The Michigan Health Endowment Fund (the Health Fund) and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) have partnered with Washtenaw Coordinated Funders and Catchafire to launch One Michigan, an online platform to give nonprofits access to talent to build capacity.

Launched earlier this month, One Michigan currently provides 590 nonprofits in Southeast Michigan, the Upper Peninsula and other regions access to Catchafire’s online volunteer search platform.

The platform also gives nonprofits access to pro bono consultants and volunteers to assist with fundraising, marketing, technology needs and other operational functions. Funders hope these connections will lead to volunteers and consultants becoming advocates for the organizations they work with through repeated volunteering, donating and serving on boards.

Planning for One Michigan began last fall when the Health Fund partnered with Catchafire to help grant partners build capacity through the online volunteer platform. Since its launch, more than 225 organizations that work on health and health care issues across the state have used the platform.

AAACF is the first CMF member to partner with the Health Fund, a fellow CMF member and Catchafire to support One Michigan.

“We would not have been aware of this opportunity if it were not for the Health Fund reaching out to us,” Christopher Lemon, senior community investment officer for grantmaking and community impact, AAACF said. “The focus on collaboration is often on the final outcomes but what’s also important is the opportunity to collaborate. This gave us access and awareness of something that would not have been on our radar otherwise.”

This collaboration demonstrates Michigan funders coming together to support the needs of nonprofit organizations beyond grantmaking.

"Funders want to support healthy, stable organizations which is a challenge for nonprofits that are pressured to spend every available dollar on program delivery,” Megan Murphy, senior program officer, the Health Fund said. “One Michigan is exciting because as funders we're coming together to go beyond asking for sustainability and actually help achieve it."

Funders hope nearly 3,000 nonprofits may have access to the platform by the end of the year.

The Health Fund and Catchafire will invite additional grantmakers from around the state to make One Michigan available to nonprofits in the communities they serve. The next cohorts for the platform will be launched in April and June.

Want more?

Read more about One Michigan.

For those interested in learning more contact the Health Fund or AAACF.