On October 10, 2024, Water Finance Exchange, in collaboration with our partners Adults and Youth United Development Association, Inc. (AYUDA), Communities Unlimited (CU), Dig Deep, and the Rio Grande Council of Governments convened communities, not-for-profits, and government agencies in El Paso, TX for the West Texas Collaborative Forum (the Forum) to discuss local communities’ needs and share ideas on how non-profits and government agencies can better coordinate their efforts to assist communities.
This convening was spurred by recognition of the fact that community leaders face many challenges in developing and strengthening their communities, and that by working in concert, not-for-profits and government partners may have an opportunity to more effectively and efficiently deliver their services to communities. These efforts are expected to reduce redundancy and duplication of efforts, provide a holistic/interdisciplinary network of support for service providers, and facilitate community leaders’ work to develop and strengthen their communities. In short, community-serving organizations can be a force multiplier for efforts to assist communities.