Collaborating to Support Regional Employment Equity

In 2019, the Community-Based Organization Collective (CBOC) was established to foster a more collaborative dynamic across Chicago’s workforce system. Over the years, the 16 members of the CBOC have opened communications, found new ways to partner, and streamlined systems to improve outcomes for individuals seeking training, employment, and supportive services across the region.

After careful consideration, the CBOC’s leadership and members have decided that, given the remarkable progress made over the last five years, these groups can move forward without a formal apparatus and that the CBOC should end its formal operations, effective January 31, 2025. Member organizations’ partnership through the CBOC has been marked by learning, growth, and collaboration. This change is being made to foster additional flexibility for new and existing partnerships, improve clarity on organizations’ programs and services for funders and employers, and further expand communications and collaboration among participating members.

Member organizations will continue to work collaboratively in many key ways, including but not limited to:

• Hosting quarterly meetings, which will focus on upcoming events and training, shared challenges, ideas for collaboration, and joint opportunities for funding. A cadence and leadership for 2025 quarterly meetings has been established and a plan to continue in 2026 is in place.
• Holding trainings for Opportunity Coordinators and other front-line staff to continue to improve collaboration and streamline job seeker referrals among organizations.
• Presenting joint job fairs on a semi-annual basis. All job and resource fairs will be coordinated so that they do not conflict with other events. Each organization’s leadership will share schedules at each quarterly meeting and connect to event leads.

Participating organizations will also work to expand the footprint of organizations participating, welcoming new entities to join discussions and trainings.

Participating members of the CBOC are grateful for the contributions of the organization’s members, funders, employer partners, and staff. Their support and hard work has laid the groundwork for the collaborative work of the CBOC’s member organizations for years to come.

With Gratitude,

Karen Freeman-Wilson, CEO, Chicago Urban League

Kathleen St. Louis Caliento, CEO, Cara Collective

Karina Ayala-Bermejo, CEO, Instituto

Bridget Altenburg, CEO, Skills for Chicago

The CBO Collective by the Numbers