Announcement from the publishers

Introducing a new alliance

Cincinnati Cares and Movers & Makers have joined forces. Both organizations are now supported by 501c3 Inspiring Service, founded in 2017 by Craig and Michael Young to reverse the steep decline in Cincinnati’s volunteer rates.

Movers & Makers, a print and digital publication serving the nonprofit sector for 25 years, has converted into a nonprofit organization in order to better align its mission with the sector it is covering. Thom and Elizabeth Mariner acquired Express Cincinnati in 2008, then upgraded and rebranded it as Movers & Makers in 2016. They remain co-publishers, and their new nonprofit, Movers & Makers Publishing, is now fiscally sponsored by Inspiring Service.

Cincinnati Cares was created in 2018 as the first project of Inspiring Service, now the nation’s leading developer of community and state nonprofit guides. Cincinnati Cares serves as our region’s guide to connecting people to the active nonprofits in Greater Cincinnati. Hundreds of thousands of Greater Cincinnatians use its website, www.cincinnaticares.org, to find ways to help – from mission-delivery volunteering to helping youth thrive to board and skills-based service. Cincinnati Cares users can also make item or money donations and learn more about the impact nearly 700 nonprofits make on Greater Cincinnati.

Both organizations seek to inform, inspire and involve the Greater Cincinnati region’s 2.2 million residents – its movers, makers, helpers and shapers – in aiding the region’s nonprofits to strengthen and improve the community and themselves.

Simply put: Cincinnati Cares is the nonprofit sector’s connection hub; Movers & Makers is its voice and cheerleader. Together, they work to create a more vibrant, equitable and connected region.

The M&M team for this issue: (From top left) Doug Bolton, Elizabeth Mariner, Katie Fiorelli, Carol Roundtree, Thom Mariner, Tina Gutierrez, Sara Braden, Gail Paul, Shasta Tabor, Bridgett Risk, Madeline Anderson, Rick Endres, Shauna Steigerwald, David Lyman, Madeline Leesman

PUBLISHERS’ LETTER

We hope you enjoy holding and reading this edition of Movers & Makers as much as we loved putting it together – our first print edition since late last fall. (Pandemic, be gone!)

It is indeed a labor of love for us, even more so now – as we have created a nonprofit organization under which to operate. Yes, it’s legit – we have our own board of directors we report to now and who are fiduciaries to you, the public, in overseeing the assets and mission of this publication. We need the support of our readers, advertisers and sponsors even more now than ever – and every bit of support now helps us achieve our vision of a vibrant, equitable and connected Greater Cincinnati.

This first edition back features a new section, something we will do monthly by spotlighting different sectors of the nonprofit community. This month’s focus is parks and nature – appropriate as we all seek to begin to enjoy the post-winter outdoors. Our park sector leaders have learned a lot over the last 13 months; we invited them to write about it, and you can find three commentaries on page 19. The still fairly new CEO at the Cincinnati Nature Center, Jeff Corney, sums it up here: “Scientific research has shown spending time in nature is a great way to improve your mental wellbeing. It has become especially important this past year as we’ve been dealing with a variety of personal and collective challenges resulting from the pandemic. When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, taking the time to step outside and reconnect with nature is one of the best activities you can do to boost your mood and better your overall health.” The section features a summary of the CROWN, a 34-mile hiking and biking loop. Momentum is building due to the pandemic and a need for more equity in everything we do. The section also includes ideas from multiple venues about activities to engage in over the next few months. Be on the lookout for next month’s focus on festivals, fairs and summertime fun.

Of course, longtime readers will recognize many of our longstanding features and some of our regular writers. But we also welcome and thank a new crop of volunteers for their help in putting this issue together. They were recruited for us thanks to our new partnership with Cincinnati Cares.

In addition, we welcome any ideas you have as we ramp up now for a return to a regular publishing cycle and increase our role as the voice of the entire nonprofit sector.

Until next month, Thom and Elizabeth Mariner