Welcome to Inspire Action!
I noticed a gap: though great things are happening, our community’s movement toward greater impact is small. We need clear goals and collective action. And so, Inspire Action was created to help build the networks and initiatives to increase community collaboration, input, and impact.
In doing so, we realized a need to develop skills for more effectiveness. To help reach the goals of greater impact, we have worked to create a informative and helpful resources– learning opportunities, publications, links, webinars– to build capacity for action. And we teamed up with the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO) to make our network and resources even stronger.
We want to work together for stronger communities.
About Inspire Action // TANO Affiliation // Leadership
Inspire Action
Inspire Action leads West Texas’ efforts in community engagement, strategic planning and capacity building. With strong local roots and leadership, Inspire Action leverages TANO’s statewide and national resources to strengthen nonprofits and help our community reach its goals.
We are implementing a new model of earned revenue, community engagement, and relevance. We will:
- Provide membership benefits to aid partners
- Create initiatives for increased community impact
- Deliver capacity-building services
- Nurture new and independent ideas through fiscal sponsorship
- Build a network of leaders, citizens, organizations, churches and businesses’
- Lead community strategic planning and measure its impact
Our current initiatives include…
News & Notes – Nonprofit Calendar
Brad Carter has been coordinating the Nonprofit News & Notes and local nonprofit calendar since the closing of the Abilene Nonprofit Management Center in 2008. This regular email newsletter and web portal keeps you connected to other organizations and aware of opportunities. The redesigned News & Notes includes spotlights on member agencies and improved tools for sharing news.
Blog, Emails, & Social Media
Our website includes a blog that focuses attention on current, relevant developments in the nonprofit sector nationally, statewide and locally. There are regular posts on boards, non-profit management, faith-based resources, and news. These can be subscribed to and are also featured in our variety of email newsletters.
Webinars & Learning Opportunities
Thanks to our partnership with TANO, we are able to offer numerous webinars and learning opportunities. Inspire Action also coordinates learning opportunities and workshops (including Poverty Simulations) independently and in partnership with the Community Foundation and other partners.
Building Nonprofit Networks
We continue the monthly Nonprofit Brown Bags that have been hosted in the past and are favorites of nonprofit leaders locally.
Consulting Services
Inspire Action offers consulting services for businesses, congregations and nonprofits. Services could include web and social media development, starting a nonprofit, fund raising, strategic planning, volunteer management, human resources and more.
Community Impact
We want to help the citizens’ voices of our community be heard through innovative conversations and network building around the challenges and opportunities in our city. Using innovative and effective models, we help bring together our community to discuss, plan and implement solutions for a brighter tomorrow.
Faith-based Resources
Though not primarily a faith-based organization, we produces tools, curricula, and learning opportunities for congregations and other faith-based groups in their work with communities. We are uniquely situated to help fill the gaps that our faith-based partners may experience.
TANO Affiliation
Inspire Action has partnered with the Texas Association of Nonprofit Organizations (TANO) in order to connect our regional network with the larger statewide and national network of nonprofits. TANO membership benefits include group purchasing discounts, GrantStation subscription, webinars and free job listings.
Envisioning a Texas Nonprofit Sector that works together to be among the healthiest and most vibrant in the nation, TANO’s concern and focus is every nonprofit entity within our state no matter its size or budget, urban or rural location. TANO’s mission is to connect, strengthen, and support the nonprofit community for the public good of Texas.
As one of 42 state associations of nonprofits in the United States, TANO is the statewide membership association reflecting and promoting Texas’ growing nonprofit community in all its diversity. TANO is a member of the National Council of Nonprofits (www.councilofnonprofits.org). TANO is also one of the national satellite offices of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center (www.nonprofitrisk.org) in Washington, DC. Learn more about TANO at www.tano.org/about.
Leadership
Inspire Action is led by founder Brad Carter, a nonprofit veteran and statewide leader. Learn more about Brad
