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September 2007 Newsletter
At Millennia Consulting, our team of experienced consultants offers creative strategies for organizational growth and change. Read on to learn about what Millennia has been up to and don't miss our newest feature, "Ask Millie", advice for the non-profit world. |
| Millennia Welcomes Kate Pravera |
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Millennia Project Spotlight:
Illinois Welcoming Center
Millennia consultant, Wendy Siegel, worked closely with the Illinois Department of Human Services to plan and design the first-ever Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC). The IWC is a one-stop center that streamlines access to state services in an effort to expedite the successful resettlement of newcomers and welcome them to the state. The IWC, located in Melrose Park, Illinois opened on July 26, 2007. Melrose Park is a suburban community with a rapidly growing Latino population.
The IWC was an outgrowth of Governor Blagojevich's New Americans Executive Order (EO) issued in November 2005 as a response to the work of immigrant advocates. The EO called for the formation of a proactive and strategic approach to integrating Illinois' rapidly growing immigrant population into the social and economic fabric of the State. Community leaders were engaged in developing policy and program recommendations through the New Americans Policy Council. The formation of the IWC was one of these recommendations.
Silvia Villa, newly appointed Illinois Welcoming Center manager talks about the vision for new services to be located in Melrose Park, Illinois. Background: Mayor Ronald M. Serpico.
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Responding to Environmental Challenges
An Interview with Karen Snyder
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 Millennia partner, Karen Snyder, recently completed a six-month sabbatical exploring responses to environmental challenges. In the following interview, Karen shares her motivation for taking a sabbatical and hints for becoming more informed.
MC: What motivated you to devote your sabbatical to the environment?
KS: After I saw the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, last year I found myself asking, "What will I say in 2017 about what I have done to respond to the challenges of the environment in the past ten years? Will I have sat like the frog in the film and let things warm up all around me or will I have acted?" I went on sabbatical to learn more about the challenges and what is already working so that I could decide how to respond with facilitation, volunteer work or changing my life style.
MC: What did you find most helpful in your search?
KS: I took a five-day training by the Chicago conservation Corps (CCC) for citizens concerned about the environment and was pleasantly surprised at the many programs the city has created to address environmental issues. After the CCC training, participants are encouraged to choose a community project that CCC supports by providing $400 of materials to implement the project. My project is with a neighborhood school, assisting the teachers to design and implement environmental classroom projects.
MC: What are some of the things you learned or acted on as a result of your sabbatical?
KS: The first thing I did was work on an environmental audit of our home, which was very revealing in terms of how much energy and resources our family consumes. Seeing documentaries like Kilowatt Ours and Trashed has continued to deepen my awareness of the systemic problems. Talking with environmental leaders and organizations has revealed how many people have seen these issues emerging for years and how many more are now coming on board with fresh new perspectives and creative alternatives. I am now volunteering for the Green Team at the Chicago Public School's Board of Education and Faith in Place, an organization working with all faiths interested in becoming good stewards of the earth.
Editor's note: See Karen's recommended reading list in the right hand column.
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Build Your
Facilitation Skills |
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Millennia Offers Facilitation Workshops with DePaul University
Are you periodically called upon to facilitate a meeting or team building session? Do you frequently facilitate but have never been formally trained?
Millennia Consulting and DePaul University's Office of Continuing and Professional Education will offer three hands-on workshops this fall: |
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Facilitating Learning in Organizations
October 24 -25
November 28 - 29
December 12 - 13
Workshops can be taken individually or as part of the
For more information contact Jim Troxel at 312-922-9920 x 10 or Janie Rollinson at 312-362-5792 or jrollin1@depaul.edu. | |
Ask Millie
Diversifying Revenue and Support
Dear Millie,
My nonprofit raises money in diverse ways, ranging from an annual golf outing to direct mail, Internet and small grants from local government. The golf outing is very successful. I'd like to put our energies into making the golf outing even bigger, but I've always heard that diversified funding is best. |
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Yours truly,
Scattered ED
Dear ScatterED,
It's important to remember that diversification is not an end in itself but a strategy for managing risk. The issue is complex and cannot be summarized in a one-size-fits all formula. You may want to assess your overall fundraising plan before making any decisions. Take a close look at activities that are most time consuming and least successful to determine if something should be eliminated. In terms of expanding successful efforts, plan the golf expansion carefully, and be sure to consider "what if" scenarios that may require a back up plan. Good luck!
Millie regrets that she cannot respond to answers to individual e-mails. |
| Karen's Green Reading List
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| Dressel, Holly and David Suzuki, Good News for a Change: How Everyday People are Helping the Planet (2002)
Hawken, Paul, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw it Coming (2007)
James, Sarah and Torbjorn Lahti, The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns Can Change to Sustainable Practices (2004)
Maathai, Wangari, Unbowed: A Memoir (2007)
Watch for more resources on environmental action in our next newsletter! | |
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