UI nonprofit assistance center adds services, opens Des Moines office

The University of Iowa’s nonprofit assistance center is opening a new office in Des Moines and expanding its services to help the state’s nonprofit organizations improve the lives of Iowans.

Richard Koontz

“We’ve listened to charities and foundations across Iowa that have expressed the increased need for one-on-one professional assistance, especially in the areas of leadership and management,” says Richard Koontz, director of the Larned A. Waterman Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center (INRC). “In response, we are formally launching several additional one-on-one services designed to assist board members and executive staff as they lead and manage their organizations.”

Founded in 2001 by law professor and UI president emeritus Sandy Boyd, the INRC originally was envisioned as a consulting firm to help nonprofit start-ups comply with various state and federal regulations. Nonprofit organizations provide an array of services to individuals and community-development groups, services that government or business organizations do not provide. A 2007 study by the center showed the nonprofit sector is responsible for 9 percent of Iowa’s economy.

The center’s new services are focused not just on assisting start-ups but also on strengthening existing nonprofit organizations, helping them deliver services to Iowa communities effectively and efficiently. The new services include strategic planning, leadership development and coaching, and board-member and executive-staff assessment.

In tandem, the nonprofit assistance center will open a central Iowa office to make it easier to help nonprofit organizations in other parts of the state. The new office will be located at the Iowa Center for Higher Education, 2500 Fleur Drive, in Des Moines.

“The Des Moines location will place us in greater proximity to thousands of central Iowa nonprofits,” says Koontz. “Des Moines is also a city many nonprofit leaders have occasion to visit throughout the year, and it serves as a central point of departure for when we commute to other areas of the state.”

Anna Nalean, director of nonprofit relations for the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, has worked with the INRC before and often connects the center’s experts with other nonprofit organizations in central Iowa.

“I very much value the work of the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center and appreciate being able to connect nonprofits to the resources they offer,” says Nalean. Her organization partnered with the center in May to deliver a session called “Starting a Nonprofit: What to Know and Alternatives to Consider.”

“I continue to utilize the information shared at that session to inform conversations we hold with individuals considering starting a new nonprofit,” she says. “We look forward to more opportunities to partner with the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center in our shared efforts to serve and strengthen the nonprofit sector in the Greater Des Moines region.”

Paul Thelen, the center’s co-director, will work in the new office two days a week. The center also will continue to operate from its office in Iowa City and will host seminars and workshops across the state throughout the year. Koontz says the center will assess a modest fee to provide the new services to clients.