Creating Community Partnerships (both Financial and Joint-Action)

2011 Congress of NeighborhoodsSeptember 24, 2011 -- Session #3

Moderator: Tony Wilkinson, Panorama City Neighborhood Council (PCNC)Speakers: Jay Handal, West LA NCDianabel Gonzalez, PCNC Board and Education ChairViviano Montes, PCNC, Outreach ChairAngel Valdivia, PCNC, Gang Programs ChairTony Wilkinson, PCNC, Vice Chair and Finance ChairLark Galloway-Gilliam, Executive Director, Community Health CouncilsSpeaker from the University of Southern California

Program Description:

It’s not in the Charter, but one of the important functions of a neighborhood council is community-building. One of the best ways to build community relationships is to work together. As a city agency, a neighborhood council is often in a great position to “pitch a tent” and invite everybody to come. Health fairs, education fairs and anti-gang collaboratives are examples of this kind of partnership. Partnering with other organizations is also a practical way to get things done that a NC can’t do alone. Finance Chair Tony Wilkinson, will describe practical examples of partnerships and how to make them work. Businesses, business organizations, elected officials, religious groups, schools, colleges, service clubs and non-profit service organizations are examples of possible partners who have funds, expertise, or volunteers. There are also many events put together by others in which NCs can participate. These are both outreach opportunities and “photo ops”. This program will give you tips on how to team up with others, ways to handle funding, and events that work.

Program Overview:

The program description is a capsule summary. Speakers will do their best to expand as much as possible on the subject within the time allotted. First each will speak, then the presenters will have a conversation about the subjects, and finally there will be an opportunity for questions and answers from the room. The team from the Panorama City Neighborhood Council will provide actual examples of how partnerships have helped one neighborhood council to serve its community. The Community Health Councils presentation offers a specific opportunity for neighborhood councils to partner in conducting community health surveys.

Partnerships in Action: Panorama City

Partnerships have become a way of life at the Panorama City Neighborhood Council.

Some partnership examples (with key partners):

- All-Ages Education Fair (Panorama HS and two charter schools)- Citizenship Fair (NALEO)- Children's Health and Safety Fair (Valley Trauma Center)- Service Providers Gang Summit (local non-profits, at the outset of the PC GRYD zone program)- Panorama Youth and Families (an anti-gang coalition; Mayor's GRYD office)- Health and Safety Fair (Plaza Del Valle shopping center, Mission Community Hospital)

- School and College Workshops (CSUN, UCSB, UCLA, The Association of Raza Educators)- Fiesta Panorama (coming October 1; Council Member Richard Alarcon, New Directions for Youth)

Panorama City uses many different ways to handle funds:

- in-kind donations, such as food and supplies for events- direct vendor billing to the council (for council funds)- direct vendor billing to donors (as to charter schools, for the Ed Fair)- fee waivers (LAUSD, LAPD, City departments)- council office funds (CD6, CD7, for buses to take low income families to Getty Villa)- cash through a non-profit (New Directions for Youth, for the Fiesta)

Panorama City has some preferences for partnerships:

- the value of funding events where the council has "boots on the ground", as contrasted with simply giving money to others;- the use of modest council "seed money" for an event that will end up being supported by others with much deeper pockets;- the power of co-sponsoring events where others do most of the work. (After Valley Trauma Center's Children's Health and Safety Fair, for example, PCNC got a certificate and thanks from Richard Alarcon before the City Council. Of course VTC and the Girl Scouts did too.)