OUR CAPACITY Staff Collaboration Station currently operates under the leadership of Director, Cheryl Smith. To maximize agency resources and decrease operating costs, we utilize Mature Services workers as Administrative Coordinators. We would like to thank Mature Services for giving us the opportunity to train one deserving senior to work in this position.
Volunteer Trainers & Coaches Collaboration Station utilizes the expertise of local small business, community-based nonprofits and public sector programs to assist in educating clients on a variety of topics from Insurance to Marketing--from Legal Structure to Bookkeeping. Many of these professionals offer additional support to our clients even after training to answer additional questions. To further help our aspiring entrepreneurs, we work to identify individuals who work in the areas that our clients are seeking to do business who in turn, give them advice in business development and management. If you're a business professional interested in becoming a volunteer, please visit ourAgency Needs page and sign-up today!
Collaborations and Developing Partnerships For us it is not about re-inventing the wheel, but rather, making strategic alliances with other agencies in our service areas who are just as passionate about entrepreneurship as we are--so that we can continue working with our primary target audience which is our niche. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank agencies such as Akron SCORE, Urban Ounce of Prevention Services, Inc., Minority Business Solutions and the Northeast Ohio Region Minority Business Assistance Center for supporting us through client referals and Business Advisors of Cleveland for supporting our work as training facilitators for our SME sessions.
Accomplishments & Financial Report Our organization has grown significantly since its inception in 2002. Click here to review our 2008 Annual Report. Click here to review our 2009 990 Report.
OUR APPROACH Our approach in assisting entrepreneurs runs parallel to the evidence-based practice implemented by Rising Tide Capital, a nonprofit organization based in Jersey City, NJ that has been honored by President Obama for their work with aspiring entrepreneurs. To learn more about this model, visit risingtidecapital.org.
OUR PHILOSOPHY Paying It Forward--In a New Way! Paying It Forward is where one person sees the immediate need of another and does something--within their individual means--to help; the idea being that each person will do the same for someone else. We take paying it forward to a whole other level. As a nonprofit organization, our pay it forward efforts are organized to meet the immediate needs of several people in small group settings. In this way, each person feels he or she is getting the professional attention and encouragement that could change their individual lives and--as each one pays it forward--the life of someone else. Traditionally, "paying it forward" refers to one person helping one other person--but many of our clients are ambitious and want to do more--for themselves as well as others. To learn more about the "Pay It Forward" movement, visit payitforwardfoundation.org.
Collaboration Station | Akron . Warren . Cleveland . Ohio| Last Updated 11.21.2011 All Rights Reserved