Shared Space and the New Nonprofit Workplace

While the economy has boomed since the Great Recession, so too have real-estate rents and gentrification soared in cities across North America. Nonprofits priced out of formerly affordable neighborhoods lack adequate workplaces to meet their missions, thereby threatening organizational sustainability and services to communities. Shared Space and the New Nonprofit Workplace presents a comprehensive overview of shared space as an innovative model and effective long-term solution for nonprofit organizations' need for stable and affordable office and program space. In particular, it focuses on co-locating multiple nonprofits in shared spaces, often called nonprofit centers, with shared services and a collaborative culture. The book provides a practical roadmap to develop these new workspaces; documents benefits to nonprofit staff, organizations, and their communities; and presents challenges and solutions at successful nonprofit shared spaces, the history of nonprofit centers, and future trends. Further, it offers nonprofits an opportunity to engage in forward-thinking practices, such as collaborative service delivery, green building operations, and cross-sector alliances. The comprehensive resource will be useful to nonprofit executives, staff and board members, foundations, philanthropists, real estate and urban planning professionals interested in creating these projects, and researchers and students of the nonprofit sector.

China Brotsky is a nonprofit board member, consultant and trainer and has created several nonprofit shared spaces.

Sarah M. Eisinger, MS, has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofits, mission-driven real estate, community development, and philanthropy. She currently serves as Vice President in the Real Estate department at MassDevelopment, the state economic development agency in Massachusetts.

Diane Vinokur-Kaplan, PhD, MSW, is Associate Professor Emerita in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, where she has taught graduate courses, researched nonprofit management, and served as Assistant Dean for Research.