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Press Room - News
FOR RELEASE 11/3/2009
Detroit, Michigan - ardentCause L3C, one of the first low-profit limited liability corporations in Michigan, will serve as a mentor partner for Wayne State University's Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship Program.
Since 2004, with support from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Wayne State University has administered the Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship Program, a one year fellowship that pairs qualified students with business mentors. The program is aimed at educating the next generation of entrepreneurs. A recent Community Foundation grant to Wayne State University will provide support for a Wayne State student to assist with the launch of "Cause IT Outreach," ardentCause's first formal program. CauseIT Outreach will assist small and medium-sized nonprofits to recognize, and benefit from, the skillful application of information technology to their missions.
The grant was made possible by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan's Ann and Carman Adams Fund, which supports the Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship Program at three universities in southeast Michigan. Terry Cross, Founder of Windward Associates administers Wayne State's Adams Entrepreneur Fellowship. Cross identified ardentCause as a unique mentor partner.
"We feel privileged to assist ardentCause L3C in their startup phase. Serving as a mentor for a Wayne State Adams Fellow, the partnership willmake a vital contribution to the health and growth of small and medium-sized nonprofits in Southeast Michigan, while providing a highly educational and entrepreneurial experience for Wayne State students" said Cross. "The adroit use of information technology, now and in the future, will make the difference between nonprofits which stay healthy and realize their missions, and those that close their doors."
The Cause IT Outreach program will match technology-savvy professionals with nonprofits who need their help. Phase 1 encompasses the creation of processes, procedures and "blueprints" to guide both nonprofit staff and IT practitioners in how to work together to create technology plans that will enable a nonprofit's mission.
Cause IT Outreach will employ a Wayne State intern part-time for a 12-month period. Under ardentCause guidance, that intern will create business and technology analytical check-sheets and templates, and recruit and manage technology resources. The intern will also help publicize the program, and help select the first regional group of nonprofits who will benefit from the program.
"We are very grateful to Terry Cross for the outstanding opportunities and partnerships he has developed for our entrepreneurship efforts as an executive-in-residence," said Wayne State University School of Business Dean, David Williams. "This partnership with ardentCause supports many of our efforts including encouraging entrepreneurial ventures, providing unique educational experiences for our students and community outreach."
About ardentCause L3C
ardentCause L3C is a Michigan social entrepreneurship start-up venture. Founded in May of 2009, ardentCause has a singular focus: to help non-profits more easily fulfill their missions, and meet the needs of those they serve. Dedicated to increasing non-profit effectiveness, ardentCause L3C focuses on building capacity for its clients; helping them collaborate at the highest levels; and ensuring sustainability of their organizations.
The company accomplishes this by providing simple, affordable technology solutions, and expert technology/management consulting services that save time, energy and funds.
About Terry Cross, Windward Associates
Terry Cross is a member of the Board of Directors of Great Lakes Angels and a founding member of The Michigan Venture Capital Association. His current board memberships include: RealKidz; PureEntropy as Chairman; Fisher Coach Works; MIST Innovations as Chairman; and Monarch Antenna, a Delphi Corp. spinoff. Cross serves as the first Executive in Residence for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University in Detroit, where he administers the prestigious Adams Entrepreneurial Fellowship and received the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Cross was a co-founder of Sonoma Photonics, recently sold to Lockheed-Martin. He was a founding investor in three startups from MIT's tech transfer department and served on MIT's Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity. In September 2007, he was named to the Task Force for a World Financial Center by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, one of Korea's most prestigious institutions. He was employed by Kidder, Peabody in various financial services and investment banking activities in Detroit, New York and San Francisco until his retirement in 1998.
About Wayne State University School of Business Administration
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students. The School of Business Administration at Wayne State University provides quality business education through degree programs accredited by AACSB International. Learn more at www.business.wayne.edu.
About The Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the region's quality of life by connecting those who care with causes that matter. The Foundation supports a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has distributed more than $380 million through more than 33,500 grants to nonprofit organizations throughout Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties. For more information, please visit www.cfsem.org
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