Executive Summary
Purpose of Report
This report tackles networking concerns for the Mars Hill Charity Riders (MHCR), who are looking to grow operations in the Mars Hill and Southwestern Indianapolis communities with networking partners. While MHCR has been successful in hosting periodic & annual charity events that sustain membership and the operations of the Charity, the group aims to increase their offerings through strategic partners who align with its vision to meet Indianapolis housing, health, and hardship needs. In past efforts from the charity, this has been met with unclear submission windows for grant or partnership applications and the desire for more accessible metrics about communication about Charity’s upcoming events or opportunities.
With an interest in negotiating these obstacles, our W231 small group worked to find out how different organizational structures can facilitate these issues. MHCR currently has an active board and financial account, volunteers, and a small social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, but was also interested in different reporting requirements that would secure more grants and partnerships to expand its network and reach.
Findings
This small group’s secondary research formed the basis for the directed questions in our surveys used for primary research. Our compiled secondary research synthesized findings from other peer-reviewed publications about networking in nonprofit circles and grant reporting requirements. Our primary research analyzed the results from surveys to IUPUI students and local organizations, looking to address informational gaps around the interest areas and timeframes of networking partners. We were encouraged to find that while MHCR is unique in its scope (which centers around love for both the Mars Hill community and motorcycles), networking considerations are a shared struggle for nonprofits looking to expand.
Secondary Research
Our secondary research stressed the importance of sharing a compelling narrative of Charity activities while seeking partners, regardless of whether those partners are for-profit or nonprofit. Such narratives inspire a broader and more consistent volunteer base, maintaining inertia and operations, which is appealing to partners who can leverage that base as they host events together. For both the nonprofit organization and its partners, it’s useful to prioritize actions in line with the brand, tone, and goals of the organizations; finding a middle ground between the visions and missions of different organizations and nonprofits helps develop future achievable goals. Nonprofits who have compiled their reports on finances, resources, and programming can access grants by type and focus as another way to find partners and funding for a nonprofit that shares a charitable mission. These relationships are best built over time instead of spur-of-the-moment or to meet an approaching deadline; authentic collaboration addresses the concerns of public stakeholders and community partners while caring for how those resources are distributed to ensure they reach where they are most needed.​
Primary Research
Our primary research consisted of surveys and results from the IUPUI student body, as well as Indianapolis organizations and companies that have found success with networking locally. Each demographic was asked a different series of questions pertaining to what motivates them to partner, collaborate, or donate. The results from our primary research show that Social Media is the most consistent way to reach individual volunteers and donors, who use GoFundMe, Social Media donations, and Charity events (fun runs and rides) to donate and network with local organizations. If not through social media, our respondents were most likely to hear about local events through print, ads, and fliers. ​
Partnering means that a fellow organization has to have the metrics to back up why a collaboration is beneficial and be able to communicate that to their board. Results from our second survey show that over half of the respondents have expressed interest in partnering with organizations that can quantify their operations over a nonprofit that can’t. These groups like to establish a collaboration 1-3 months out from an event, which means that the people in said network must already be acquainted and build rapport 4-6 months out. Most respondents were happy to support collaboration through nonfinancial resource donation, and shared employees or volunteers and expertise. Most wanted to partner in efforts that would contribute to Arts & Education.
Recommendations
The following recommendations form an actionable plan based on information gathered from primary & secondary research and consultation with MHCR to double check capacity to meet these recommended goals. For more details on how to put this plan into place, please consult our Appendix, Recommendations: MHCR five next steps towards better networking.​
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Compile reporting in preparation for your next grant cycle
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Establish a Social Media Team
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Establish an Event Analysis Team
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Establish a Communications Director
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Establish Marketing & Partnerships Manager