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Lago Alianza Newsletter – June 2026
Lago Alianza Quarterly Meeting Strengthens Connections and Inspires Action
Photography by: Mauricio Sanchez Mayorga
Lago Alianza’s June 8 Quarterly Meeting, Engaging Donors, Advancing Mission, brought together nonprofit leaders from across the Lakeside community for an afternoon focused on donor relationships, collaboration, and practical strategies for organizational growth.
The response from participants was overwhelmingly positive. In post-meeting evaluations, 100% of respondents rated the overall meeting as Excellent or Good, and every respondent reported feeling more connected to other nonprofit organizations as a result of attending. Even more encouraging, 94% said they plan to apply something they learned within their own organization.
A highlight of the afternoon was the keynote presentation by Myra Williams. Myra provided practical guidance on donor stewardship, fundraising fundamentals, communication strategies, and reconnecting with former donors. Nonprofits left the gathering with printed handouts and action-oriented tools that could be taken back and used immediately.
The roundtable discussions were another important part of the meeting where the nonprofit leaders had the opportunity to exchange ideas, hear what other organizations are experiencing, and learn from peers doing similar work in the Lakeside nonprofit community. Several participants commented on the importance of building a stronger nonprofit ecosystem, with one participant capturing the spirit of the day by saying, “we are stronger together.”
Participants left with specific ideas they hope to implement, including making donor relationships more personal and valued throughout the organization, creating or strengthening donor databases, refining organizational messaging, and increasing transparency in reporting.
The evaluations also offered helpful suggestions for future gatherings. Participants asked for more time for small-group discussions, continued improvement in bilingual translation, copies of keynote materials and action plans, organization names on name tags, and additional opportunities for mentoring and collaboration between meetings.
Future topic requests included fundraising and donor development, volunteer recruitment and retention, governance and board development, accounting and administrative policies, impact measurement, leadership development, database systems, transparency, and access to funding opportunities.
The June 8 meeting reflected Lago Alianza’s core purpose: helping local nonprofits strengthen their capacity while deepening relationships across the community. It was a meaningful step forward — not only in sharing useful information, but in building the trust, connection, and collaboration that help organizations move from surviving to thriving.
Nonprofit Spotlight: Programa Pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago, A.C.
For 52 years, Programa Pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago, A.C. (known locally as “Niños”) has provided comprehensive medical care to chronically and seriously ill children from birth to age 18 whose families cannot afford treatment. Beyond medical care, Niños provides transportation to appointments and, in the most heartbreaking moments, ensures a dignified burial when a child is lost.
Today, Niños serves 135 children facing serious illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease, neurological impairments, autism, and other complex conditions. Families are referred through Mexican social services, which carefully assess both financial need and family circumstances.
From the moment a family is accepted, Niños steps in—walking alongside them every step of the way. Parents meet monthly with clinic managers to coordinate care, ask questions, and find support in a community that understands their struggles.
The impact is profound. Many children recover and go on to live healthy lives. Others remain in the program for years, where the focus is on easing suffering and improving quality of life. And for some, the journey ends too soon. In those darkest hours, Niños stands with families—offering comfort, compassion, and dignity.
At Niños, success is not always measured by a cure. Sometimes, it means a parent no longer has to choose between food and medicine. It means the burden is shared. It means being able to sleep at night, knowing their child is cared for.
You can be part of this work—by donating, volunteering in our clinics or events, or serving on the Board. For more information, please visit: www.programaninos.com.
Lago Alianza Announces Advanced AI Training for Lakeside Nonprofits
Lago Alianza, in partnership with PILU.mx, is pleased to announce the next stage of AI training for civil society organizations serving the Lake Chapala region.
This free bilingual program is designed for nonprofits that are ready to move beyond basic AI awareness and begin using artificial intelligence in practical, mission-focused ways — social media, translation, strategic planning, cybersecurity, and more.
The program builds on PILU’s introductory AI workshop held for Lago Alianza NGOs in March 2026. Feedback from that session showed strong interest in deeper, more hands-on training, especially training that helps organizations apply AI directly to their daily work.
Beginning in June, participating organizations will have access to more than 50 hours of training, office hours, practical exercises, and permanent resources. The cost will be covered by Lago Alianza, so there is no fee for NGOs.
The program will use Claude as the primary AI tool, with comparisons to ChatGPT and Gemini. Sessions will focus on real nonprofit needs, including social media design, copywriting, impact reporting, email marketing, donor management, translation, meeting minutes, strategic planning, crisis communication, and cybersecurity.
Each workshop will be offered in both English and Spanish. The schedule is intentionally paced, with one topic per week, allowing participants time to practice, apply what they learn, and bring questions to open office hours.
The goal is not simply to learn about AI. The goal is to help nonprofits build useful systems, stronger communications, better donor materials, and more capacity to serve their missions.
Program Details
- Promotion and registration: May 25–June 14, 2026
- Program dates: June 15–September 4, 2026
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Optional In-Person session September 17 and 18.
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Closing Presentations and Cocktail hour September 18.
- Format: Online via Zoom
- Language: Fully bilingual, with each session offered in English and Spanish
- Cost: Free
- Access: A la carte; each nonprofit may choose which sessions to attend
Regular weekly workshops will be held Mondays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in English and Tuesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Spanish. Open office hours will be offered Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. every other week.
This advanced training is part of Lago Alianza’s ongoing work to strengthen Lakeside nonprofits through practical tools, collaboration, and long-term capacity building.
Space will be limited. For more information, please email velia@lagoalianza.org or register on this page.
About the facilitation team
Maria "Fer" Fernanda Ramirez Coutino
Marketer with socio-environmental purpose, consultant and speaker with over 15 years of experience strengthening the social sector. MBA in Social Entrepreneurship, Master's in Social Innovation, Specialty in Ethics and Citizenship, and bachelor's degrees in Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing, and Graphic Design. Faculty at UMA's Green MBA and at IBERO Mexico City. Through PILU.mx she supports NGOs and socio-environmental projects across Latin America to integrate strategic tools -including AI- that amplify their impact without sacrificing their values.
James Turner - Consultant
James Turner is an IT Engineer, Tech Solutions Architect, and Military Veteran who has been applying AI daily across IT support, growth, and operations roles since 2020, including using tools like Google Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, and AI Studio to automate high-volume data migrations and workflow tasks. Through his firm, TurnerX Solutions, he implemented AI-powered marketing and CRM platforms that drove a 170% increase in web traffic and a 200% increase in online orders for multiple clients, while also designing centralized operations applications that integrate member databases, equipment tracking, and logistics logging for community-focused organizations. His background spans technical success management, IT engineering, and clinical software support, where he consistently uses data, automation, and emerging AI capabilities to improve system performance, customer experience, and business outcomes.