What Are We Looking For in New Partners?

As we prepare to embark upon development of a new four-year strategic plan, Mile High Connects is opening up this call for partners and is looking to invite two to three nonprofit organizations to newly join our Steering Committee, which serves as the decision-making and governance body for the collaborative.

As a part of our equity and inclusiveness values, Mile High Connects is particularly interested in organizations that have a value of being resident-driven/resident-informed, those that prioritize leadership of people of color, and approach their work through a commitment to equity.

Being part of the Mile High Connects Steering Committee and one of our core nonprofit partners is something that requires a unique commitment. In addition to serving in a decision-making role for the overall direction of the organization, core partners work together each year to develop a collective workplan for Mile High Connects. Each organization then commits to executing on the strategies within the plan and to working in deep collaboration and coordination with each other and MHC’s external partners. Core partners should expect that this on-the-ground work will take approximately the time equivalent of a half-time staff.

Mile High Connects embraces a full range of civic participation and a core strategy for us is bringing together grassroots and grasstops actors to work toward broad social change. It is important that partners in the collaborative share this value and are willing to push and challenge themselves by being at a collective decision making table with partners with whom they might not normally work.

Typically Steering Committee representatives from each core nonprofit partner includes the most senior leader at the organization and often one additional staff person responsible for the on-the-ground work relating to MHC’s mission (if they are not one in the same).

Core nonprofit partners will receive a stipend for participation and, beginning in 2018, a small level of grant support during each of the four years of their commitment to serving as a MHC. However, it is important to note that to fully deliver on the bold vision of MHC’s collective work, partners will also be expected to bring their own aligned resources to the table and will the have opportunity to participate in collective fundraising. Mission-fit and belief in the value of collaboration should be the foundation of any potential partner’s decision to respond to this call.

What Do We Really Like About Being on the Steering Committee?

• Ability to work with other leaders to bring positive change to our community and build relationships by working together on a common cause
• Getting to know and work with unusual partners that we might not normally sit together with at a common table
• Gain more influence by leveraging the work of others
• Ability to better deliver on our own organizations’ missions by working in partnership with others using different strategies, but working toward the same goals
• Learning about different perspectives and challenging our own thinking about the ways to tackle complex issues
• Opportunities to work together to bring more data and financial resources to our organizations
• Ability to be part of a collaborative that has strong staff support and a functioning “backbone” without having to pay member dues or contribute to the overhead of the coordinating staff
• Use expertise and experience to influence the direction of a broad group of people working on important issues
• Work in a partnership that is committed and devotes time and attention to strengthening its equity lens

What Is Most Challenging About Being on the Steering Committee?

• Being part of a collaborative takes time – time that could be used to accomplish our own organization’s work/goals
• Partnership work can be complicated – we sometimes have to hash things out, things move too slowly or too quickly for us (often at the same time), we have to compromise, we have to communicate
• We are working on complex, systems-level issues – it can be hard to see the progress as immediately as we’d like
• We are committed to deepening our ability to live our equity values and it is a journey; we are practicing and still learning

Time Commitment and Logistics:

• We ask that core nonprofit partners engage with us in development of our strategic plan in 2017 and commit to participation on the Steering Committee through the term of our strategic plan, which will run 2018 – 2021.

• The Steering Committee currently meets every other month for a two-hour period (second Fridays from 9am – 11am at The Denver Foundation).
  • Note: We are also recruiting resident leaders from directly impacted communities to our Steering Committee and, depending on who is selected, may change the time of our meetings.

• Key Dates:
  • March 21: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: New Steering Committee Member Orientation & Team Building 1
  • April 6: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Steering Committee Team Building 2
  • April 14: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: First Steering Committee Meeting
  • June 20 and 21: Overnight Retreat in Estes Park (expenses paid)

• Staff and existing Steering Committee members are available to meet, talk with and support new Steering Committee members in their participation outside of meetings as needed.

How To Apply

• Interested organizations should fill out this application.

• Send the application to us by February 2^nd, by email, mail (make sure to allow enough time for it to arrive), or in person at:

dwest@denverfoundation.org

OR

Mile High Connects

55 Madison St., 8^th Floor

Denver, CO 80206

• By February 14th, we’ll be scheduling times to get to know you a little better. If you submit an application indicating your interest, please also hold the following windows on your calendar for conversations to explore the opportunity:
  • February 22: 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
  • February 23: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • February 27: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • March 6: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

About Mile High Connects

Mile High Connects (MHC) is a broad collaborative of private, public, and nonprofit organizations committed to increasing access to affordable housing, good jobs, quality schools, and healthy and resilient communities through public transit. By increasing resources, influencing policy, and working with residents, MHC seeks to leverage the current and expanding Metro Denver transit system to promote a vital region full of opportunity for everyone. Our mission is to ensure that the Metro Denver regional transit system fosters communities that offer all residents the opportunity for a high quality of life. Please visit our website at www.milehighconnects.org for more information.