Forefront

Our Holly is moving out and up! Please join the Forefront staff and board of directors in wishing Holly Ambuehl great luck as she transitions out of her position as Forefront's Senior Director of Public Policy and Governmental Affairs. We will miss her and are thrilled to see what her future holds.

We’re hiring a Manager of Member Engagement! Are you interested? If so, apply here: https://myforefront.org/about/careers!

COMMUNITY RESOURCE: A new article from Candid about donor advised funds. https://candid.org/blogs/daf-accounts-nonprofit-fundraising/. Forefront's Library team, lead by Chirstina Caputo, provide resources like this for our members every day. Need help with a research request? Join Forefront today! https://bit.ly/JoinForefront

Ask a Consultant is a renewed collaboration between Forefront and the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits. As we relaunch the series, our aim is to build a quarterly program that delivers practical guidance and timely insight for nonprofits navigating an evolving landscape.

We begin with a foundational and frequently asked topic: how to effectively hire and partner with a consultant.

Please share with your network and register here! https://bit.ly/4dJndCG

Forefront Members gain access to a powerful community of over 500 member organizations: grantmakers, nonprofits, advisors, social entrepreneurs, and allies. As a Member, you will build the connections and partnerships that will help you and your organization grow. Become a member today! https://bit.ly/JoinForefront

After three years of negotiations, debates, and many committee hearings, Forefront was able to pass our Community Partner Fair Contracting Act alongside our partners Illinois Collaboration on Youth and Illinois Partners for Human Service. We want to thank our legislative sponsors Leader State Representative Dagmara Avelar and State Senator Mike Halpin for their tireless efforts in ensuring this bill passed. More to come on this bill soon!

Volunteers are more than helpers……they’re partners in sustaining Illinois nonprofits.
By giving their time, a valuable and limited resource, volunteers demonstrate deep commitment to an organization’s mission while helping build trust and long‑term community support. In Illinois, the value of volunteer time is estimated at $35.73 per hour, highlighting just how meaningful that investment truly is!

At the Forefront Library, we work with partners to share best practices for leveraging volunteers as mission‑driven assets: strengthening engagement, transparency, and sustainability across the nonprofit sector.

Research from Independent Sector

Forefront offices and services will be closed on Monday, May 25th in observation of Memorial Day.

Is your organization hiring? Forefront members can post to our online job board. Become a member now to access this benefit. https://myforefront.org/join/

It was our pleasure to host Forefront's third annual Racial Equity Leaders Lunch last week.

Our esteemed speakers - Illinois Attorney General, The Honorable Kwame Raoul, Lawrence Benito of Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Venu Gupta of Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, Amanda Hwu of Illinois Community Power Fund, and moderator, Kayce Ataiyero of The Joyce Foundation gave advice and guidance on building community, increasing equity, and strengthening our democracy. We thank our community members for their presence and attention.

This event was sponsored by Healing Illinois Illinois Arts Council and The Joyce Foundation. We thank them for their partnership and sponsorship in making this program possible.

A full recap is forthcoming!