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The North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative is recognized by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as a model program to help nonprofits launch business ventures.  Read about it here.
 
Program Overview
Information Session
Application Process
Collaborative Schedule
Participating Organizations
North Texas Collaborative Alumni Organizations
North Texas Collaborative Year 1 in the News
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The North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative is an 11-month business planning process that helps high-performing nonprofit organizations develop and grow social enterprises. Nonprofits selected to participate are engaged in a rigorous business planning process and gain access to tools, frameworks and business experts to help them launch a new business or expand an existing business. Collaborative participants build social enterprises while honing business skills, empowering them to have a lasting impact on their nonprofit organizations.
The goal of the Collaborative is for all participants to complete a business plan and launch or grow a viable business. The revenue generated from the business provides the nonprofit organization with more independence in creating programs and services to fulfill its mission.
The Collaborative consists of monthly peer learning sessions and one-on-one consulting for management teams.
Peer Learning Sessions
Once a month, Collaborative participants gather for an interactive peer learning session. Each session focuses on an important aspect of business planning, including: market research, financial analysis, competitive analysis, pricing and capitalization. In addition, each session features a notable business expert who serves as a guest speaker, sharing his/her personal stories, successes, and challenges.
Customized Consulting
Once a month, the Community Wealth Ventures and Center for Nonprofit Management consultants offer one-on-one consulting to participating venture management teams. The customized sessions leverage the collective potential of the team to make sound business decisions. The meetings are often working sessions whereby the consultants facilitate business strategy decision making, in addition to helping participants create data collection templates, analyze data, and edit sections of the business plan.
To assist North Texas nonprofits in developing and growing social enterprises, the Meadows Foundation, the Amon G. Carter Foundation, the Harold Simmons Foundation, the Citi Foundation, and several anonymous funders have partnered with the Center for Nonprofit Management and Community Wealth Ventures to launch year two of the North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative.
Benefits of participation
Participating organizations benefit from intensive, customized assistance from experienced business consultants, which results in a focused business plan to guide the growth of the enterprise. Other benefits include:
  • Opportunity to engage with nationally recognized business leaders;
  • Use of a proven methodology and tools for developing a social enterprise;
  • In-depth monthly interaction with peer organizations.
Requirements of participating organizations
Participants are expected to make the development of a social enterprise an organizational priority and dedicate necessary staff time to support the project. Participants are required to keep up with assignments and attend all peer learning and customized consulting sessions.
Additionally, organizations are required to pay a $7,500 participation fee to help cover the project’s costs. The majority of the project is funded by the funding partners listed above.
Community Wealth Ventures and the Center for Nonprofit Management facilitated two information sessions in 2008 for North Texas-area nonprofit organizations interested in learning how to apply to the North Texas Community Wealth Initiative. The information sessions were held on November 5th in Fort Worth and November 6th in Dallas.
The application process for the Collaborative consists of two rounds: an electronic application (Round I) followed by a site visit and panel presentation (Round II).
Round I: The Round I application deadline was December 3, 2008.
Organizations selected to move on to the next round were notified the week of December 22, 2008.
Round II: The second round consists of a site visit and a panel presentation. The site visits took place the week of January 19th, and the panel presentations took place on February 4th. The organizations selected for the Collaborative were notified the week of February 9th.
 
Group Session
Date
Customized
Session
Date
Theme
March 4, 2009 March 24-27, 2009 1. Goal Setting and Research Preparation
April 1, 2009 April 28- May 1, 2009 2. Market Research and Planning
May 6, 2009 May 19-22, 2009 3. Stakeholder Management and Financial Analysis
June 3, 2009 June 16-19, 2009 4. Marketing: Industry and Customer Analysis
July 8, 2009 July 21–24, 2009 5. Marketing: Competitive Analysis, Product and Positioning
August 5, 2009 Aug 18-21, 2009 6. Marketing: Pricing, Promotion, Placement, Measurement
September 9, 2009 Sept 22-25, 2009 7. Operations and Management Planning
October 7, 2009 Nov 10-13, 2009
Dec 1-4, 2009 		8. Financial Modeling and Capitalization
January 12, 2010   9. Practice Business Plan Presentations
January 13, 2010   10. Business Plan Presentations
January 27, 2010   11. Implementation Planning / Final Celebration
*Tentative schedule. Subject to change.
   
The following eight organizations will be participating in the 2009-2010 North Texas Community Wealth Collaborative.
www.allchurchhome.org
The Organization: All Church Home for Children (ACH) protects children from child abuse, neglect and family separation and helps children overcome these things when they do happen. Their programs aim to help keep children and families together while others provide healing homes for children unable to live with their families.
The Venture: During the Collaborative, ACH will focus on opening a nondenominational wedding chapel and reception/meeting facility on its new Wichita Campus.
www.cancercareservices.org
The Organization: Cancer Care Services exists to provide help and hope to cancer patients and their families through direct financial, emotional, spiritual, and social programs, activities, and support. Its social, emotional and spiritual programs are available free of charge to any cancer patient regardless of income. These programs include counseling, support groups, Bible studies, holiday parties, exercise classes, case management, education etc.
The Venture: Cancer Care Services will focus on opening a Cancer Boutique to sell wigs, scarves, bras/breast prosthesis, jewelry, cancer books, gift items, etc. to cancer patients and their families.
www.ccahelps.org
The Organization: Christian Community Action ministers to the poor by providing comprehensive services that alleviate suffering, bring hope and change lives.
The Venture: CCA will focus on the expansion of its ReSale thrift shop. Currently, the store is operating profitably and employs over 100 people, many of whom are the organization’s poor or homeless clients.
www.gracegrapevine.org
The Organization: GRACE is a faith based non-profit relief agency that provides food, clothing, and other emergency assistance to people who are in need in Grapevine, Colleyville, or Southlake. Extended resources through transitional housing and case management are directed toward developing self-sufficiency.
The Venture: GRACE will focus on growing their resale operation, which currently includes two retail storefronts and a processing center.
www.helpingrestoreability.org
The Organization: Since 1977, Helping Restore Ability has provided services and support designed to assist people with all types of disabilities in remaining in their homes, as active members of the community, for as long as possible. Its goal is to provide nonmedical care (such as assistance with bathing, dressing, cooking, light housekeeping, laundry) to prevent placement in institutions such as assisted living and nursing homes. The agency currently serves over 600 clients throughout the entire state of Texas, including people with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities.
The Venture: Helping Restore Ability will focus on developing a non-medical homecare business for people with disabilities.
www.nexusrecovery.org
The Organization: The mission of Nexus Recovery Center is to serve as a link to sobriety, independence, and dignity for low-income women and their families affected by addiction. The Center inspires hope, offers respect, and honors the unique differences of female addicts.
The Venture: Nexus Recovery Center will focus on launching a transitional living facility for its recovering clients and explore the possibility of launching a sober living facility that provides a more upscale environment for affluent clients.
www.specialcarecareer.org
The Organization: Special Care & Career Services’ (SCCS) mission is to help children and adults with developmental disabilities achieve their maximum potential and lead fulfilling lives within our community.
The Venture: SCCS will focus on developing a job skills certification training program for clients with disabilities.
North Texas Collaborative Year 2 in the News
The following 8 nonprofits participated in the first North Texas Collaborative in 2007-2008:
www.atcoftexas.org
The Autism Treatment Center (ATC) was founded in 1976 and serves children and adults with autism. Its mission is to provide year-round educational, vocational, residential, diagnostic, therapeutic services as well as partner in research and conduct information dissemination efforts.
Venture: An Autism Diagnostic & Therapy Rehabilitation Agency in North Texas to meet the growing demand for services.
www.bigthought.org
Big Thought, a learning partnership, inspires, empowers, and unites children and communities through education, arts, and culture. Big Thought is committed to building community collaborations that foster cultural integration for academic achievement, youth development, and family learning.
Venture: Consulting services to help communities develop partnerships that foster cultural integration among public and private entities.
www.ccdofw.org
The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide service to those in need; advocate compassion and justice in the structures of society; and to call all others of good will to do the same. The vision of Catholic Charities is to be people of faith helping people in need with a community vision of a healthy environment in which every individual has the means and opportunity to participate in social, cultural, economic, and political life of the community.
Venture: Expansion of translation and interpretation services.
www.childcaregroup.org
The mission of Child Care Group is to promote, deliver and expand the best child care services available outside the home.
Venture: A web-based Child Care Resource and Referral Service for parents and corporate clients.
www.dcac.org
The mission of the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is to improve the lives of abused children in Dallas County and provide national leadership on child abuse issues. The DCAC provides direct services to seriously abused children in Dallas County.
Venture: Expansion of its nationally recognized conference, Crimes Against Children Conference, that includes conference capture products and other online professional education courses.
www.metroportmow.org
The mission of Metroport Meals On Wheels, Inc. is to be a grassroots volunteer advocate for the elderly and those in need through home-delivered meals, senior center lunch and activity programs and other support services. MMOW alleviates hunger, isolation, and loneliness in our communities.
Venture: Improvement of current operations and expansion of its existing retail thrift shop, Sadie’s Dry Goods New and Used.
www.safehaventc.org
The mission of SafeHaven of Tarrant County is to end family violence through safety, support, prevention and social change. The vision statement is to become a nationally recognized center of excellence in creating and implementing services that bring about positive, measurable change around the epidemic of family violence.
Venture: Improvement of current operations expansion of Berry Good Buys Thrift Store, an already existing venture.
www.theseniorsource.org
The Senior Source’s mission is to improve the quality of life of older adults in the greater Dallas area by providing programs on a broad spectrum, from the active retiree to the most frail elderly.
Venture: Platinum Care Solutions, a Geriatric Care Management service for seniors and their caregivers, including professional assessment, written care plans, coordination of medical appointments, home health, transportation, and evaluations of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and retirement communities.
Fort Worth Business Press, April 2009: "Translation Services Focus of Catholic Charities Effort".
The Dallas Morning News, December 2008: "Senior Source to Use Expertise for Moneymaking Venture".
Dallas Business Journal, October 2008: "Funding for Nonprofits is Changing".
Star-Telegram, October 2007: "Nonprofits' Ventures Get Some Help From People In the Know".
Dallas Business Journal, October 2007: "Eight Nonprofits Embark on Business Boot Camp".
The Dallas Morning News, July 2007: "Business Lessons For Nonprofits".
   
Diana Peacock
Community Wealth Ventures
202.478.6578
Charlotte Keany
Center for Nonprofit Management
214.826.3470 x244
 
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