I've done workshops for the United Way agencies in our area.  The College
provided space, and the Community Service Office sponsored it.  Faculty who
are on Boards of n-ps send folks to me, or they just come.  I do generally
what you do.  There is no policy.

My feeling, and the feeling on campus, is that part of what we do as
College employees should be community service (we have that ethic for our
faculty, but there is also space on our Professional and Technical staff
evaluations devoted to community service).  We are encouraging, and in some
cases, requiring community service for our students.

The other angle that allows me to feel fine about using College resources
(on the small scale I do) is that these local non-profits and public
schools are the one's we are collaborating with on other projects, or would
like to be collaborating with.  When it comes time to crunch on a deadline,
request inkind contributions, or even get our preservice students in the
classrooms, these relationships are important.  The success of these
organizations is important to our community but also, in some cases, to our
mission through our collaborative efforts.

On a personal note, the toughest part is saying "no" to too many requests
to sit on non-profit Boards.  I wouldn't mind sitting on more than I do,
but not in the role of fund-raiser.  Maybe this year my theme will be "I
only do windows."  And that doesn't mean capital projects!

Cheers,

Diana

>What policies do other grants offices use re: providing service to folks
>outside the university?  When non-profits in the neighborhood, or k-12
>schools, or whomever, asks you for help with a grant-proposal, what do
>you do?  At University of Wisconsin-River Falls, we have adopted this
>informal policy: we'll tell the inquirer whatever we can off the tops of our
>heads--e.g. 'that sounds like a good proposal for the xyz foundation,
>here's there address'--and let them browse through our library, but we
>won't do any research on their behalf or lend them materials.
>
>Does anyone do more?  Less?  Has anyone established a formal
>community service program?  Anybody charge a fee for service?
>
>Bill Campbell
>Director, Grants & Research
>UW-River Falls