E-Updates

August 2007

Dear Members and Friends of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition (CHIFC):

 

1. CHIF Hires New Campaign Strategist
2. CHIF to Field Statewide Public Opinion Survey
3. Fundraising Update
4. CHIFC Friends
5. New CHIF Speakers
6. Housing Now Conference

CHIF Hires New Campaign Strategist
The Administrative Committee is pleased to announce the hiring of RDM Communications as the new campaign strategist.  Ray Merenstein, principal of RDM Communications, is a Colorado native who has played key roles in legislative and ballot initiatives at the local, state and national level.  He brings more than 10 years of national advocacy efforts in Washington, DC and most recently served as Vice President of The Children’s Hospital Foundation in Denver.  As CHIF’s campaign strategist he will oversee all market research as well as the communication and fundraising plans and implementation.

CHIF to Field Statewide Public Opinion Survey
In order to strategically move closer to making the Investment Fund a reality, CHIF is commissioning – through the generosity of some funding supporters – a 500 person public opinion poll in September.  This statewide data will include measure attitudes toward various funding streams, language, messages and more.  Strategically, the data will be used for a range of communications and fundraising tactics including web enhancement, brochures, solicitations, media interviews, Power Point and more.  If you are interested in helping fund this project, please contact Ray.  Watch for details on results later this year!

Fundraising Update
We would like to welcome US Bank as a Sustaining Sponsor of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition.  Their $5,000 Sustaining Sponsorship provides critical funding to this important effort.  Please consider becoming a Sponsor of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition.  Sponsorship levels include:  Supporting Sponsor - $1,000; Promoting Sponsor - $2,500; Sustaining Sponsor - $5,000 and Presenting Sponsor - $10,000.  Contact Kim at CHIFC to learn more about the benefits of sponsorship.

CHIF Friends
Great job!  So far we have increased membership by 67% over last year.  We are now over 800 Friends and are in the final phase of gathering 1000 Friends.  If you know of anyone who is not yet a Friend, please visit www.colohousingfund.org to sign them up!   

New CHIF Speakers
We trained 6 new speakers at our speakers bureau in Denver this past month.  CHIF is now looking for groups which we can present to.  Contact a staff member if you have ideas!

Housing Now Conference
Keep a look out for CHIF at the Housing Now! Conference.  Don’t miss our workshop on Wednesday morning and there will be games, prizes and drawings to look forward to.   

 

July 2007

Dear Members and Friends of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition (CHIFC):

 

1. August 16 Coalition Meeting
2. Stories From Around Colorado
3. 5 Minutes will Create a Housing Investment Fund
4. CHIF Calendar

August 16 Coalition Meeting
Our next CHIF Coalition Meeting will be on Thursday, August 16 from 2-4pm.  We will be meeting in the CHFA Community Room at 1981 Blake Street.  We will be introducing our new Strategist, hearing a Field Update, and having an important discussion regarding Polling and Communications.  Dessert will be served!  Please RSVP to Heather at 720-255-9838 or heather@colohousingfund.org.

Stories From Around Colorado ~ By Kim Cooke, Field Organizer
Local entities in La Plata County have been working on educating and forming key relationships in the community while searching for local solutions to affordable housing.  Without their hard work, Durango may not have been so accepting of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition’s efforts.  The Colorado Housing Investment Fund encourages organizations and individuals to support both statewide and local efforts to fund affordable housing as housing is as complex and diverse as the communities in which we live.

With newspaper articles full of stories and opinions regarding the lack of affordable housing on the Western Slope, it was no surprise that I received a warm welcome on my recent trip to Durango.  From meetings with County Commissioners to City Managers to Homebuilders; the need for affordable housing is clear.  Unfortunately, I was not able to ride the railroad or enjoy a hike due to my busy schedule, guess I’ll need to make another trip.  I was, however, able to meet with many individuals and organizations willing to dedicate time and resources to ensure Colorado creates and sustains a housing investment fund.  Hopefully other communities will be so receptive!  In order to ensure this, I would appreciate introductions in the areas in which we are working.  Currently, I am currently working on a trip to Grand Junction.  If you have contacts in that area, please call or email me to help further CHIFC’s mission. 

Kim Cooke can be reached at 303-525-7707 or kcooke@colohousingfund.org

5 MINUTES to help Create a Housing Investment Fund!
All of us are busy.  Families, work, school and extracurricular activities take up our coveted time. Here is what you can do for CHIFC in five easy minutes.                       
1-Check if you are a friend www.colohousingfund.org, click on Friends Campaign, click on Friends List      
2-If not a friend, print the Friends form, fill it out, send it in
3-Print out 3 copies of the friends form, put it in your briefcase/ purse/ work bag etc.  
4-Recruit 3 people to be a friend, this can be a neighbor, coworker, family member, best friend etc. 
Wow that was fast and building our Friends helps us in passing resolutions and gaining support from legislators!  If you find yourself wanting more, contact Kim Cooke at 720-525-7707.

CHIF Calendar
Please visit our website at http://www.colohousingfund.org/newscalendar.htm for the coming meeting dates.

 

June 2007         

Dear Members and Friends of the Colorado Housing Investment Fund Coalition (CHIFC):

 

1. Summer Travels
2. Uptown Partnership Gift of $15,200
3. Goodbye and Hello, CHIFC is hiring
4. August 16 Coalition Meeting
5. Full match achieved due to your efforts

Summer Travels
Kim Cooke and Britta Fisher were introduced by Sen. Isgar at the Affordable Housing Now Solutions Workshop in Durango on June 8.  Afterwards, they met with Sen. Isgar and others from the community to discuss the importance of a statewide flexible funding source for affordable housing.  Kim is traveling back to the La Plata area to present at a brown bag lunch for the Affordable Housing Task Force and Regional Housing Authority.  In addition she hopes to meet with Wally White a County Commissioner, Bob Ledger the City Manager, Mary Barter the Superintendent, Gary Derck and Al Harper employers in the area, in addition to affordable housing advocates. 
Kimberly Stenberg and Kim Cooke spoke at the Affordable Housing Coalition of Larimer County.  There, folks began to think strategically about how to gain support from outside the nonprofit community.  Kim will be following up with these contacts and suggestions.

Gift from the Uptown Partnership property sales helps CHIF raise full match
The CHIFC is please to announce receipt of $15,200 from the Uptown Partnership Board.  The Uptown Partnership was a non-profit affordable housing provider which has been in the process of dissolution.  Through this process 82% of the affordable housing units were preserved.  The properties which were not sustainable as affordable product were sold and this gift was made from those proceeds.  Thanks to Kaye Siemers, Board Chair, and Cherie Kirschbaum and the rest of the Board for their decision to advance the cause of additional affordable housing investment in Colorado.  This gift has helped us to achieve the full match from the Housing and Homelessness Funders’ Collaborative.

Goodbye and Hello
We have had to say goodbye to one of our familiar faces, Kimberly Stenberg resigned this month due to family obligations.  We appreciate her contributions and are glad she will remain a Friend and volunteer for the Coalition.  Looking to our next phase, we are hiring a Campaign Strategist to join our team.  To learn more about this position, please visit our website at www.colohousingfund.org.  All proposals and resumes are due by July 6.

Save the Date!
Our next CHIF Coalition Meeting will be on Thursday, August 16 from 2-4pm.  We will be meeting in the CHFA Community Room at 1981 Blake Street.  Please stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Full $30,000 match achieved thanks to you
Thanks to all of our Members and Friends for your support in 2007.  We are please to announce that we have achieved commitments for the full $30,000 matching grant ahead of schedule.  We have made exciting progress this year and appreciate everyone who has stepped up on our committees and with giving.  Our voting members and individual Friends have rallied to support our efforts and we appreciate it. Special thanks to our participants in our new sponsorship program: Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Denver Urban Renewal Authority, Citywide Bank, Mercy Housing, and FirstBank.