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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Daniel Barreiro, Chief Community Services Officer
DATE: April 19, 2021
SUBJECT:
This resolution updates the membership agreements for the Thrive Collaborative Center. The updated agreement adds the ability to use the facility during weekends and offers virtual membership benefits. This resolution also confers authority upon a department or division head, or the City's Chief Management Officer, to enter into agreements for nominal consideration only on behalf of the Thrive Collaborative Center without seeking Council approval for each separate agreement.
PURPOSE:
This resolution updates membership agreements for the Thrive Collaborative Center. The updated agreement adds the ability for members to use the facility during weekends and offers virtual membership benefits. The agreement also updates the authorized signers by position instead of by name to account for staff turnover. Additionally, the resolution confers authority upon appropriate City personnel to enter into agreements for nominal consideration only, for the Thrive Collaborative Center.
BACKGROUND:
At the end of 2019, Adrienne Holloway, Chief Innovation Officer brought the original resolution for approval of the membership agreement for the Thrive Collaborative Center. To assist with day to day operations of Thrive and the Financial Empowerment Center, a part-time manager for the FEC and Thrive was hired in early 2020. The position was upgraded to full-time in August of 2020. By going full-time, Bea Rodriguez-Franzen has assumed some of the responsibilities previously performed by the Chief Innovation Officer. One of the responsibilities of the Program Manager is to recruit members. During these discussions, it was discovered that expanded offerings would help with the recruitment of members.
The revised membership agreement will have the same membership levels with the addition of a Virtual Membership level and the expansion of the use of the facility to seven days per week from 8 am to 8 pm:
Level 1 - Office Membership. Seven Office Memberships are available with offices varying in size from single person to five person offices. Presently, there are 6 organizations with 13 members in this level.
Level 2 - Dedicated Desk Membership. Nine dedicated desk memberships are available. Presently, there are 4 organizations with 4 members in this level.
Level 3 - Virtual Memberships. Virtual memberships is a new membership type. Benefits include 1 on 1 executive coaching, access to education programming, access to member only events and round table sessions. This membership type is unlimited.
The Thrive Daily Pass offers shared space accommodations, discounted rates to Thrive events and access to the Thrive building during City of Aurora general operating hours.
Membership requests have been vetted by the Innovation staff to ensure that organizations and entrepreneurs selected for membership comply with, at minimum, the following criteria:
1. Offers client appointment driven services.
2. Serves persons no younger than 16 years of age.
3. Agrees to comply with the Thrive Collaborative Plan.
4. Agrees to meet regularly with Innovation Department staff to discuss progress in capacity building.
5. Agrees to a limited tenancy at Thrive (approximately 2 years) to allow for Thrive spaces to be available for use by other nonprofits that can benefit from its services.
Additionally, it is sometimes necessary for the City to enter into partnership agreements with other governmental entities or non-profit entities for referrals or co-locating space. Allowing a department or division head, or the Chief Management Officer, to enter into agreements for nominal consideration without seeking separate Council approval each time will increase the efficiency and timeliness of the activities carried out by Thrive.
DISCUSSION:
The Thrive Collaborative Center was added as a new program in the 2020 Budget and has a budget of $73,820 for 2021. Most of these funds are for building operations and maintenance. Last year, $2,625 was collected from memberships. So far, $7,900 has been invoiced for the first four months of 2021. Unfortunately, the pandemic has slowed down the recruitment of memberships. The goal was to increase this ten-fold from the previous year.
Although Thrive has not been open very long, it is already having a positive impact on the community. Thrive is providing space for the Financial Empowerment Center. Presently, 3 Financial Coaches/Counselors are located at Thrive and have served over 400 clients in 2021.
Thrive has provided dozens of workshops in 2020 and this year. Topics include law, accounting, fundraising, marketing health etc. Thrive continues to provide networking opportunities and round table sessions. Last year there were 24 such events and there have been 6 so far in 2021. While the quantity and participants from these activities can be measured, outcomes from these programs are more difficult to measure. Staff is working on a nonprofit survey to develop a base line on the current state of nonprofits that serve Aurora residents with the intent of following up with future surveys to assess if there has been an impact.
The vision for Thrive will continue to make a positive impact and strengthen our nonprofit partners by providing resources to help them become more collaborative, efficient, effective, impactful, etc. Government can't meet the needs of the community alone. Our nonprofit partners have been providing a wide range of basic needs for over 100 years. The difference is that Thrive will provide assistance to our nonprofit partners in an unprecedented and comprehensive manner.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
The revised membership agreement will provide the ability to recruit more members which will generate more fees reducing the financial cost for the Thrive Collaborative Center to the city of Aurora.
More members will result in a moderate increase in maintenance costs such as cleaning and garbage removal.
The expansion of hours will result in an increase of utility usage.
More members will require building access provided by Central Services.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends approval of the resolution.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
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A Resolution Amending Membership Agreement for the THRIVE Collaborative Center and conferring authority upon a City department or division head, or the Chief Management Officer, to enter into agreements for nominal consideration only on behalf of the THRIVE Collaborative Center.
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WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora opened the Thrive Collaborative Center at 712 S. River Street in early 2020; and
WHEREAS, the Thrive Collaborative Center provides incubator and co-working space for non-profit organizations and social entrepreneurs to build their capacity and improve their operations through the provision of workshops, training and low-cost operating spaces; and:
WHEREAS, the original membership agreement did not include a provision for weekend and access and virtual memberships; and
WHERAS, an updated membership agreement will help recruit more members and help offset Thrive Collaborative Center operating costs;
WHEREAS, The Thrive Collaborative Center, as a co-working space, will continue to utilize a City Council approved membership agreement to formalize the use of the Thrive Collaborative Center by nonprofit organizations and or social entrepreneurs; and
WHEREAS, The Thrive Collaborative Center often partners with other governmental entities or non-profit entities to provide or receive referrals, as well as co-locating space, in order to carry out the mission and services of the Center; and
WHEREAS, it is therefore necessary for the City to enter into agreements with such entities, on behalf of the Thrive Collaborative Center, for nominal consideration, to memorialize and document the role of the partners, and sharing of referrals, space, and services.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: authorizes approval of the Thrive Collaborative Center Membership Agreement to be used, in order to formalize use of the Thrive Collaborative Center to be executed by the Chief Innovation Officer or Director of Community Services, as well as confer authority upon a department or division head, or the Chief Management Officer, to enter into agreements for nominal consideration only on behalf of the Thrive Collaborative Center.