Every now and again we all step back to see how far we have come, and to evaluate the challenges ahead. Springtime in particular evokes such promise and renewal that it seems appropriate to focus on lessons learned and to challenge ourselves to do better. In our professional endeavors in Community Affairs, it's a good time to consider the importance of leverage and the value of working with effective partners. This newsletter is dedicated to promoting effective partnerships by identifying some of the principal players engaged in community development activity, reviewing many of the issues they confront, and the solutions they implement. In this issue, we pay particular attention to the nonprofit sector because they are a vital link in the chain of successful community development activity.
Nonprofit organizations come in all shapes and sizes.
These forms are of paramount importance to potential partners for gaining insight into the nonprofit's mission, its board members, officers, and financial capacity. Building and sustaining sufficient capacity is a significant issue that frequently haunts the nonprofit industry. Over the past ten years, Community Affairs has gained invaluable insight from community leaders, bankers and lenders, government officials, and others related to the successes and failures of nonprofit organizations. This issue offers practical advice derived from this experience on some of the roles and responsibilities of nonprofit organizations. We are also pleased to present a recap of several recently announced award-winning Community Development Financial Institutions and Bank Enterprise Award programs.