Cooperation, not competition
 Bemidji Chamber Ambassadors congratulate Executive Director Ruth Sherman on the new location of Community Resource Connections. Photo courtesy of the Bemidji Chamber of Commerce.
Network member spotlight: Community Resource Connections
Ruth Sherman approaches her work at Community Resource Connections (CRC) with inspiration from her late father, a dairy farmer. He organized cooperative farming with his neighbors, sharing equipment and working collaboratively in the small rural community where Ruth grew up.
“We need to be cooperative, not competitive. When agencies know and trust each other, clients benefit. It’s the people who participate in this process that make things happen. If others didn’t share that mission, we’d be spinning our wheels.” Ruth Sherman, Executive Director, Community Resource Connections.
Ruth says CRC’s mission is to provide access to services that allow people to improve themselves and the lives of those around them. She adds that when CRC was founded in the 1980s, nonprofits were often pitted against each other for service contracts. That type of competition led to a lack of collaboration, low staff pay, short-term thinking and clients not getting all the services they needed. CRC formed to change that.
Now, with offices in four counties, CRC serves as a referral source to help community service agencies reach their intended clients. One of CRC’s most valued community offerings is an up-to-date resource directory. Member benefits include event facilitation, group marketing, consulting, and regular email communication. Ruth’s father’s vision of cooperation and collaboration continues to guide their work.
“What has kept me here is that this has been a place where I can interact with the public every day – helping facilitate service education and engagement – while still impacting the larger system of services by networking with agencies, pulling them together in conversation, engaging them in collaboration to improve services to clients. When agencies get together, the results are just magical.” – Ruth Sherman.
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