Press Release Details

Contact:
Sabrina Smith, CompassPoint
415.541.9000 sabrinas@compasspoint.org 

San José (March 19, 2003) – Not long ago the news was filled with stories of nonprofits losing their space and facing astronomical rents driven up by the dot com boom. With the tech bust, rents have dropped and office space is readily available. Many nonprofits are examining whether they should take advantage of this narrow window of opportunity by incorporating a real estate purchase into their strategy for long-term sustainability. A new booklet by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN) walks through the process of evaluating a real estate project to help organizations and investors determine if the time is right to undertake a capital project.

Unveiled at a financing forum co-sponsored by CompassPoint and SVCN, A Nonprofit Space Odyssey: A Capital Projects Prime, portrays that while a building purchase is a long and arduous journey, a safe way home can be found. The booklet is written for nonprofit leaders, individual donors, foundations and corporate leaders who are involved in or are considering a capital project. Covered topics include organizational readiness, fundraising for capital projects, business planning, campaign feasibility, and co-location partnerships. With a simple and easy to understand question and answer format and list of recommended additional resources, this booklet serves as great primer for anyone considering involvement with a nonprofit real estate purchase. Jan Masaoka, Executive Director of CompassPoint stated, “While purchasing a building can be daunting, the booklet shows that buying a building is not an impossible dream but a possible reality that can greatly benefit nonprofit organizations and the communities they serve.”

A Nonprofit Space Odyssey was made possible by the American Leadership Forum, Silicon Valley, Class XII and can be downloaded free of charge on CompassPoint’s website at http://www.compasspoint.org. For permission to reprint sections of this booklet or to order print copies, contact CompassPoint at (408) 248-9505 in San José or (415) 541-9000 in San Francisco.

About CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

With offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services is a nonprofit consulting and training organization. Through a broad range of services including consulting, research, information dissemination, workshops, and conferences, CompassPoint strives to provide the best management tools and concepts to help nonprofits better serve their communities. For more information, visit http://www.compasspoint.org/ or call 415.541.9000 in San Francisco or 415.541.9505 in San Jose.

About Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits (SVCN)

Founded in 1997, the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits is a rapidly growing coalition of nonprofit organizations presenting a unified front to issues facing the nonprofit sector. SVCN tracks issues that affect the sector as a whole, advocates on behalf of nonprofits in the legislative planning process, and provides education for member organizations. Currently 155 members strong, SVCN is open to all 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Silicon Valley with an emphasis on Santa Clara County. For more information visit http://www.svcn.org or call (408) 260-3915.