Bank of America 2007 Annual Report Download - page 31

Source: The Bridgespan Group
FINDING COMMON GROUND
IN THE CITY
AAmong the many nonprofit groups
that combat homelessness, Common
Ground is one of the most innovative.
Since its inception in 1990, Common
Ground has developed more than
2,000 units of housing for the formerly homeless in
New York City, providing on-site services such as
employment counseling, job training and addiction
therapy to people rebuilding their lives.
Like many nonprofits, though, Common Ground
has faced difficulty in finding a source of
funding that will give the organization flexibility
to invest in its growth and development. The Bank
of America Neighborhood Builders™ Award lets
Common Ground allocate money to its operations
as it sees fit. Since receiving the award, Common
Ground has developed both its communications
strategy and leadership succession plan and
expanded its programs to three additional cities.
Common Ground’s pioneering approach to
homelessness stems from the thoughtful leader-
ship of its president and founder, Rosanne
Haggerty. Besides helping Common Ground
improve client services and raise more money,
the Neighborhood Builders Award features a
leadership training program that gave Haggerty
access to a network of leading nonprofits, with
a great strategic payoff. “I’ve discovered syner-
gies between organizations addressing a number
of community issues,” she said, “and I had the
opportunity to compare how nonprofits resource
themselves and form business priorities.”
With its commitment to change the way people
think about the homeless, Common Ground was
an ideal group to host internships for young New
Yorkers selected as Bank of America Student
Leaders™. Last summer, Andrew D’Antonio, a
high school senior, gained hands-on experience
at Common Ground as he assisted homeless men
and women applying for housing. Andrew says
the most rewarding moments of his internship
came during his daily rounds at 5 a.m., when he
walked the streets of the city helping to identify
the chronically homeless. Over time, his percep-
tion of them changed. As he said, “They are just
people in a bad situation.”
A NEW YORK NONPROFIT IS HELPING THE HOMELESS
LEAVE THE STREETS.
Bank of America has funded more than 10,000 nonprofits
since 2004. These organizations address critical issues in the
communities we serve across the country. But they are increasingly
hampered by a lack of flexible support, a proliferation in the
number of nonprofits and a shortage of leaders.
In 2004, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation set out to
develop an innovative response to these challenges, and the Neigh-
borhood Excellence Initiative™ was born. In partnership with the
local community, the initiative lets nonprofits direct funding where
they wish — to strengthen their infrastructure, foster innovation,
expand their programs and renovate facilities. The program also
nurtures leadership through paid internships and innovative develop-
ment forums. In all, the bank has committed nearly $90 million to
provide support, training and encouragement to our community
leaders of today and tomorrow, helping improve our neighborhoods
in 45 markets across the United States and in London.
Helping communities, neighborhood by neighborhood
Common Ground founder
Rosanne Haggerty talks
with intern Andrew
D’Antonio in a newly
renovated Manhattan
building that provides
housing for formerly
homeless adults.
Bank of America 2007 2929
▲
By 2016,
the nonprofi t
sector will need
640,000
new leaders.