Fiscal Education NetworkRevised Plan

Overview

Colorado’s projected long-term revenues are insufficient to sustain the public services Coloradans have come to expect. Colorado voters have a unique responsibility to decide how to balance the public’s dual desires for low taxes and public services. The purpose of the Fiscal Education Network is to help Coloradans make informed choices by education and awareness achieved through a statewide network of nonprofit leaders and community engagement.

Research conducted by John Creighton on behalf of the Fiscal Education Network produced an approach to community engagement that differs from political campaigns. The framework helps people understand the differences between “building public will” and “swaying public opinion” as well as the “stages of public thinking” people go through before they commit to public action. This engagement framework has generated as much interest as the fiscal education materials because it applies to nearly every area of a nonprofit organization’s community work.

Progress & Results

The Association has made significant progress in building the Fiscal Education Network. Taking the webinars and community presentations together, at least 798 organizations have participated in FEN activities and have gained knowledge about public will building and the state’s fiscal challenges. We continue to provide monthly webinars on related topics and speak to interested groups. Our progress thus far on this project includes:

Development of resource guides and discussion. One of the primary successes of the FEN is the development of useful resource materials, which nonprofits can use to effectively guide community conversations and to inform others about the state’s long-term fiscal challenges. These communication materials will be helpful to nonprofit organizations not only in their discussions of fiscal issues, but in any public will building effort that nonprofits may develop around other value-based initiatives in their communities, such as health care, education, the environment and other issues.

Development and presentation of webinars. Participants in the webinars and community discussions highly rated the quality and usefulness of the FEN presentations, and particularly liked the factual, nonpartisan tone. Almost 42 individuals attended more than one of the monthly webinars. These attendees gained more knowledge and familiarity with the substantive content about state fiscal issues. Ninety groups located outside the metro area participated in the webinars, which is important to building a statewide network. The Fiscal Education Network provides recordings of these webinars on its website for those who are unable to participate in the live webinars.

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

Presentations to nonprofit and civic groups. The Fiscal Education Network made 19 presentations about the state’s long-term fiscal challenges and leading public will building conversations. See the list of activities below for the detailed schedule.

Outreach to nonprofit and other civic organizations. The Association began with a targeted list of about 120 nonprofit organizations statewide considered “connectors” with other nonprofit organizations but not necessarily regularly involved in public policy advocacy. In addition to this group, we have invited the Association’s general membership to the webinars.

Challenges

Gaining and keeping the participation of nonprofit organizations. Most nonprofits devote their time and resources to achieving their missions and have little additional time for activities viewed as tangential, even important activities such as ensuring the state’s long-term prosperity. To connect with these organizations more personally, we hired a part-time coordinator at the beginning of March. The coordinator reached out through personal conversation, which has increased participation in the webinars and invitations to address community groups. In addition, we broadened the webinar invitation list to include the Association membership at large. We also utilized the broad networks of the Bell Policy Center, the Colorado Reform Roundtable, and other organizations with broad reach, to publicize the webinars and resources. All of these efforts have increased the number of participants and awareness, which will in turn result in wider participation.

Sustaining interest in the FEN. The purpose of the FEN is to educate nonprofits about the state’s fiscal challenges rather than to advocate for a particular solution. Many nonprofits appreciate the informative content but also seek specific solutions. Although they are interested in solutions, our goal at this point is to enlist these organizations to convene and facilitate their own community conversations. Their action steps will be to assist in expanding the network and the awareness of other nonprofits about the state’s fiscal challenges. By leading conversations and helping build the network, they can also help the public consider particular solutions.

Limited local organizational capacity. Many organizations have the capacity to convene conversations. Others have limited capacity. This limited capacity includes limited financial and human resources to dedicate toward convening conversations. Our experience suggests limited capacity presents a significant barrier for these organizations’ participation in the Fiscal Education Network.

2011-12 Strategy

In 2010 and early 2011, the Association received total funding in the amount of $225,000 from five foundations to fund activities in 2011. To date, we have spent about half of these funds to pay for our consultant John Creighton and staff time of the Colorado Nonprofit Association including a dedicated one-half time Coordinator.

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

We also contributed to the production costs of the “Boom or Bust” video about the state’s fiscal problems produced by Progress Now and the Bell Policy Center, which we use as a part of our presentations.

We wish to use our remaining funding through the end of 2011 and continue activities through November 2012. We believe that this extension into 2012 will best serve our efforts to build a sustainable network of nonprofit organizations that understand Colorado’s fiscal problems, distribute information to their own networks and engage other nonprofits and other community members in public will building activities surrounding fiscal reform.

Continue to provide regular information through fiscal education webinars, presentations, and email communications. While we have made much progress, many community based nonprofit leaders have an incomplete understanding of the state’s fiscal challenges. To help build a broader awareness, we will continue to host monthly webinars on relevant topics, host community meetings, and send directed emails on relevant topics. These webinars, presentations, and communications will focus on education about the issues and the importance of organizations engaging on the issues.

Some organizations may not have the time, expertise or staff resources to organize meetings and convene conversations, but they may be willing to distribute information to their own networks. For these organizations, we will develop and disseminate communication tools that better match their capacity to participate in the Fiscal Education Network. These tools include sample email and newsletter communications, sample website copy, informational one-page hand-outs, and detailed informational brochures. These tools can be sent to constituents, board members, and partners with minimal financial and staff resources.

Enlist nonprofit organizations to organize in their communities and provide stipends for their efforts. We will focus our energies on building close working relationships with 10-20 nonprofit organizations throughout the state to organize in their respective communities. These local nonprofits lend credibility to the project and are in the best position to make a local impact. These organizations will support the Fiscal Education Network by:

Recruiting 5 to 10 conversation leaders within that community. Convene a conversation leader training session – the Association will provide

the training. Organize 10 community discussions for each FEN conversation leader – over

the next 8 to 12 months. Organize 3 to 5 community visits for the Association guest speakers to

present and support local FEN conversation leaders.

Because we realize that nonprofit organizations have limited staff time and capacity, we will offer a $1,000 to $2,000 stipend to each organization in 2012, depending on the amount of activity the nonprofit undertakes in their community. We will cap our total allocation of funds to this expense at $20,000.

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

Train Fiscal Education Network Conversation Leaders. We will provide the conversation leaders with three types of specific training: (1) Facilitation training to learn how to best lead conversations, (2) background on Colorado’s fiscal challenges to prepare people to field more detailed questions, and (3) a practice session leading a conversation with instructor feedback.

Package Conversation Materials. To make the conversation materials more user friendly, we will package the materials as a tool kit for nonprofit organizers. It will includes tips on how to convene conversation, including strategies for outreach, including sample email invitations, organizing tips, examples of best venues to hold a meeting, and a detailed process for how to follow up with participants.

Community Visits. We also plan to organize a series of community visits to make presentations and meet with local nonprofit leaders. These meetings will include specific requests for actions to further build the network. We will target their communities (or neighboring communities) including Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango, Grand Junction, Greeley, Ft. Collins, and the Denver metropolitan area. A typical community visit may include a conversation leader training session, a presentation to a group of nonprofit leaders and one-on-one meetings.

Include Voter Engagement Component in Fiscal Education Network. We will partner with Colorado Participation Project to include a voter engagement component in the Fiscal Education Network. While the Network seeks to provide information and initiate conversations, any significant fiscal reform will require voter approval. Colorado Participation Project focuses specifically on nonpartisan advocacy and civic engagement programs that emphasize voter registration and voting in elections. The Colorado Participation Project demonstrates how to conduct civic engagement programs through training, online voter registration, ongoing coaching and technical assistance. We plan use some Fiscal Education Network funds to compensate Colorado Participation Project for their time and direct expense for activities in conjunction with the Fiscal Education Network, including their assistance in reaching out to nonprofits to engage them in Network activities.

2011-2012 Fiscal Education Network Activities

Past events

Jan. 14 - Present COFPI Budget Works Jan. 18 - Present CNA Leadership Advisory Committee Jan. 18 – Webinar: Introduction to the Fiscal Education Network Jan. 26 – Webinar: Introduction to the Fiscal Education Network Jan. 28 - Present CRR Outreach & Education Subcommittee Feb. 10 - Meeting Engaged Public Feb. 10 - Meeting Colorado Municipal League Feb. 24 – Webinar: What Types of Cuts are Needed to Close Colorado’s

Budget Gap Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

Feb. 24 - Meeting Community Resource Center Mar.   1 - Present Pikes Peak Funders Forum Mar.   3 - Present Grass Roots St. Vrain Mar.   4 - Meeting Colorado Education Association Mar. 10 - Present United Way Lobby Day Mar. 15 - Present Volunteers of America Mar. 16 – Webinar: Simulating Managing the State Budget using

BackseatBudgeter.com Mar. 18 - Present Community Resource Center Mar. 23 – Webinar: Simulating Managing the State Budget using

BackseatBudgeter.com Apr. 14 – Webinar: Colorado Council of Churches Apr. 21 – Webinar: Colorado’s Revenue Challenges Apr. 27 – Webinar: Colorado’s Revenue Challenges Apr. 28 – Coalition Meeting with Colorado Participation Project-Boulder Apr. 29 - Present Colorado Municipal League Apr. 29 – Coalition Meeting with Colorado Participation Project-Denver May   7 – Present Project Wise May 17 – Present Family Tree May 23 – Present Colorado Children’s Campaign May 25 – Webinar: Boom or Bust Colorado? Video and Web Tool Kit May 26 - Webinar: Boom or Bust Colorado? Video and Web Tool Kit June 1 – Meeting Colorado Council of Churches June 1 – Meeting Bell Policy Center June 1 – Meeting Colorado Progressive Coalition June 2 – Meeting Colorado Participation Project June 9 – Meeting Colorado Civic Engagement Roundtable and

ProgressNow June 14 – Present Larimer County Democratic Business Coalition June 20 – Present Colorado Senior Lobby June 20 – Present Community Foundation Serving Boulder County June 23 – Community Presentation: Adams and Arapahoe Counties June 23 – Community Presentation: Jefferson County June 24 – Present United Way of Larimer County June 28 – Webinar: The Fiscal Impact of the Bright Colorado Initiative July 6 – Present Boulder County AIDS Project July 14 – Present Brett Foundation and Community Foundation Serving

Boulder County July 29 – Present Community Foundation Serving Boulder County August 25 – Present Warren Village with Colorado Participation Project

Already Scheduled Future events

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

September 7 – Webinar: Update on Proposed Ballot Measure to Increase Education Funding

September 13 – Present Niwot PTO September 14 – Community Presentation: Loveland September 14 – Community Presentation: Ft. Collins September 20 – Community Presentation: Steamboat Springs September 30 – Present Boulder County Development Directors October 6 – Present Arc of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties October 10-11 – Present Colorado Nonprofit Association Annual

Conference January 5 – Present Foothills United Way Association of Agency

Executives

Future Events and Activities

By October 15 2011- outreach to key nonprofits and hold a community event to present fiscal education information in conjunction with Colorado Participation Project. Target communities are Denver, Weld County, Pueblo and Grand Junction.

By October 31 2011 – Establish partnerships with 10-20 nonprofit organizations who will commit to further organizing activity in their communities.

By November 30 2011 – Nonprofit Organizers will recruit 5 to 10 conversation leaders within each community.

January 2012- Convene a conversation leader training session – the Association will provide the training.

February to June 2012 - Assist and support local Nonprofit Organizers in hosting community conversations, either at the invitation of local nonprofit or civic groups, or by organizing meetings. Goal is 10-15 events in communities statewide.

January through June 2012- Produce written materials and issue briefs that provide information about budget challenges faced by the state or about other fiscal reform discussions. Distribute to the Fiscal Education Network partners and also through the Association network.

January through June 2012- Produce webinars that provide information about budget challenges faced by the state or about other fiscal reform discussions.

August through November 2012- Work with existing network partners to disseminate educational information and convene conversations around state fiscal issues that may be before the voters.

We developed training materials and informational collateral for umbrella organizations to use in communications with community

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

constituents. We distributed these materials to the following organizations:

Bell Policy CenterColorado Participation ProjectColorado Civic Engagement RoundtableColorado Council of Churches Colorado Education Association Colorado Municipal LeagueColorado Progressive Coalition Community Resource Center Engaged PublicProgressNow

Members of the Fiscal Education Network hosted fiscal education conversations across the state between February and August 2011. The following organizations hosted conversations:Arc of Arapahoe and Douglas CountiesBoulder County AIDS ProjectBrett FoundationColorado Fiscal Policy Institute Community Foundation Serving Boulder CountyColorado Children’s CampaignColorado Municipal LeagueColorado Nonprofit Association Colorado Reform Roundtable Community Resource CenterColorado Senior LobbyFamily TreeFoothills United WayGrass Roots St. VrainLarimer County Democratic Business Coalition Niwot PTOMile High United WayPikes Peak Funders ForumProject WiseSteamboat Springs Human Services CouncilUnited Way of Larimer County Volunteers of AmericaWarren Village

Materials Produced

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

How to Talk about State and Community Priorities provides an in-depth look at how Coloradans view government and how to frame productive conversations.

Engage People as Problem Solvers describes critical elements that help people stay focused on big picture priorities.

Assess Your Strategies provides a set of questions to evaluate your current communications and education initiatives or plan for the future.

Five Steps for Success: Step-by-step suggestions to convene and lead “building awareness” conversations in your community.

Tips for Effective “Building Awareness” Conversations: Brief review of how to help people who are learning about an issue to move their thinking.

Keeping Conversations On Track: Suggestions for how to manage challenging situations.

“Building Awareness” Conversation slides: PowerPoint Slides that you can tailor for a 30-minute presentation or 60-minute conversation and example slides of how to include local implications.

Fiscal Education Newsletter “blurb”: Short description of the Fiscal Education Network you can use to build interest and quickly explain what you’re doing.

“Five Minute” Presentation: Colorado's fiscal challenge boiled down to 700 words.

Monthly Webinar Recordings: The topics of the webinars include:January - Introduction to the Fiscal Education NetworkFebruary - What Types of Cuts are needed to Close Colorado’s Budget

Gap?March - Simulate Managing the State Budget Using

Backseatbudgeter.comApril - Colorado’s Revenue NeedsMay - Colorado Boom or Bust? Video and Web Tool KitJune - The Fiscal Impact of the Support our Schools for a Bright

Colorado Initiative

Explanation of Number of Organizations Reached

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12

Our goal was to secure a minimum of 500 organizations that are knowledgeable about the state's fiscal structure, implications of funding shortages and potential solutions to the issue by September 2011. To date, we have reached 798 organizations. The number of organizations reached is the number of actual webinar participants plus number of persons (some actual, some estimates) in attendance at a meeting convened by an organization other than Colorado Nonprofit Association, plus number of participants at network meetings convened by the Colorado Nonprofit Association. Duplicate participation has been accounted for, as much as possible.

Colorado Nonprofit AssociationFiscal Education Network Revised Plan 2011-12