Maninderpal Singh said he’s been fighting for the better part of a decade to make alcohol home-delivery legal.

Cultural arts groups in West Michigan are thankful for the current support they find in donors and audiences, but they have serious concerns for the future.

By the end of Blandford Nature Center’s $10.3 million capital campaign, the nonprofit will have tripled its capacity over the last three years.

As the economy has recovered from the recession, philanthropic giving nationwide has slowly climbed to an all-time high, in 2015 reaching $373.25 billion, according to a report from the Giving USA Foundation. However, nonprofits rely on funding from other sources as well, and leaders like Carrie Pickett-Erway at Kalamazoo Community Foundation don’t know if those sources will remain secure in the coming year. “We know many of our partners are concerned about major changes they anticipate in state and federal funding,” she said. “Our endowed funds provide a stable source of funding, but would not be able to fill that gap.”

Mindy Ysasi says she is hopeful as she watches employers begin to recognize what it actually takes to solve their talent struggles. Employers have to decide what will make them stand out, whether that means they’re helping people achieve certifications and degrees, focusing on sustainability, hiring people who have a criminal background, or something else, she said. “Because of the market, employers are now saying, ‘What is the root cause?’ Some employers are recognizing that in some of our communities, we have 38 percent unemployment for men of color. I’m really very hopeful, because employers have immense power.” At the same time, Ysasi is concerned with the lack of support going to systems like child care and housing that help people enter the workforce.

For 2017, Rob Collier at the Grand Haven-based Council of Michigan Foundations is keeping one eye on Washington and one on Lansing. Collier cited potentially detrimental proposals coming out of the federal level, with beneficial legislation under review at the state level. 

With the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block for President-elect Trump’s administration, Kyle Caldwell fears the “tremendous amount of investment by nonprofits and foundations into our health care system” could be all for naught in 2017 unless lawmakers find a suitable replacement. Similarly, “there will be challenges to both foundations and nonprofits as the administration looks to … find efficiencies in government spending, and cuts to services to make way for tax cuts,” he said. On both the state and federal level, lawmakers’ decisions in 2017 have the opportunity to greatly impact nonprofits through bills like SB 960, which clarifies property tax policies.

With the year ahead being so difficult to predict, Diana Sieger’s advice to nonprofits is to stay focused and keep doing their work well. She believes organizations like KConnect, whose goal is to bring together groups to collectively solve problems, will be essential in both identifying and addressing issues in 2017.

When Service Express Inc. (SEI) sought a buyer in 2015, owners Michael McCullough and Ed tenHaaf were just looking to retire. 

With more limited resources compared to for-profit businesses but an equal need for talent, nonprofits must turn to other incentives for attracting and retaining qualified, passionate people.

GRAND RAPIDS — Two teams of nonprofits in Grand Rapids this year received grants from national organizations focused on racial disparity in health outcomes.

A recent course of events shows how the politics of Washington, D.C. can have a serious, direct impact on the work of local immigrant service providers.

Human-centered design is changing the way nonprofits across Grand Rapids approach complex problems.

Businesses and nonprofits all around Grand Rapids are turning to Kirk Eklund and the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT) for new solutions to age-old problems. Eklund doesn’t have all the answers himself, however. Instead, he helps businesses approach the challenge from a different angle with human-centered design. Using empathy, experimentation and storytelling, the solutions can often be found in the people you’re designing for, Eklund says. He spoke with MiBiz about how the philosophy informs his approach to problem solving.

Regardless of size or resources, nonprofits must keep cybersecurity top of mind. 

There was a time when the Grand Rapids Creative Youth Center only had access to its own data.

While a recent report shows that charitable giving is on the rise nationwide, the trend is far more complex on the local level in West Michigan.

Galas and golf outings may find themselves on the way out as nonprofits test the waters with more experiential activities to engage a larger audience.

The Grand Rapids Symphony has named Marcelo Lehninger as its new music director, following a three-year search.

Volunteers are becoming more valuable every year as fewer people offer their time and a growing share of the workforce brings otherwise costly skillsets to the nonprofits they serve.

Responsibly managing corporate finances increasingly requires the best financial executives to expand their scope by branching out into other roles. That was one key message this year’s winners in the MiBiz CFO of the Year Awards shared during a best practices panel discussion this week.

When Shari Dick joined the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce in 2014, sales were stagnant, turnover was high and many of the staff members worked in silos.

Zoos and nature centers across West Michigan are constructing new facilities this year thanks to strong support from individual donors and contributions from foundations. 

Gov. Rick Snyder has approved a package of bills designed to clarify the process for manufacturers filing personal property tax (PPT) exemptions.

Two Planned Parenthood affiliates, whose operations separately served the state of Michigan, have merged into one entity known as Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI).

The number of entrepreneur-themed programs developed for non-business students continues to grow across West Michigan liberal arts schools.

As one of the youngest sectors around, nonprofits are still learning how to balance competition and collaboration on all fronts.

Bolstered by stable growth and strong support from government agencies, Michigan nonprofits look ahead to forging new partnerships to address the state’s unique set of challenges.

As an investigative reporter with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, Curt Guyette led the way in uncovering the Flint water crisis. The longtime print journalist and former editor of the Detroit Metro Times has continued to report on a daily basis about the ongoing outreach to Flint residents and the alleged cover-up. MiBiz spoke with Guyette about his reporting and the role of government accountability.

GRAND RAPIDS — With development transforming the west side of Grand Rapids, organizations across the city are working together to combat the displacement of existing residents and protect affordable housing.