Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Businesses of all sizes join the Troy Chamber of Commerce for a wide variety ofbenefits, which include: networking; sharing information and expertise; marketing; and finding funders or partners to collaborate on projects too big or diverse for one business. The Troy Chamber doesn’t limit its benefits to profit-making businesses – the Chamber’s Non-Profit Network (NPN) provides all these opportunities to Southeast Michigan nonprofits, too. The Network’s fifty members include small, local organizations, nonprofits that serve the region, chapters of national health, human service and community benefit groups, and the Troy-based Kresge Foundation, which distributes more than $100 million a year to nonprofits across the country.
The Chamber has welcomed nonprofit members for decades. In 2004, the Troy Chamberestablished the Non-ProfitNetwork to provide educational opportunities especially for nonprofits and to establish channels for them to connect with businesses to request expertise, volunteers and contributions. After surveying nonprofit members to determine what they would find useful, the Chamber presented a seminar on grant writing. That seminar grew into the Chamber’s annual Nonprofit Network Conference, which has brought nonprofit leaders and staff members together, to share their expertise and learn from guest speakers in many fields, since 2005.
Members of the NPN also meet monthly, to network, share expertise and experience, and to learn. Chamber Vice President Jody House, who was at the table for the formation of the Network and who represents the Chamber on the NPN today, says “The NPN is unique because it is based on providing sharing and support among peers, and meetings are collaborative, not competitive.”
Another opportunity that the Chamber provides for business-nonprofit connections is the Network’s annual Wish List. The Chamber contacts nonprofit members, usually in late August, to ask for items they would like to post on their wish list. The list is compiled and posted on the NPN’spage of the Chamber’s website, making it easy for businesses to donate new or gently-used items they no longer need or that they collect specifically for a community organization they wish to support.
Information on individual NPN members and the Nonprofit Wish List can be found at:
https://www.troychamber.com/non-profit-network/
Photos:
Nonprofit Network Conference
John Lavender attends conference session
To commemorate the City of Troy’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, we will publish a different story each day that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 and that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context. We will include the facts related to controversial stories, allowing our readers to form their own opinions. We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TroyHistoricVillage. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org.
