Montana NonProfit Association – August Newsletter

Director’s Update from the desk of Brian Magee

Montana’s foundation community leads by example with the Montana Connections Tour

From time to time, I get a ground level view of collaborative leadership efforts that make me truly stop and take notice because of their potential to achieve deep, meaningful, and positive change for our state. The first ever Montana Connections Tour that rolled through Montana in early August is one such example.

Over a year ago, Montana foundation leaders came together to begin planning a week-long tour of the state for regional and national foundation representatives. The concept was simple – Montana foundation leaders would invite their peers from foundations outside of Montana to join them on a learning tour of the state to make connections with Montana’s leadership, gain a much deeper understanding of the unique assets, opportunities, and challenges found in Montana, and explore ways to increase institutional grant making in the state through foundation partnerships. This was a bold concept designed to build stronger bridges to and deeper relationships with regional and national foundations. In time, those deeper relationships would lead to increased investment in Montana’s nonprofit sector and our communities.

Earlier this month, the vision became a reality when the inaugural Montana Connections Tour was launched. Over the course of one week, senior representatives from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Northwest Area Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation traveled from one end of the state to the other, visiting the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations, Glendive, Helena, Missoula, the Flathead Reservation, Billings, Red Lodge, and many smaller communities in between. Along the way, tour participants learned about unique collaborative projects such as the community development efforts in Glendive, the breach of the Milltown Dam east of Missoula, and the Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate art exhibit that is now winding its way through our communities. There was a lot to showcase in one week and it made an impression. Based on feedback from participants, all indications are that the tour was a success and a tremendous building block for future years.

It’s important to note that the focus on collaboration was intentional. As one colleague put it to me, "It’s in our DNA" – it’s how we do business, and it’s one of our most important assets. Even the tour itself is a model of collaborative leadership – what I refer to as the Montana way. Literally, dozens of Montana private, community, and corporate foundations worked together with communities to bring the Montana Connections Tour to life. These same foundations have been working together in new ways for quite some time, learning from one another, and exploring creative ventures (like the tour) to strengthen and expand grant making. This kind of collaborative leadership deserves a huge round of applause.

So, from all of us at MNA, we would like to extend a big thank you to our Montana foundation partners for being bold, modeling collaboration, and leading by example. Congratulations on a job well done.

And, for everyone out in the field, we hope to see you in Missoula for the MNA Annual Conference, September 28 -30, where we’ll showcase the Montana Connections Tour and other successful collaborations as part of our Connections theme.

Full Newsletter: http://www.mtnonprofit.org/enews.aspx