Considering a partner opportunity - Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council

Let us start off this post with a reminder of the mission of Beautify CNMI!, which was developed by coalition partners over the last five or so years:

Beautify CNMI! is a coalition of concerned citizens, private groups, and government entities united to enhance the CNMI's natural beauty and foster community pride in its residents and visitors.

It is important from time to time to remind ourselves of this sentence, because it has the power to refocus our attention to what is important. We want to use the statement in principle as much as we use it as a philosophy.

To this end, at last week's year-end meeting, a few Beautify CNMI! partners discussed the potential value in setting up Affiliate Partner Agreements with Marianas Resource Conservation and Development Council. The purpose of doing something like this is to utilize one partner's (MRCDC) capabilities to the benefit of the whole coalition. In essence, MRCDC is an affiliate partner just like any other. As with any affiliate partner, each brings a unique value to the Beautify CNMI! concept. MRCDC is the partner that could potentially provide administrative support to facilitate the total effort of all our efforts. The concept still has some kinks and requires further discussion, but looks something like this. We break it down into two perspectives to try to convey the idea (see below).

Another way to look at it would be like this:

In this concept, MRDCD becomes an affiliate partner with the rest of the Beautify CNMI! family. Using MRDCD as an administrative service/servant, allows the whole Beautify CNMI! concept retain its "loose coalition" style of getting things done in the CNMI. Creating the Affiliate Partner Agreements is not intended to place any one affiliate above any other affiliate or to suggest anyone group has more ownership or control than another. The purpose is administrative. The value is in how the administrative services can benefit both the Beautify CNMI! concept as a whole and as individual partner can benefit for their specific projects or groups.

Some of the benefits include:

• Cooperative assistance from Marianas Resource Conservation & Development Council for any project that fits into the mission and scope of the Council. Assistance may include, but is not necessarily limited to:
• Grant application guidance
• Grant applicant-beneficiary collaboration
• Grant administrative services
• Fiscal agent services (accepting and processing donations)
• Acknowledgment & exposure:
• Inclusion on MRCDC website Partner page
• One independent standard template page on MRCDC website
• Priority consideration for project assistance
• An annual report on the status of all logged volunteer hours

Perhaps not so coincidentally, one of the original coalition members and founders (Angelo Villagomez) used to work under contract for MRCDC. Perhaps he will read this post and contribute to the discussion here on this blog. Otherwise, the discussion on ground for this idea will continue in the next MRCDC meeting scheduled for Monday, December 13th. MRCDC's Saipan Committee meetings are loose-working meeting (not formal) where ideas can be brain-stormed or hashed out in a cooperative and friendly environment. If you are interested in attending or interested to learn more about the above idea, please email marianas.rcdc@gmail.com. Everyone is welcome!