Let The Good News Keep Rolling!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...!

Leg Number One

We announced the first leg on July 14th with the rollout of the Beta version of a developing Citywide Directory listing churches and Christian nonprofits (and eventually more categories) and what they specialize in. The challenge of such a directory isn’t in collecting the data (challenging - but the easiest part) or determining how to make it user friendly and accessible (much more challenging, but still not the Big One.) The Big Challenge is keeping the data current. I don’t believe it can happen effectively apart from relationships.

Leg Number Two

Enter leg two!! We are thrilled to announce that we’re hiring a Nonprofit Collaboration Coordinator! (See below for the position announcement - maybe it’s you?) Many of you in Tucson remember Tucson Ministry Alliance (TMA) that began in 2012 and ran for well over a decade. Networking was TMA’s greatest strength, with each luncheon including fellowship, inspiration, discussion, and prayer, all around a wide variety of themes. Each month we asked the question, “How is the Body of Christ in the Tucson area responding to ____?”

This new staff position will be responsible for redeveloping something similar, with nonprofits as the target (but not exclusive) audience. Our hope is to hire someone in the next month or so, and possibly have a vision casting event this fall with a (maybe) January, 2027 launch of a new series of networking, learning, and collaborating lunches. Relational unity will be the key to keeping all the data in the Citywide Directory current and accessible. 

Leg Number Three

Could it get any better? I’m so glad you asked, because the answer is yes! Yes, it can!

Google “collective impact” and you’ll quickly discover that the world has caught on to the secret sauce that Christ-followers ought to be excelling at (and often are.) We’re able to fund this new position through a grant we were awarded as part of Impact AZ, a program primarily operating in Phoenix. Our grant proposal was essentially, “Help us bring this to Tucson,” so that Impact AZ isn’t reduced to Impact Phoenix. Our Phoenix friends have been enormously helpful and generous!

Here’s how this in-the-near-future leg works. The world is filled with thousands/millions of people who’ve identified a need - often a Biblical justice issue - and long to see that need met. Many are Jesus-followers, but not all, because all of us are made in the image of God and designed to care about needs our Creator cares about. Research has proven that people will happily fund “collective impact” collaboration, recognizing that entrepreneurial competition keeps countless mom-and-pop nonprofits small and far less effective than if they found substantive ways to collaborate and build on one another’s strengths. So we’re going to use Impact AZ’s model and develop a simple grant program that funds collaboration! 

Ooh baby, I can’t wait! We’ll share more about leg three in the future, but if any of you reading this can’t wait, you know where to find me!!

Dave Drum, Executive Director