“We’re pleased to tell you that we determined you’re exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)3.” This is how the letter we got from the IRS four years ago, in the last week of October, started. Receiving this certification as a nonprofit was a key milestone for Rochester Ecology Partners. It meant we could finally move forward.
In the winter of 2021, the Emil Muller Foundation and Rochester Area Community Foundation awarded us grasnts to answer two questions: “What other organizations are doing similar work?” and “Does the community need what we are offering?” We are forever grateful to these partners who helped us get started with the Greater Rochester Environmental Community Analysis Project.
Our final report indicated that environmental justice needed to be a priority, more education was needed, and that people were seeking opportunities to connect. The project also resulted in an information hub that includes 160 groups across nine counties who are “dedicated to community and environmental well-being for all”. This intersectional definition of our work as a member of the “environmental community”, and the network it allowed for, served as a foundational mindset. The questions were answered, and it gave us the evidence we needed to believe we were on the right path.
(Visit rochesterenvironment.com to see our Greater Rochester Environmental Community Hub)
Our fiscal year ended in September, and with the coming season of giving, there is an opportunity to reflect on growth and impact. We are by all measures still on the right path.
In the last twelve months we:
- Doubled the size of our Board of Directors
- Added a Nature-based Learning Manager and a 2nd full-time Educator
- Worked with 19 schools to get children connected to nature
- Collaborated with local, state, and national partners on diverse initiatives
- And so much more, I really could keep going
This work has not been without its challenges. That could be a long list, too. In the very beginning, we ourselves asked, “Does Rochester really need another nonprofit?”. At a networking event, a community leader remarked, “If you’re thinking about starting a nonprofit, don’t”. Along the way, there have been many questions about what we were doing, how we were doing it, and why we were doing it. I myself have probably asked most of them as I tried to navigate the realities of starting an organization from scratch. But we moved forward regardless.
We added a guiding question to our analysis project after we got it started. “How can we create an equitable, inclusive, and collaborative local movement?” In the last four years, I have come to realize this is an essential, but very challenging task for Greater Rochester. I feel like we are making progress, but there is so much more to do. I am grateful for the opportunity to have Rochester Ecology Partners play a role in answering this question, and I am confident in saying that starting our nonprofit was the right thing to do.
Peace,
Chris
