✏️ Amanda’s Blog: “Our Nonprofit Partners” (Jan 18, 2022)

NGO

The great beach in Point Reyes.  photo: A. Eichstaedt

Non Governmental Organizations. Nonprofits, and organizations doing good work under the umbrella of a fiscal sponsor abound in West Marin.

These organizations fill in the gaps in our unincorporated area with services that are often provided by municipalities, and more. Think about it. Coastal Health Alliance, West Marin Senior Services, the many community centers, youth centers, food banks, affordable housing coalitions, environmental groups, museums, partner organizations like the Tomales Bay Library Association and Point Reyes National Seashore Association. The organizations in our various communities rallying citizens to be active in the event of disasters, preschools, and even KWMR. All of these organizations depend on the support from the community in order to continue to do the work that their missions spell out. (full list of WM nonprofits)

Every single one of these organizations has stepped up in many ways over the past two years. And the West Marin Fund has provided a forum for the nonprofits to convene, starting in March of 2020. To this day, the WMF has brings us together via Zoom, allowing us to vent, cry, share, brainstorm, and learn how to pivot when pivoting is necessary.

Early on in the process, the nonprofit leaders, responding to the murder of George Floyd, created a Joint Equity Statement. In response to this, an ongoing group, the Together Equity Group (TEG) was formed to figure out how to best support the signers in their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work. Now called the Coalition for Equity and Justice: Shifting Power Structures within West Marin Organizations is in the process of finding a consultant who can guide the work of local organizations, with an emphasis on increasing DEI in boards and staffs of local organizations.

Some organizations in West Marin are working very hard on these issues, in tandem with the work of the coalition of signers. Other organizations are just starting down the path, the idea is to continue to share ideas and best practices, and get assistance when necessary. This work can be very difficult and sometimes the path forward is not clear, hence bringing in some specialist to help guide the way for those who are interested.

I commend each and every person who is taking on this difficult work, which requires quite a bit of self-realization, while also ramping up the services, ways of doing things, and overcoming all of the other hurdles that COVID has thrown our way.

I am proud to be associated with this group of people, and thought you all should know what is going on.

Thank you all for reading and for your support of KWMR!

Amanda Eichstaedt
KWMR Station Manager and Executive Director