview

Participating Organizations

Collaborative Schedule

Contact Us

Program Overview
 

The North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative is a 10-month business planning process that helps high-performing nonprofit organizations develop and grow social enterprises. Nonprofits selected to participate are engaged in a rigorous business planning process and gain access to tools, frameworks and business experts to help them launch a new business or expand an existing business. Collaborative participants build social enterprises while honing business skills, empowering them to have a lasting impact on their nonprofit organizations. 

The goal of the Collaborative is for all participants to complete a business plan and launch or grow a viable business. The revenue generated from the business provides the nonprofit organization with more independence in creating programs and services to fulfill its mission.

The Collaborative consists of monthly peer learning sessions and one-on-one consulting for management teams.

Peer Learning Sessions

Once a month, Collaborative participants gather for an interactive peer learning session.  Each session focuses on an important aspect of business planning, including:  market research, financial analysis, competitive analysis, pricing and capitalization. In addition, each session features a notable business expert who serves as a guest speaker, sharing his/her personal stories, successes, and challenges. 

Customized Consulting

Once a month, the Community Wealth Ventures consultants offer one-on-one consulting to participating venture management teams.  The customized sessions leverage the collective potential of the team to make sound business decisions.  The meetings are often working sessions whereby the consultants facilitate business strategy decision making, in addition to helping participants create data collection templates, analyze data, and edit sections of the business plan.

To assist North Texas nonprofits in developing and growing social enterprises, the Meadows Foundation, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Harold Simmons Foundation and several sources that wish to remain anonymous have partnered with the Center for Nonprofit Management and Community Wealth Ventures to launch the North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative.

Benefits of participation

Participating organizations benefit from intensive, customized assistance from experienced business consultants, which results in a focused business plan to guide the growth of the enterprise. Other benefits include: 

• Opportunity to engage with nationally recognized business leaders;
• Use of a proven methodology and tools for developing a social enterprise;
• Access to research support; and
• In-depth monthly interaction with peer organizations.

 
Requirements of participating organizations

Participants are expected to make the development of a social enterprise an organizational priority and dedicate necessary staff time to support the project.  Participants are required to keep up with assignments and attend all peer learning and customized consulting sessions.

Additionally, organizations are required to pay a $5,000 participation fee to help cover the project’s costs. The majority of the project is funded by the funding partners listed above.
 

Participating Organizations

Community Wealth Ventures selected 8 nonprofits in the North Texas metropolitan area to participate through a competitive application process. Participating organizations include:

Autism Treatment Center
www.atcoftexas.org

The Autism Treatment Center (ATC) was founded in 1976 and serves children and adults with autism. Its mission is to provide year-round educational, vocational, residential, diagnostic, therapeutic services as well as partner in research and conduct information dissemination efforts.

Venture: An Autism Diagnostic & Therapy Rehabilitation Agency in North Texas to meet the growing demand for services.

Big Thought
www.bigthought.org

Big Thought, a learning partnership, inspires, empowers, and unites children and communities through education, arts, and culture. Big Thought is committed to building community collaborations that foster cultural integration for academic achievement, youth development, and family learning.

Venture: A strategic business model for consulting services to help communities develop partnerships that foster cultural integration among public and private entities.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Ft Worth, Inc.
www.ccdofw.org

The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to those in need; advocate compassion and justice in the structures of society; and to call all others of good will to do the same. The vision of Catholic Charities is to be people of faith helping people in need with a community vision of a healthy environment in which every individual has the means and opportunity to participate in social, cultural, economic, and political life of the community.

Venture: Expansion of translation and interpretation services.

Child Care Group
www.childcaregroup.org

The mission of Child Care Group is to promote, deliver and expand the best child care services available outside the home.

Venture: A Child Care Resource and Referral Service for corporate clients. 

Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center
www.dcac.org

The mission of the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County and provide national leadership on child abuse issues. The DCAC provides direct services to seriously abused children in Dallas County. 

Venture: Expansion of its nationally recognized conference, Crimes Against Children Conference, that may involve the expansion of the current conference and/or develop complimentary products/services. 

Metroport Meals on Wheels, Inc.
www.metroportmow.org

The mission of Metroport Meals On Wheels, Inc. is to be a grassroots volunteer advocate for the elderly and those in need through home-delivered meals, senior center lunch and activity programs and other support services. MMOW alleviates hunger, isolation, and loneliness in our communities.

Venture: Improvement of current operations and/or expansion of its existing retail thrift shop, Sadie’s Dry Goods New and Used.

SafeHaven of Tarrant County
www.safehaventc.org

The mission of SafeHaven of Tarrant County is to end family violence through safety, support, prevention and social change.  The vision statement is to become a nationally recognized center of excellence in creating and implementing services that bring about positive, measurable change around the epidemic of family violence. 

Venture: Improvement of current operations and/or expansion of Berry Good Buys Thrift Store, an already existing venture.

The Senior Source
www.theseniorsource.org

The Senior Source’s mission is to improve the quality of life of older adults in the greater Dallas area by providing programs on a broad spectrum, for the active retiree to the most frail elderly.

Venture: A Geriatric Care Manager service to meet the market need for services that require transportation, health visits, medication monitoring, and/or regular home visits.
 

Collaborative Schedule
 

Contact Us

Sara Brenner

202.478.6548