Nonprofit Alliance

Teresa M. Durham has over 20 years experience in nonprofit consulting and civic engagement. Her areas of expertise include board governance, strategic planning, fund development, group facilitation, program management and peer coaching. In her role at the Nonprofit Alliance, she is responsible for daily administration of the program’s key delivery strategies that include technical assistance, training, resource collection, and consultant referrals. She has sat on numerous community boards and enjoys participating in special events and volunteering for various causes. Teresa graduated from Kellogg Community College, completed the bachelor degree program in Management and Organizational Development at Spring Arbor College and has completed master level courses in nonprofit management. She is a graduate of the Battle Creek Leadership Academy and Michigan Leadership.

Kim joined the Nonprofit Alliance in November 2007, and has over ten years experience in the nonprofit sector.  Her primary roles include administration of NPA’s Capacity Building Grant Funds for Battle Creek and Calhoun County, member scholarships, sector and best practice research, development of NPA programming materials, management of Michigan Now and Recover Michigan grant review processes, organizational technical assistance and oversight of NPA’s social justice work through Building Movement BC. She also provides support as needed for new NPA projects and initiatives. Kim holds a BA in Advertising and Telecommunications from Michigan State University, a MSW from the University of Michigan and a MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is a member of the 2010 class of the Battle Creek Area Leadership Challenge, a board member of the Art Center of Battle Creek, an AmeriCorps alumni and an Adjunct Instructor at Kellogg Community College. Previously Kim was a Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the State of Michigan and spent time as an international volunteer working to address homelessness in the United Kingdom. 

Amy joined the Nonprofit Alliance in early 2007, and has over ten years experience in research and office management.  Her primary roles include overseeing NPA’s extensive training calendar, serving as the Marketing and Communications coordinator, managing the membership database, serving as the main administrator for NPA’s website and online database, and providing technical assistance in areas such as grant research and evaluation.  She also serves as the primary contact person for the Nonprofit Alliance office and provides support to special projects as needed.  Amy graduated with her bachelors in Psychology from the University of Michigan and has completed graduate coursework in Biology and Public Administration at Western Michigan University.  Amy is a graduate of the Battle Creek Area Leadership Challenge where her group earned the Distinguished Community Project Award through the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce for their work with residents of Post-Franklin neighborhoods.

Nonprofit Alliance welcomed Jordan Green to its team on February 1. Jordan is a Battle Creek Central High School senior, and earned his Youth Public engagement internship through HandsOn Battle Creek. Jordan’s ultra-positive attitude, willingness to work, attention-to-detail and problem-solving skills have already shown to be a great asset to the NPA team. 

The Nonprofit Alliance (NPA) was formed in 1995 under the umbrella of Willard Library to provide management support services to the nonprofit community of Calhoun County. In 2007, Kellogg Community College assumed fiduciary responsibility and services expanded to Barry and Branch counties. Prior to its inception, technical assistance was provided by the United Way of Greater Battle Creek, the Battle Creek Community Foundation, and Kellogg Community College. In 1993, these three organizations conducted a study and found that there was a pervasive need for nonprofit management assistance. It was determined that the most efficient and effective way to meet these needs was to combine the technical assistance services within one organization. Following the study, these organizations convened nonprofit directors, funders, and civic leaders to determine the principles on which the new organization should be formed and the priorities that should be addressed. The principles which the community identified include:

• Accessibility
• Affordability
• will not compete with nonprofit organizations for funding, under the umbrella of an existing, neutral 501(c)(3)
• builds capacity through a self-help model
• promotes collaboration
• maintains confidentiality

Current partners include: Battle Creek Community Foundation, Miller Foundation, United Way of Greater Battle Creek, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kellogg Community College and Michigan Nonprofit Association

• 1970s — Volunteer Bureau (VIS) provided a yearly appreciation event for board presidents of area nonprofits. The content evolved into workshops on the use of volunteers. Elizabeth Binda and Cyril Houle conducted seminars on effective boardsmanship sponsored by Kellogg Community College.
• 1980s — KCC received a three-year grant from the W. K Kellogg Foundation to administer a local component of a national program called Building Better Board under the direction of Frank Crookes, VP of Community Services at KCC and Program Coordinator Marge Weil. United Way of Greater Battle Creek established a fund for a Management Assistance Program (MAP) that provided mini grants and scholarships to agency staff to attend KCC Nonprofit Assistance programs. Self-supporting seminars were developed under the coordination of Carolyn Harvey and included topics such as board/staff relationships, public relations, marketing, fundraising and personnel. Nonprofit consulting was also provided by KCC.
• 1990s — Seminars continued under the coordination of Victor Sanchez. Don Miller led the MAP Committee with agency representatives Carolyn Harvey and Cathy Lucas. The Battle Creek Community Foundation, United Way of Greater Battle Creek, and Kellogg Community College engaged in a study to determine the best use of resources to support nonprofits. The effort resulted in the establishment of the Nonprofit Technical Assistance Program, later renamed Nonprofit Alliance under the first director, Cathy Lucas.

Today the mission of the Nonprofit Alliance is to deliver knowledge and tools to help area nonprofits foster excellence and enhance the quality of life in their communities. We do this by providing technical assistance, training, resources and membership opportunities and benefits.