Rich and Eric are rockstars!

This last month Community Shares was very fortunate to have Richard Male and Eric Hozempa lead a series of seminars for our member nonprofits on the topics of fundraising and corporate partnerships. Rich and Eric have a wealth of experience and create the perfect tandem for providing real solutions for the unique challenges nonprofits face. They are truly the rockstars of the nonprofit sector! For more information on Rich and Eric visit Richard Male & Associates.

Each session was attended by a diverse group of member representatives, providing a great opportunity to network and share tips with each other on their respective strengths.

Thanks to Tamara and the Daniels Fund for hosting our Seminars. It's a great place for nonprofits to hold meetings and they were able to accommodate all our audio/video and space needs.

- Kyle

Notes from the Road: Road Trip Part II

DAY TWO: 9:00 a.m.; Durango - A beautiful morning in Durango! As with most Colorado towns, it has grown signficantly since I was last there in 2001. I met with Ryan Demmy Bidwell, ED of Colorado WILD. CW works on protecting the natural resources of Colorado for its citizens. They focus on logging projects and ski area development issues.

CW has been instrumental in preventing the Village at Wolf Creek development (known locally as "the Pillage") from going foward. This real estate project is the brainchild of Red McCombs, a billionaire from Texas. He wants to build a very dense, 2200 unit "village" at 10,000 feet in the middle of a major watershed and habitat area. It reeks of political influence and good old boy backscratching. For those of you who haven't been over Wolf Creek Pass, think a more rugged, narrow version of Bethoud Pass with more severe weather. Call Ryan at 970-385-9833 if there is something you can do to help. They can always use pro bono legal work.

10:30 a.m.; The Million Dollar Highway - Winter is still happening in the high country! Great to see all that snowpack as I drove from Durango to Ouray. One of the prettiest drives in Colorado, it can also be a little much if you are prone to car sickness. There are signs like this every 100 yards.

2:30 p.m.; Paonia - I arrive at the world HQ of KVNF, Mountain Public Radio in Paonia. Paonia is on the road between Delta and Carbondale, southwest of McClure Pass. This is one of my favorite areas in Colorado. Sally Kane, the general manager of KVNF, gave me the grand tour of KVNF's new facility. It is a "green" building that truly integrates "community" and "radio" into one physical space. You can listen to their station at 99.1 FM or via a streaming broadcast over the internet. I really enjoyed visiting with Sally to learn about the joys and challenges of running a community radio station on the Western Slope. The state of the art facility is bright and full of energy. Volunteer DJ's have a gigantic volume of music to select from and local musical talent (including Joe Cocker) use the studio for live sessions. Call Sally at 970-527-4866 or visit their website to become a member!

This trip reminded me of the essence of Community Shares... a diverse family of nonprofits working hard to improve our quality of life and build community in Colorado! It also inspired me to continue to plan for expansion of Community Shares in order for us to achieve a more effective statewide presence to grow philanthropy and connect Coloradans to the causes and charities they care about most.

- Jesse