Nonprofit Consortium of St. Croix (USVI)

A One of a Kind Consortium

While Hurricanes Irma and Maria have presented unparalleled challenges for the Territory, the storms have also highlighted the intrinsic value of collaboration in small communities.  As we all witnessed our community working together to clear roads; partnering with Virgin Islanders abroad to ship and distribute relief aid; and joining forces to ferry water and food and batteries between islands, there’s no question that when put to the test, we are natural collaborators.

 A collaboration is successful if the parties are eager to work together, again. Since the inception of the Nonprofit Consortium in 2016 this group of dynamic and diverse individuals have been eagerly working to solidify their stance on collaboration. The Consortium has remained on the path of building a one of a kind model for other small underserved communities to replicate.

Today, as we chart a radical new course to recovery for our community, we have drawn the conclusion that in small, isolated communities, directing investments to the Civic Sector is the most viable pathway to social justice, to equity, and to healthy economies.

Building a Consortium of Collaborators

We know that collaboration is a skill that develops over time. Having dedicated many years to building partnerships with both private, public, and nonprofit entities, St. Croix Foundation has learned in an intimate way how challenging of an exercise collaboration can be when convening diverse sectors around important, complex issues. 

Today, we are encouraged to witness a level of organic collaboration that is increasingly becoming the norm in our nonprofit sector. But, we also know that for our community to maximize the current flow of federal and philanthropic resources, we must make it an intentional practice- beginning with the end in mind and leveraging every dollar to go farther. There is no question that the storms have afforded us all an unprecedented opportunity to re-assess and re-frame our core values.  As we strive to support our nonprofit partners and our community on a whole, we know that collaboration is a central vehicle for manifesting a collective vision.

The work of the Nonprofit Consortium begins and ends with a razor-sharp focus on the principle of collaboration. Through collaboration we give equitable voice to partners in our island’s critical nonprofit sector thus strengthening our ability to focus resources and ensure deeper impact.

 St. Croix Nonprofit Consortium Next Steps

We organized three teams to begin collaborating on cross-organizational projects/site-visits that benefit the community. In addition, we also focused on next steps for formalizing the Nonprofit Consortium, which include the work below: 

30 Days

• Practice inclusion – currently being executed
• Develop a logo and an overall brand for the Nonprofit Consortium 
• Refine and distribute an updated Nonprofit Contact List 
• Create a Facebook page for the purpose of sharing NPO calendar of activities and events and provide announcements pertinent to the community to enhance connectivity (30-60 days)

60 Days

• Create a volunteer registry
• Develop criteria and guiding principles for formalizing memberships/relationships 

90 Days

• Create a catalog of Nonprofit Partners 
• Create a private portal on our website 
• Create a strategic plan with St. Croix as our focus

Our fundamental belief is that, it is indeed Philanthropy’s role (and obligation) to be responsive and strategic in supporting the civic sector and filling funding gaps, particularly in support of the most vulnerable!

• Disaster Recovery & Capacity Survey Summary (PDF)