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Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance Initiative"Working together to unleash new resources and increase understanding
of philanthropy across race and cultures"
The Arizona-Indiana-Michigan (AIM) Alliance is a strategic collegial collaboration that grew organically through the vision and commitment of three academic centers leadership teams focused on addressing the needs of an evolving nonprofit sector and sustaining capacity.
The work of the AIM Alliance started in 2003 when the three centers began planning discussions. It received a $7.5 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 2006 to continue this collaboration and utilize each center's strengths to increase capacity and diversity of the nonprofit sector.
This alliance is a model of true academic center collaboration both internally as well as externally. Internal collaboration: a rotating leadership model. The alliance is built on a rotating leadership model where each center director takes an activity lead in the alliance's strategies. There will not be one leading or managing partner, but a shared/rotating leadership team. An institution will also assume leadership for activities that correspond to its area of expertise. This model also promotes reflective leadership that will better disperse expert knowledge throughout the three universities and make it available to new constituencies, thus strengthening the sector by this broader dissemination. External collaboration: promoting effectiveness in the nonprofit sector. The alliance will work to share the academic centers' assets with local communities and nonprofit organizations. Specifically, the alliance will strengthen its work with communities of color through research, education and technical assistance. As centers that study the nonprofit sector, they have identified the need for more diversity in leadership in sector institutions.
The work of the alliance will center on knowledge sharing and strengthening communities of color, cross delivery of flagship programs, development of standardized research protocols and joint publication and dissemination of research and cross-participation in significant events. In October 2006, the alliance conducted a strategic planning process to identify specific focus areas. Each of the campuses will be meeting in the next few months to develop specific strategies for collaboration.
The alliance will further the sector by improving nonprofit management practice, generating and sharing scholarly and practical knowledge, increasing communication and collaborating on research. It will also strengthen its work with communities of color by developing leadership and contributing to public's understanding of nontraditional forms of philanthropy. Finally, the collaborative work will focus the centers by helping each other advance to the leading edge of nonprofit management education by bolstering each centers' distinctive niches.
The Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation at Arizona State University was created in 1999 as a comprehensive academic center engaged in research education, and outreach activities that enhance the leadership and management effectiveness of nonprofits. Its mission is to help build the capacity of social sector organizations to improve the quality of life in communities.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, established in 1987, is the largest and most comprehensive academic center focused on philanthropy and nonprofit management. It has approximately 60 faculty members from more than 21 academic disciplines at Indiana University. Its mission is to increase the understanding of philanthropy and nonprofit management and improve their practice through education and training and through knowledge creation and dissemination. The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Grand Valley State University was created in 1992 as a comprehensive academic center focusing on philanthropy and nonprofit leadership through teaching, research, and service. Its mission is to improve communities by application of knowledge, which unleashes the power of nonprofits, foundations, and individuals.
For more information, please contact Susan Morales-Barias.
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