Not-For-Profit Resources

Our capacity building objectives include:
1. Developing standard educational programs and tracks for nonprofits to improve their ability to provide services.
2. Creating direct channels for individuals, groups, and businesses to connect with and expand nonprofit manpower through meaningful service.
3. Fortifying nonprofit organizations by raising their ability to create diverse fundraising streams.
4. Fostering collaborations among nonprofits and community by creating network groups that encourage relationship building
5. Positioning nonprofits to confront barriers that keep individuals from reaching their potential by encouraging conversations, and providing resources, that cultivate an awareness of race, class, and gender inequality.

For 10 years Not-For-Profit Resources has been delivering programs that strengthen nonprofits in McHenry County.
Over the last three years we have significantly increased our services.
• Our partnership with Universities, colleges, professionals, and funders allow us to cover about 40 capacity building topics annually. These classes impact Leadership, Fundraising, Marketing, Volunteer Management, and Grant Writing.
• As one of 10 in Illinois Foundation Center Partner Sites, we house one of the top grant search tools available.
• We are the lead volunteer information and referral organization serving McHenry County.
• We host the McHenry County Human Race, a program that provides an avenue for organizations to gain awareness in the community, and increase their volunteer and donor base.

Not-For-Profit Resources' mission is to build capacity of nonprofit organizations. We have a thirty-three-year history of providing services to nonprofit organizations in McHenry County. Our capacity building efforts began with volunteer information and referral. Through surveys, evaluations, one on one conversations with agencies and funders we identified other strengthening services needed in the nonprofit community.

Today we serve over 200 nonprofit organizations annually. We are a full-service capacity building organization. Our professional development for nonprofits is now the leading entity providing nonprofit training in McHenry County. Utilizing expert trainers, board members, executive directors, operations and development staff, and volunteers are learning best practices, and developing relationships and collaborations. This past spring, we began a partnership with Northern Illinois University. Our assessment of the initial NIU classes show an increased attendance of senior staff and board members.

By providing a diverse set of services to the nonprofit community we have been able to develop strategic communications and streamline our registration process electronically making it easy for individuals to participate. Last year 78 nonprofits participated in our 10th Annual Human Race program, making it the largest collaborative event in the county supporting nonprofit organizations. As one of 11 Foundation Center Partner Sites in Illinois our nonprofits can access, close to home, for free the largest US directory of grant resources. This tool includes data from over 5 million grants, contact information for over 140,000 funders, sample documents, and grant-writing tips, trainings, and other resources. Our initial volunteer information and referral program draws 30 to 100 new volunteers each month to help strengthen the missions of local nonprofits.

We are a nonprofit “hub” that is already providing services to the nonprofit community. We have relationships in place to provide these essential services. Our staff of two along with a volunteer base well over 100 and an active board are passionate about strengthening nonprofit organizations in order to create a healthy community. We are a sustainable organization and are positioned to successfully provide capacity building services.

Not-For-Profit Resources experienced key milestones in the last five years that expanded our mission of building capacity of nonprofit organizations.
1. January 1, 2015, we became a Foundation Center Partner Site, allowing us to bring a grant search tool to McHenry County. The program houses intuitive search functions and utilizes data from over 5 million grants and includes over 140,000 funder contacts. The tool delivers information needed for local nonprofits to reach your fundraising goals quickly and efficiently.
2. July 1, 2015 the Volunteer Center signed its first lease agreement. We moved into the Mental Health Board building. This move improved our identity and footing in the community. The move also provided opportunity for growth in our mission.
3. April 2018, we increase staff by adding a second fulltime employee. This not only increased our ability to expand services, it accelerated sustainability of our organization.
4. August 2018, we developed a partnership with Northern Illinois University which increased our ability to bring best practices to local nonprofits.
5. In 2019 our organization defined essential core objectives to help nonprofits thrive in mission and sustainability.
Today we provide services to over 200 nonprofits. Our capacity building objectives include:
- Positioning nonprofits to confront barriers that keep individuals from reaching their potential by encouraging conversations, and providing resources, that cultivate an awareness of race, class, and gender inequality.
- Developing standard educational programs and tracks for nonprofits to improve their ability to provide services.
- Creating direct channels for individuals, groups, and businesses to connect with and expand nonprofit manpower through meaningful service.
- Fortifying nonprofit organizations by raising their ability to create diverse fundraising streams.
- Fostering collaborations among nonprofits and community by creating network groups that encourage relationship building