The latest from Listen4Good
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NOVEMBER 2023
Autumn Highlights from Listen4Good
Photo credit: Timothy Eberly, Unsplash
As the seasons begin to change, we are also evolving and growing here Listen4Good. We have had a busy fall as we recently convened our Central team and kicked off workplanning for 2024. More to come on that in our next Quarterly Word, as we have some exciting new offerings in store for organizations and funders in 2024!
In the meantime, I wanted to sneak preview one new initiative underway already. In 2024, we are pleased to pilot a new regional Equitable Access Fund (see more below) in New England. The goal of this program is to enable organizations that might not otherwise be able to afford or access the Listen4Good program to join our Premium program. Given the fact that most organizations access our Premium program through funder sponsorship, we know that there are certain organizations – who may not have relationships with our sponsors or who operate in under-served philanthropic regions – that cannot easily join our work.
By creating regional pooled funds, we are excited to expand access to our programs and particularly target organizations who have lacked equitable access to capacity building services like ours. For participating funders, the Equitable Access Fund provides a cost-efficient vehicle to expand one’s regional reach and learn about future pipeline grantees – all while participating in a thriving regional collaboration. We are thrilled to pilot the Equitable Access Fund in New England in 2024, anchored by the Barr Foundation, and also explore similar pilots in other regions throughout the year. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more.
Another related piece of work that we are excited to update you on in subsequent newsletters is Listen4Good’s codification of our equity strategy – and what it means for internal plans as well as our programming. The Equitable Access Fund is but one piece of our longer term strategy.
Finally, we cannot close without speaking to the broader injustices we continue to bear witness to around the world. Amid so many challenges on the worldwide stage, we wish you and all communities peace and love this holiday season.
"We are thrilled to pilot the Equitable Access Fund in New England in 2024, anchored by the Barr Foundation, and also explore similar pilots in other regions throughout the year."
Applications Now Open: New England Equitable Access Fund
Are you a New England nonprofit interested in joining Listen4Good? Apply for our new Equitable Access Fund (EAF) today!
Approved organizations will participate in Listen4Good's 18-month Premium feedback program plus a regional Learning Community at no cost.
Local funders, including the Barr Foundation, are pooling resources to pilot this new Listen4Good offering, which will support nonprofits across New England to gather and analyze client feedback data for fundraising, strategic decision-making, and advancing equity goals.
To learn more, register for one of these upcoming informational webinars:
The deadline to complete your application is December 1, 2023.
The Latest on Listen4Good Insights:
Feedback in Philadelphia
What happens when a funder and a nonprofit use robust feedback systems to amplify community voice and support a commitment to equity?
In a new post on Listen4Good Insights, Grace Hardy and Jennifer Anderson from the nonprofit Trellis for Tomorrow, and Mindy Aldridge, President of The Grace S. and W. Linton Nelson Foundation, discuss their experiences of working with Listen4Good.
Trellis for Tomorrow shares what they learned about the youth and families they serve in the Philadelphia area, along with the new discipline they exercise around closing the loop with their program participants.
The Nelson Foundation explains how feedback helps the Foundation advance its mission in three critical ways, while advancing its equity and justice goals.
Centering Community Voice in Decision-Making
In a recent blog post for the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Markita Morris-Louis of Compass Working Capital shared her reflections on the importance of working with clients as partners and experts in their own lives. Most of Compass Working Capital's clients are Black and Latinx women who are heads of household.
Markita describes how Listen4Good helped catalyze Compass's commitment to closing feedback loops and building an ongoing practice of listening and responding to their clients.
Amplifying Marginalized Voices in the Justice System
"Listen4Good has made us have a process that is more sustainable, more equitable, getting richer results, getting more feedback from the community we're working with," - Robyn Mar, Deputy Executive Director, The Bronx Defenders
Have you seen our newest video featuring The Bronx Defenders?
The Bronx Defenders is a holistic public defender nonprofit located in New York City. While The Bronx Defenders had always surveyed its clients, they frequently ran into challenges with their DIY approach, such as developing a strong survey, collecting responses, and analyzing the data they collected.
In this video, find out how Listen4Good helped The Bronx Defenders develop a complete feedback system, and which program mattered most to their clients.
Meet Our New L4G Team Members
Listen4Good continues to grow! We added two new team members over the last few months to meet the demands of serving ever more nonprofits across the country. Get to know them below.
Katrina Anaya, Operations Manager
1) What do you do at Listen4Good?
I oversee the finance, human resource, contracting, and internal technology functions. I help to make sure our team has the resources we need to do our work.
2) What would you like people to know about Listen4Good and its work in the feedback field?
I have worked at several nonprofit organizations that struggled with feedback - where to start, how to do it, and what to do with it. I wish we had known Listen4Good's program could provide a validated path to a feedback practice and one-on-one coaching!
3) How do you decompress or spend your time outside of work hours?
Lately, I have been learning how to play disc golf! It has been fun trying techniques for throwing discs further and discovering the courses around Washington.
Heidi Elneil, Senior Coordinator of Partner Services
1) What do you do at Listen4Good?
I connect with our nonprofit partners, share how Listen4Good can build their feedback practices and answer any questions they might have. I do this through 1-1 conversations, webinars, conferences and any way I can connect with people interested in learning more.
2) What is one new thing you have learned about feedback since joining Listen4Good?
One thing that I like about feedback is how useful and surprising good feedback can be. For example, one of our partners shared how good it felt to have feedback from youth that assured her that they liked aspects of their program that she assumed they disliked.
3) How do you decompress or spend your time outside of work hours?
Outside of work, I like baking birthday cakes for my family, reading romance novels, and stressing myself out over projects for my kids - like making their Halloween costumes by hand!
Give To Listen4Good
As you consider your year-end giving, we hope you will include Listen4Good in your plans, and become one of our inaugural donors.
Since our founding, we've worked with over 850 nonprofits across the country to help them become stronger, more effective, and more responsive to those they serve.
Check out our new giving page on our website. By donating to Listen4Good, you will help us to reach more nonprofits so that they are better positioned to increase their community impact.
Thank you for being one of our founding donors!
Registration Deadline Coming Up!
Our next deadline is fast approaching - have you registered yet?
Register today for Listen4Good's next 18-month feedback program, which kicks off in January. We'll help you learn to create a strong survey, how to get high response rates, how you can interpret the information so that you can gather actionable data from the community you serve, and how you can use that information to improve your services and achieve your mission.
Best of all, with our comprehensive program and supports, including expert coaching, analytical tools, and on-demand resources, you'll accelerate your work around fundraising, reporting, and advancing your equity goals.
Questions? Join one of our upcoming info sessions here.
Ready to register? Click the button below to access the registration form.
In Closing...
As the year comes to an end, we're thrilled to launch some new initiatives and offerings -- Equitable Access Fund being the first of the bunch!
We're also thrilled to welcome our newest cohort of participants beginning in January 2024. These participants will join the more than 850 organizations that have already participated in Listen4Good.
There's more to come in the next newsletter, but for now, as we begin the busy holiday season in an ever more chaotic world, we wish peace to you and yours.
All the best,
Interested in learning more about L4G?
