By: Kate Elliott—
Muncie, IN— Three Muncie non-profits have teamed up to create the inaugural Community Cup Golf Outing to be held at 9 a.m. Friday, May 24, at The Players Club, 6610 W. River Rd. Teams of four are invited to register for the event, which supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Indiana, the Whitely Community Council and Boys & Girls Clubs of Muncie.
Sue Godfrey, executive director of BBBS, said the partnership emerged following Shafer Leadership Academy’s Advanced Leadership Retreat, during which she was able to connect with and learn from other executives. The October getaway created space, Godfrey said, for leaders to look beyond singular missions for collaborations with greater impact.
The golf tournament is an outgrowth of that visioning among Godfrey and Jason Newman, CEO of Muncie’s Boys & Girls Club, and Ken Hudson, executive director of Whitley’s council. When nonprofits work together, Godfrey said, “we are showing our heart for the families we serve and our hope for holistic impact in Muncie.”
“It’s also a great opportunity to distinguish our organizations, which people sometimes confuse,” said Godfrey, also a member of SLA’s Board of Directors. “More importantly, we’ve been able to show how we can work together toward a shared vision to serve the whole community, the whole person.”
Instead of competing for resources by hosting separate yet similar events, Hudson added, the golf tournament pools organizational strengths. Whitley has not held a major fundraiser, so Hudson said he’s thankful for the opportunity to flex the neighborhood’s fundraising muscles alongside seasoned mobilizers.
“Education for small non-profits is hard to come by,” said Hudson, who has guided the council since 2017. “Shafer Leadership provides pathways and tools to solve real problems for the underserved and marginalized in our community.”
Newman reiterates SLA’s role as an instigator for progress: “Having SLA as a leader with some of these collaborations helps take ego off the table and hone in on organization’s shared problems. Consider the YouthLink collaboration, which brought 10 organizations together to serve the youth of Delaware County. It could easily have become a YMCA or Boys & Girls Club initiative, but having SLA as the leader, referee, fiscal agent and driver, allowed for a more equal partnership amongst 10 different agencies.”
SLA Executive Director, Mitch Isaacs, said “collaboration isn’t a choice anymore, it’s the future.” He is thrilled SLA encouraged these agencies to come together in service of stronger community.
The three leaders have popped in and out of businesses and nonprofits across town to promote the tournament and their emerging partnership. They secured Open Door Health Services as the golf outing’s title sponsor alongside silver sponsor Old National Bank, and bronze sponsors MutualBank and Shafer Leadership Academy. Opportunities for hole and event sponsorships remain available until the May 20 registration deadline.
Register for the inaugural Community Cup Golf Outing as a team of four with opportunities for additional competitions, like ‘skins’ and ‘mulligans.’ For more information about the golf outing, contact any one of the organizations.
Learn more about Shafer Leadership’s upcoming programs for people of all ages, backgrounds and interests access to the tools necessary to develop and enhance their leadership skills. This year, the non-profit announced membership options that enable businesses and non-profits to take full advantage of SLA’s breadth of leadership training. For more information, info@shaferleadership.com or call the office at 765-748-0403.
Shafer Leadership Academy
Shafer Leadership Academy is a Muncie local non-profit organization that provides people from a variety of backgrounds and interests to have access to tools that are necessary in developing professional and leadership skills. SLA continues the legacy of leadership of Hamer and Phyllis Shafer.
