Engagement

HOW CAN OUR ORGANIZATION CONNECT?

The Jefferson Collaborative provides opportunities for member organizations to network, connect, collaborate and learn. The Collaborative convenes for membership meetings throughout the year; hosts smaller action teams to develop grassroots solutions to community challenges; offers capacity building and skill development opportunities for member organizations; and hosts civic engagement initiatives that engage the broader community. Interested in becoming a member? Please visit our Members page to see if your organization is well-suited to joining us in our effort to strengthen and support communities south of Pittsburgh.

Networking & engagement opportunities

Membership Meetings

Our membership meetings focus on advancing high-priority issues, offering capacity building opportunities, sharing resources, examining data, and providing networking opportunities to our members. All community leaders and nonprofit changemakers are welcome at our meetings. All meetings and Collaborative activities are announced in advance through our Collaborative Newsletter.

Upcoming Meetings

We are looking forward to connecting with you in 2023. Please find our upcoming Collaborative meeting schedule and stay connected to our Collaborative calendar for additional details. 

May 24, 2023 – Spring Collaborative Meeting

September 27, 2023 – Fall Collaborative Meeting

Past Meetings

September 3, 2020 – Meeting Theme: Pursuing Equity & Change Through Collective Action: View the meeting recording here!

October 29, 2020 – Meeting Theme: Exploring Workforce Trends and Equity in Our Nonprofit Sector : View the meeting recording – part 1 is here and part 2 is here!

January 28, 2021 – Meeting Theme: Mental & Behavioral Health During COVID View the meeting recording here!

February 25, 2021 – Meeting Theme: Collaborative Connect – New Member Networking Event

April 9, 2021 – Meeting Theme: Members Only, Implicit Bias Training Check out our DEI Resource Bank Here!

May 2021 – 7th Annual Jefferson Virtual Forum, Embracing Transforming Check out Recordings & Resources on the Foundation Website Here

Meet Our Action Teams

Smaller groups of Collaborative Members meet year-round in action teams to develop grassroots solutions to community challenges or engage Collaborative Members in a targeted initiative. Action team participation is sometimes geared towards a particular audience, such as frontline workers, executive leaders, out-of-school time professionals, etc. New action teams are launched in response to defined, emerging priorities. To join an action team or receive more information about our work, please contact us for more information.

Civic and Policy Engagement

Guided by an advisory team of local leaders, this team leverages the collective impact of the Collaborative for civic engagement and action through its community-based organizations and partners to improve social determinants of health in the Jefferson area. The team has developed an Advocacy Plan for Collaborative Civic and Policy Engagement and to date has hosted Collaborative Meetings and panel discussions highlighting local policy champions and skill development sessions on how to engage in successful policy work. Developing Participation in these efforts is open to all Jefferson Collaborative Representatives. To learn more, review our most recent Action Plan and reach out to our Community Engagement Manager, Danny Vereb at daniel.vereb@jeffersonrf.org

Diversity, Equity and Racial Justice

The Jefferson Collaborative has long held the core value of diversity and inclusion in our vision statement. Guided by an advisory team of local leaders, the Collaborative will explore ways we can work together to celebrate differences, champion equity in the Jefferson Area, and actively promote racial justice. To date, the Team has hosted a highly-rated daylong implicit bias training for 70 stakeholders, Collaborative meetings on equity, and workshops exploring the racial wealth gap, and developed a DEI Resource Bank to share best practices with local organizationsParticipation in these efforts is open to all Jefferson Collaborative Representatives. To learn more, review our most recent Action Plan and reach out to our Community Engagement Manager, Danny Vereb at daniel.vereb@jeffersonrf.org

Eat and Educate Series

A lunch series focused on resource sharing and system navigation, targeted towards frontline workers. Meetings include speakers from a variety of sectors throughout the year. Recent topics have included Transportation Services, Highlighting Resilience During COVID-19, Conversations with Out-of-School Time Providers, and Housing Services and Resources. This team meets bi-monthly and is led by Tamera Stafford, Gwen’s Girls. Participation in these efforts is open to all Jefferson Collaborative Representatives.

Out-of-School Time Providers

This team convenes periodically to provide opportunities for connection, collaboration, and resource-sharing among youth out-of-school time providers in the Jefferson region. Meetings are called at the request of the providers. Participation in these efforts is open to all out-of-school time providers in the Jefferson Area.

Capacity Building & Skill Development

A strong and skilled nonprofit workforce is crucial to the health of our local organizations, our communities, and the Jefferson Collaborative. Furthering our Workforce Development priority, the Collaborative will offer capacity building and skill development opportunities for Collaborative representatives. Thanks to support from the Jefferson Regional Foundation, these opportunities are provided to Collaborative Members free of charge.

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Confidential Consult Sessions – Offered In Partnership with the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management: One-on-one, confidential, hour-long consult sessions to help provide guidance to nonprofit leaders in the following five areas: governance, finance, HR, fundraising, and executive leadership. The Bayer Center will connect you with a senior-level consultant from their network of 70+ Executive Service Corps professionals. Some are former Executive Directors, while others have specific subject matter expertise. All have been vetted, trained, and have signed confidentiality statements. Sign up for a session here!

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Skill Development Trainings: The Collaborative hosts skill development trainings to develop the local workforce and nonprofit sector staff outside of regularly scheduled Collaborative Meetings. These training opportunities are available for all Jefferson Collaborative Member Representatives. Future opportunities will be listed on our upcoming events page.

GET CONNECTED

Engagement

Initiatives

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS

Ready to Join the Conversation?

View and register for our upcoming member meetings, action team meetings, capacity and skill development opportunities, and more on our events page. Please note that our events are limited to Collaborative Member Organizations and relevant Jefferson-based community partners, unless otherwise specified. If you have a question about attending an event, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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