Our Projects
Following publishing the 2025 survey results and launching our website we are working on new projects.
Strategic Planning
Like many organizations (and recommended for all) Lago Alianza will undertake ongoing strategic planning. We’ll have an inaugural planning session after the Quarterly meeting on November 14 and on-going shorter ones to incorporate feedback and determine if our work is aligned with the needs of the nonprofits and provides value. Initially we will review our mission and individual areas of greatest interest; make decisions on our governance structure and plans for effective communication amongst us; prioritize projects for the next year, define what success will look like and ensure we have adequate people-power and financial resources to complete them; and identify our biggest current challenges. Robin Brenizer will facilitate our strategic planning process. We are considering adding people to our team so if you know someone who is interested, please contact joan@lagoalianza.org
Vetting of Organizations
In 2025 the Lake Chapala Nonprofit Donor Advised Fund (DAF) vetted three organizations for funding. This vetting ensures that donations to the group meet the requirements of the US Internal Revenue Department (IRS) and Canadian Revenue Service. In each case the DAF helped fund a project that improved the sustainability of the nonprofit. For Niños Incapacitados, a small grant enabled the organization to hire a couple of mothers of children served by the program to do data entry for government reporting that was extremely burdensome on volunteers. For Cruz Roja the DAF participated in the construction of their new headquarters in Chapala. And for FoodBank Lakeside the DAF challenges other donors to improve the stability of the group by creating a reserve fund in a separate DAF dedicated to the Food Bank. We have one other group currently under review. We continue to discuss projects with Lakeside nonprofits and welcome your inquiries.
https://validation.cafamerica.org/af687545-bc11-4724-88c3-e5334eed1a97 - acc.nfPtJb5B
Training
We are deciding the best ways to provide some of the training needs identified in the 2025 survey. We welcome any resources (individuals, software, digital platforms, etc.) that you have benefited from for your organization and in particular in the areas of governance, compliance and fundraising. Information and training will be an integral part of the quarterly meeting of nonprofits.
Groups.io
Many people have said they would like a platform for peer learning, resource sharing and collaboration. While a WhatsApp group is familiar to most of us it is limited doing many of the things really needed to share information. At the meeting on November 14 we will introduce you to Groups.io. A beta group of local groups said this platform showed great promise in making the nonprofit sector more cohesive and stronger.