Getting Real with AI - Columbus DAW - May 2024 - Nick Woo from AlignAI
Webinar: Applying for the 2014 Colorado Collaboration Award
1. Applying for the
2014 Colorado
Collaboration
Award
Presented by Sara Raab, Manager of Special Projects,
Colorado Nonprofit Association
2. In this webinar…
•
About the Award
•
Can you apply? Eligibility requirements
•
How to apply What you’ll need for the
application
•
What happens next? Timeline, selection
process
3. About the Award
Goals:
1.
2.
3.
To recognize an outstanding collaboration
each year
To build awareness about successful
collaborative models
To highlight and share proven best practices
4. About the Award
Structure of the Award
•
Steering committee
•
Screening and Review committees
•
Final Selection Panel
Colorado Nonprofit Association serves as the administrative and fiscal home of the
Colorado Collaboration Award
5. About the Award
Past Winners
You can learn more about these and other
collaborations using the database at
www.ColoradoCollaboration.org
6. Outstanding Collaborations & Successful
Applications
2013 winner: Western Colorado Landscape
Collaborative
The Western Colorado Landscape Collaborative is a partnership of federal and
state agencies, including environmental agencies and local utilities, which works
to strengthen ecosystems, improve wildlife habitats, and reduce fire danger in
Western Colorado’s natural spaces.
Strengths:
Ability to collaborate across various sectors which typically can be wrought with political
strife and grid lock.
Established political credibility in its communities, allowing projects and problems to be
addressed in a manner that does not undermine each stakeholder’s needs.
Ensures each partner is clear about its roles and responsibilities, which is greatly facilitated
by a clear MOUs and well-documented handbooks.
Many processes and procedures are routine and mutually agreed upon, so when change
does arise, the group is already committed, experienced, and nimble in how to respond
and adapt.
Allows for leadership at the working group level.
Have created a “table of trust” which has been built over the years and serves as the
foundation for their successful endeavors.
7. Outstanding Collaborations & Successful
Applications
2012 winner: Boulder County IMPACT
Boulder County IMPACT works to reduce detention, commitment,
placement and hospitalization of juveniles ages 10-17.
Highlights:
The infrastructure team has 1 full time staff person who ensures that all partner
agencies are receiving the same information and training.
There is a youth advisory board that plays a key role in the development and
improvement of all IMPACT programs.
IMPACT is committed to rigorous evaluation of program effectiveness….All programs
submit annual operational plans, complete quarterly reports and enter data
into a common database.
Results: Boulder IMPACT has maintained the lowest number of committed
youth per capita in the state and has saved the State of Colorado an
estimated $30 million dollars over the 12 years of the contract. The commitment
rate (per 10,000 youth) for Boulder County in 2010-2011 was 6.3, compared to a
19.1 statewide rate.
10. Can you apply?
Eligibility FAQ #1:
Q. We don’t meet all the requirements. Can we still
apply?
A. No; it is necessary to meet all the eligibility
requirements. Applications are screened for
eligibility, and only applications that pass the
screening stage are advanced for reading and
review.
11. Can you apply?
Basic Requirements
1.
2.
3.
Be based in and serving Colorado.
Involve two or more entities (i.e. nonprofit
organizations, businesses, and/or government
agencies).
Include a lead organization (for the purposes of this
application) that is a 501(c)(3).
12. Can you apply?
4.
Have begun operations during or before September
2012.
Why?
The Colorado Collaboration Award places a strong emphasis on
evaluation and results. A newer collaboration won’t be able to
demonstrate the level of sustained impact the Award looks for.
13. Can you apply?
5.
Have a collaborative structure, including:
•
Shared leadership and decision-making among partners (i.e.,
not a contractor/contractee, fiscal agent, or parent/chapter
relationship).
•
Shared goals and planning among partners.
•
Shared contribution of resources from partners.
Why?
Check out www.ColoradoCollaboration.org for the new quiz on The Three C’s:
Cooperation, Coordination and Collaboration?
Shared leadership is considered one of the defining characteristics of a true
collaboration.
14. Can you apply?
6.
Have a structure that is evidenced by a formal written
agreement (i.e., memorandum of understanding (MOU),
contract, or merger agreement).
•
Have a written agreement (MOU, contract, or merger
agreement) dated September 2012 or earlier.
Why?
The award steering committee agrees that having a written agreement is
an important best practice; it helps ensure that a collaboration can
survive changes in its environment or key people, and is an important tool
for building long-term stability and success.
An MOU dated September 2012 or earlier is required as documentation
that the collaboration began operations at least 18 months prior to the
Award deadline.
15. Can you apply?
5.
Submit the lead organization’s nondiscrimination policy;
this policy must expressly include “sexual orientation” and
“gender expression.”
Why?
This requirement was proposed and adopted by the award’s founding steering
committee, a diverse group of Colorado funders and capacity-builders, who agreed
that this requirement is in keeping with the spirit of the Award itself.
Visit www.ColoradoNonprofits.org/gender-expression-policy/ to learn more about
this requirement.
What if you don’t have the required policy in place right now?
The lead organization must adopt this wording as part of its nondiscrimination policy
– and submit the new policy as part of the application – by the application deadline.
16. Can you apply?
Q. Our collaboration includes partners that are government
More
FAQs
agencies, businesses, etc. Are we eligible to apply?
A. Yes, as long as at least one partner is a Colorado-based
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and that partner serves as the
lead organization for the application.
Q. Our collaboration serves areas outside Colorado. Are we
eligible?
A. Yes, as long as the collaboration’s service area includes
Colorado, and the collaboration itself is based in Colorado.
19. How to apply
1.
Go to ColoradoCollaboration.org and click
Apply for the Award.
2.
Take the Eligibility Self-Assessment. At the end, it
will direct you to the application.
3.
Start the online application. (More details on
this in a moment.)
4.
Finish the online application by March
14.
20. Application: Section 1
At any point, click Save and Quit to save your work and get an
email with your username and login.
21. How to apply
The Application
Contact Information
Section 1
We’ll use this information to
communicate with you about your
application (request additional information,
send status updates, etc.)
Your application username &
password will go to the email
address you provide here.
22. Application: Section 2
At any point, click Save and Quit to save your work and get an
email with your username and login.
23. How to apply
The Application
Overview Questions
Section 2
Basic information about the collaboration
(lead organization, mission, list of partners, budgeted revenue
& expense, etc.)
See the full list
of application
questions at
Colorado
Collaboration.org
None of your responses will be directly
considered during evaluation
Large-budget collaborations, larger geographic efforts, or
bigger lists of partners don’t make one collaboration
“better” than another.
Be accurate! (While this section isn’t specifically scored,
the reviewers don’t like discrepancies between your
responses here and in other sections.)
24. Application: Section 3
At any point, click Save and Quit to save your work and get an
email with your username and login.
25. How to apply
The Application
Section 3
Narrative Questions
Structure (15 points)
Purpose and Goals (25 points)
Colorado
Collaboration.org
Formation (5 points)
See the full list
of application
questions at
Results to date (40 points)
Planning (5 points)
Anticipated Challenges and Opportunities (5
points)
Budget (5 points)
26. How to apply
The Application
Section 4
Attachments
See the full list
of application
questions at
Colorado
Collaboration.org
501(c)(3) letter, dated 2008 or later, for the lead
organization
Written agreement (e.g., MOU or contract) dated
September 2012 or earlier
Current written agreement (e.g., MOU or contract)
Nondiscrimination policy from the lead organization
(including “sexual orientation” and “gender
expression”)
Collaboration’s 2014 budget (if applicable)
Executive summary
Additional attachments (if needed; please don’t
upload any materials not requested above)
28. How to apply
Application Attachments
501(c)(3) letter, dated 2008 or later, for the lead organization
Need an updated IRS letter? Instructions are available at
ColoradoCollaboration.org under Apply for the Award > Application >
IRS Determination vs. Affirmation Letters.
29. How to apply
Application Attachments
Original documentation of the collaboration structure
(memorandum of understanding/MOU, contract, or merger
agreement), dated September 2012 or earlier.
This documentation demonstrates that the collaboration began formal
operations at least 18 months before the 2014 Award deadline.
Current documentation of the collaboration structure
(memorandum of understanding (MOU), contract, or merger
agreement).
This documentation shows the current structure of the collaboration, as
well as the roles and responsibilities of each partner.
30. How to apply
Application Attachments: What Is an MOU?
To qualify, all documentation/agreements submitted must:
Be signed and dated by all partners.
Reference all partners.
Outline the collaboration’s structure.
Describe the partners’ roles and responsibilities.
For more details, visit www.ColoradoCollaboration.org and go
to Apply for the Award > Eligibility Requirements > What is an
MOU?
31. How to apply
Application Attachments: What Is an MOU?
Documentation that will not be accepted:
Grant applications or reports
Lease agreements
Contracts or agreements with third parties (organizations/entities
which are not partners in the collaboration)
Samples, templates, or blank forms of agreements
32. How to apply
Application Attachments
Executive Summary of the collaboration (ONE page only):
Highlight what makes your collaboration unique, innovative, and
a model for other collaborations to follow.
You can be more creative and focus on things the narrative
questions might not have asked about.
Don’t repeat a significant amount of information covered
elsewhere in the application.
The information above has been quoted and/or adapted from the Colorado Common
Grant Application User’s Guide.
36. What happens next?
March 14: Application Deadline
March 31: Screening complete
Eligible applications advanced to next round
Collaborations asked to provide Participant Endorsement Forms (1 per
partner)
April 18: Deadline for Participant Endorsement Forms
June 30: Review round #1 complete
Review committee finishes reading and scoring applications
Semi-finalists selected
Review committee schedules site visits with semi-finalists
37. Application Review
Collaborations are evaluated and scored
based on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Depth of collaboration
Demonstration of significant impact
Innovation in addressing a specific challenge or opportunity
Relevance as a model other nonprofit collaborations can
replicate
Effectiveness of community engagement
Operation in accordance with nonprofit and collaborative
best practices
38. What happens next?
July 25: Review round #2 complete
Site visits complete
Finalists selected
August: Winner selected
Final Selection Panel meets in August to choose the winner
October: Award presented
2014 Colorado Collaboration Award presented at Colorado Nonprofit
Association’s Fall Conference & Exhibition
Winner invited to present a session at the Fall Conference
Committee members represent funders and nonprofit capacity-builders.Steering committee: oversees the Award, sets strategy and long-term goalsScreening and Review committees: read and review applications, conduct site visits, select finalistsFinal Selection Panel: reviews the finalists and selects a single Award winner.Final Selection Panel members are nonprofit, business, government, and community leaders who are identified by the Steering Committee and invited to serve on the Panel. Education committee: works with the other Award committees to identify themes and trends; develops resources
Let’s take a quick look at the collaboration that won the award last year, and a couple of others that were finalists in 2012. Again, this section probably won’t help anyone win this year’s award, but it can give you an idea of the type of collaborations the Award is looking for, and it can also give you some ideas for your group to think about. One thing *I* noticed about these finalists is that they APPROACH COLLABORATION differently from a lot of other groups…if you look at things like the Wilder Collaboration Factors Inventory, which I mentioned a few minutes ago, and then look at these collaborations, you definitely get a more real sense of how some of those factors can be put into action.
These are just a few excerpts from Boulder County IMPACT’s award application. I’m not going to read through all this, but remember that their full application is online, AND this presentation will be online later. Boulder County IMPACT is doing a lot of impressive things. They have plenty of resources dedicated to the collaboration. Here’s one example: the collaboration has a staff person who’s responsible for making sure that staff at the partner agencies all receive training specifically about the collaboration. IMPACT also actively engages the community it serves; they talk a lot about how the kids and their families are involved in the collaboration’s work. And they place a REALLY high priority on evaluation…this is only a small bit of their explanation on how they evaluate. It’s pretty extensive.
These are just a few excerpts from Boulder County IMPACT’s award application. I’m not going to read through all this, but remember that their full application is online, AND this presentation will be online later. Boulder County IMPACT is doing a lot of impressive things. They have plenty of resources dedicated to the collaboration. Here’s one example: the collaboration has a staff person who’s responsible for making sure that staff at the partner agencies all receive training specifically about the collaboration. IMPACT also actively engages the community it serves; they talk a lot about how the kids and their families are involved in the collaboration’s work. And they place a REALLY high priority on evaluation…this is only a small bit of their explanation on how they evaluate. It’s pretty extensive.
This is basically the most frequently asked question about eligibility, which is if you meet all the requirements except one or two, can you still apply. Unfortunately, you can’t...or more accurately, nothing will really stop you from filling out the application, but you can expect it to be screened out before anyone reviews it, which is probably not the result you’re looking for.
Because the $50,000 prize is provided by a group of Colorado funders, the winning collaboration must meet a set of basic funding requirements. It also has to technically be a collaboration, which requirement #2 addresses.
Although factors like formation, purpose, and planning are considered important for a successful collaboration, this award places a strong emphasis on evaluation and results to identify highly successful collaborations. At least 18 months of operational history are required to help ensure that award applicants are able to demonstrate sustained impact and benefits from collaborating.
Here are the steps for applying. If you go to www.ColoradoCollaboration.org, you’ll see it basically walk you through these. If you haven’t yet started your application for the 2014 award, you’ll need to take the online Eligibility Self-Assessment first. If your collaboration meets all the requirements we just covered in the previous section, you’ll just be able to breeze through the Self-Assessment. It’s the exact same requirements, with the same wording, in the same order that we just went through. Once you go through the Self-Assessment, you’ll get a link to start the online application. That’s the part we’ll talk about now.
Here’s what the first page of the application looks like.
The first page of the application.
Here’s the overview questions page.
This section just helps the reviewers understand the collaboration they’re reading about in the other sections.
Here’s the narrative questions page. Reviewers use your responses in this section to evaluate the application.Some things to notice: The red warning at the top. Please, please do not write your answers in these text boxes. Write them in a Word document or something that you can save separately, then copy and paste into the application. If your session time runs out, the website will log you out. Use the Save button periodically to refresh your session time…and save your work!. The timer box on the right. You can keep an eye on it, but save your work separately anyway. The countdown timer could, in theory, freeze or be incorrect or something. If that happens, you lose your work and there is absolutely no way to get it back. The countdown timer is not the one who will have to rewrite all that text!Answering narrative questions: answer each sub-question completely.Each question shows the number of points used to score this question and the character limit for your response.
These are the TOPICS for the narrative questions. Under each topic, there are specific questions you’re asked to address. You can see the full list of application questions by going to www.ColoradoCollaboration.org and clicking the menu link that says “Application” under “Apply for the Award” or just by starting the online application. One other point: the last question, about Budget, asks you to Describe how your collaboration would spend the award if received. The reviewers are interested in your answer here, but it’s not a major part of the scoring, and more importantly, I want to reiterate that this is an Award and not a grant. So you don’t need to provide a lot of detail here like you would in a grant application…it really is more just a point of interest, and something that gives the reviewers an idea about where your collaboration is looking to go in the future.
These are the attachments you’ll be asked to upload as part of your application.Orange bullet items are the ones I’ll come back to in just a second.For anyone who applied for the 2011 or 2012 Award, you might remember the Participant Endorsement Forms we asked you to have completed by each partner in your collaboration. Those forms are still around! But we won’t request them until after the screening round, and then you’ll have 3 weeks to get them filled out. (For those of you who don’t know what forms I’m talking about, I’ll explain them in the next section, when I talk about what happens after you submit your application.) The attachments section has lots of its own requirements, so first I’ll show you what that page of the application looks like, and then I’ll go through the required attachments one by one.
This is a requirement shared with the Colorado Common Grant Application.
If you have one single agreement that is BOTH your current agreement AND is dated September 2012 or earlier, then you can just upload that one agreement, if you choose. (Or you could show off and upload an older one, too.) If you have multiple agreements, like separate agreements between different partners, you can upload them separately but it would be really nice if you combined them first into a single PDF and just uploaded that.
*By all partners – means “by all partners at that time.” So if you’re uploading an older MOU from, say, 2010, and new partners have been added since then, we don’t expect you to be able to provide agreements with partners who weren’t involved at that time! The Collaboration Award definitely isn’t looking only for collaborations that never grow or adapt. But your current agreements should include all the partners you currently have.
Basically, the Award is looking for a written agreement that was created among the partners for the sake of the collaboration itself. Check out the MOU Toolkit on the Award website for more information about a really comprehensive MOU.
This is where you can make up for the lack of formatting in the narrative questions!
There are some more application tips. Here’s where you’ll also find the complete screening checklist used by the committee to determine whether your application is eligible.
Any questions about these resources or about the award in general?
From the website, you can see the full timeline under Apply for the Award > Timeline & Important Dates.First: the information in this webinar is going online. The Participant Endorsement Forms ask for some basic information like each partner’s contact information, annual budget, etc. Each partner must also sign their form. The forms are very quick and easy to fill out. The hard part for most groups is getting the forms completed and returned from each partner, especially if your collaboration has a lot of different partners. So we have 3 weeks set aside for this step.REVIEW ROUND #1: The review committee shoots for about 5 semi-finalists.
Scoring is based on the narrative responses, obviously, with your attachments serving as backup documentation for your narrative answers.
Any questions about these resources or about the award in general?
