Leveraging the learnings from our evidence-driven evaluations, Constellation co-designs with our nonprofit partners tailored capacity-building project plans and skill-specific teams of volunteer employees to deliver pro bono expertise. While participation in Beyond Dollars is not a requirement for our grantees, almost all of them have eagerly opted in to the program, viewing it as a rare opportunity to access resources otherwise unavailable to most community organizations.

At the end of the grant cycle, Constellation conducts an updated benefit-cost analysis and qualitative evaluation to gauge progress. If progress has been made, the process is repeated, with the goal of building long-term partnerships focused on scaling poverty-fighting impacts in the Twin Cities.

The Beyond Dollars program has resonated strongly with our expanding cadre of generous experts from large corporations to independent contractors. Bolstered by the confidence that Constellation’s nonprofit partners were selected based on evidence, participating employees have consistently expressed appreciation for the authentic partnerships that Beyond Dollars fosters and the leadership opportunities that it provides, all carefully tailored to the poverty-fighting priorities of the nonprofits and to the specific skill sets of the volunteers.

Are you or your organization interested in going beyond dollars in the fight against poverty in the Twin Cities? Email us to learn more about the program: info@constellationfund.org

Volunteerism is anything but new to our community. For years, Minnesota has had among the highest volunteer rates of any state in the country. What’s more, like any other organization, a nonprofit can benefit greatly from in-kind support from qualified external partners. All of which is why Constellation was surprised to encounter skepticism from our nonprofit grantees when we began planning a capacity-building program.

This initial hesitation was not rooted in a lack of interest for authentic external partnerships, but instead in experiences navigating volunteer programs that prioritized donor interests over nonprofit needs, lacked deliverable results, failed to honor the cultural perspectives and subject-matter expertise of nonprofit leaders, and disrupted core operations with ancillary one-time activities instead of amplifying operational capacity through customized longer-term engagements.

It became clear that the status quo wasn’t working, so we set out to build something different. And the Beyond Dollars program was born.

With clear principles and high expectations for participating volunteers, Beyond Dollars now serves as a powerful opportunity broker between highly-skilled professionals looking to contribute their talents to our community and deeply-deserving social innovators dedicated to eradicating poverty. And the results have been astounding, both in terms of the capacity being built and the connections being forged. We have seen cultural differences be reframed. We have seen grantees gain new donors and board members. We have seen consistent appreciation for the authentic partnerships that Beyond Dollars allows and the leadership opportunities that it provides.

At Constellation, we are committed to doing things effectively and authentically, which can mean doing things differently. Beyond Dollars is an extension of this thinking, a manifestation of our commitment to walk in true partnership with our grantees, and another example of what is possible when we use all of our collective tools and talents to rethink impact in the Twin Cities.