The Hancock County Community Foundation has donated its former office to be used as a collaborative center for nonprofits.
GREENFIELD — The Hancock County Community Foundation announced earlier this month that it will donate its current office building for use as a nonprofit center called the Circle of Care.
The former funeral home turned office space will provide a shared space for nonprofit organizations who serve those in need.
The Community Foundation plans to vacate its current offices at 312 E. Main St. in Greenfield sometime next year, moving into the former Realife Church building at 971 W. US 40, just west of Greenfield. The former church is now being renovated to accommodate the foundation.
When the move occurs, local nonprofits will have the chance to move into the shared collaborative space at the Circle of Care.
Meals on Wheels of Hancock County will serve as the building owner and manager once the community foundation moves.
A number of nonprofits already lease space in the building, and have signed on to occupy the new Circle of Care. They include Firefly Children and Family Alliance (formerly Children’s Bureau), the Hancock County Children’s Choir, Leaders in Navigating Knowledge (LINK), and the Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County. Families United for Support and Encouragement (FUSE) has also signed on to become a tenant.
Foundation president and CEO Mary Gibble said the first floor will eventually be renovated to better facilitate collaboration and in-person client services, including a satellite office for non-resident nonprofits to meet with clients. There are also plans for renovating the second floor, which is currently unused, to increase office space.
While funding is being sought to complete these plans, the Circle of Care will begin once the Community Foundation moves, regardless of building upgrades.
Gibble said the donated property and furnishings are valued at nearly $600,000.
“This building was a gift to the Community Foundation from the Pasco family in 1999,” she said.
“It was important to our board of directors and staff that this building continue to be a gift to the community after we leave. I can think of no better purpose for the next chapter of this asset.”
Gibble said the collaborative setup will add a layer of convenience for nonprofit staff members and volunteers, as well as those in need of assistance. Being centrally located in Greenfield, just three blocks from the county courthouse, makes it a convenient location for those seeking access to food, clothing and legal services.
“The Circle of Care will allow nonprofits to communicate effectively regarding shared clients, not only increasing access to services, but also supporting their clients in achieving goals and success,” said Gibble, citing a 2019 report published by the Nonprofit Centers Network, which showed that nonprofits greatly benefit when using a shared space.
According to the report, 86 percent of nonprofits report improvement in overall organizational capacity, and 88 percent reported improvement in achieving their mission. The average annual cost savings for individual tenants in the study was $15,500.
Tenants also reported improvements among its staff, with 51 percent reporting improvement with staff recruitment and retention, 80 percent reporting improvements in productivity and 78 percent reporting improvements in morale.
Those are especially great benefits for nonprofits, which face specific challenges when it comes to hiring and retaining employees.
“Operating a nonprofit is a rewarding career, but it can also be lonely and emotionally taxing. Stress, compassion fatigue and burnout are very real concerns for our nonprofit leaders,” said Katie Ottinger, the community foundation’s community investment and grants officer.
Donating the building not only benefits the nonprofits, but the employees as well, she said.
“This building is also an investment in the well-being of these valuable community servants by fostering a support network among them. These critical services don’t happen without talented, empathetic professionals to provide them, so we must support them like they support our community.”
Owning and managing the building and its tenants will be left to Meals on Wheels of Hancock County, which will oversee building maintenance, managing tenants, and scheduling the conference rooms for the 9,000-square-foot space.
The nonprofit’s executive director, Lynda Kosh, has past experience managing an 88,000-square-foot shared nonprofit space. She also helped oversee renovations, build out and construction of a 20,000-square-foot addition of a community gathering space.
“We look forward to being a partner in the success of this nonprofit center from a short distance away, and we have every faith that this will be a flourishing community asset,” said Gibble.
