The latest news from Listen4Good No images? Click here Emerging From A Year Like No OtherI’m struck by how much life feels like coming out of a cocoon right now. We’re emerging from winter, but also emerging from a year like no other in memory: a global pandemic, an economic shutdown, and a racial reckoning with a deeper sense of urgency—forcing honest reflection on long-standing systemic inequities. The past year has also shown us that our feedback work is more important than ever, especially as it aims to advance sustained equitable solutions in which those with less power speak their truth. The recent conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd provided a glimmer of hope that the voices of those most marginalized can finally be heeded by structures designed to suppress and silence them. However, even as we make some progress towards justice, the path is never assured and the arc is always longer than it ought to be. And so our work continues. Staff Highlight: Alexis Oviedo, Community Support CoordinatorThe Listen4Good team continues to grow! Please join us in welcoming our newest staff member, Alexis Oviedo. If you’re a current L4G participant, you’ve probably already met Alexis. She supports all users on the L4G web app and manages our emerging online peer network, L4G Community. Alexis brings a fresh set of skills to her position, having worked at two nonprofits, the Commonwealth Club of California and Kiva.org. She also brings experience working in high-growth tech and software sales. To help you get to know her a little better, Alexis was kind enough to answer a few questions. Q: Tell us about some favorite projects at your previous nonprofits. Q: What skills do you bring from the tech and software industry? Q: Why did you transition to the nonprofit sector? Q: How do you spend your spare time? Go Public With Your Listening PracticeHave you filled out the How We Listen (HWL) section of your nonprofit profile in GuideStar by Candid? It’s a great way to showcase your listening and feedback practices. HWL is a section in the organizational profiles section on GuideStar where you answer a series of questions about your listening practices. Your answers to the questions are visible to searchers on Candid (including funders). Charity Navigator also picks up your answers to count towards your Culture and Community score under their new Encompass rating system. Completing HWL is a great way to showcase your listening efforts! But don’t just take our word for it. To test this assumption, we recently analyzed data from HWL organizations, and the feedback practices of Listen4Good participants by comparison. (Fun fact: Listen4Good helped to design HWL and we regularly run aggregate analysis of the dataset on behalf of Candid.) We reviewed data from nearly 7500 HWL organizations, and pulled out the 68 Listen4Good participants who have participated in HWL to compare their feedback practices with the larger group. Overall, we found that L4G organizations collect more information, share more feedback for more purposes, and share feedback with more people. Here are a few highlights:
If you haven’t filled out your How We Listen section in Candid yet, you can access instructions on how to do so here: Community Corner for Current L4G UsersA quick plug: If you’re a current L4G participant, don’t forget that you have unlimited access to L4G Community, our moderated online social space in the L4G web app. It allows you to make peer-to-peer connections with organizations like yours for collaboration and continuous learning. On L4G Community, you can ask questions of coaches and connect with people in your cohort. Haven’t been there in a while? Log in with the button below (note: for current L4G participants only). Have an idea for content you’d like to see, such as helpful articles, stories, or topics? Email your suggestions to Alexis at alexis@fundforsharedinsight.org. Deadline Approaching!The next deadline for Listen4Good’s Online+ and Premium programs is approaching! Be sure to submit your registration by July 15th. Still in the information-gathering stage and not ready to register yet?We host regular informational webinars for both nonprofits and funders to learn more about the feedback programs we offer. Choose the date and time that works best for you! Attend a free informational webinar:
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