POMEGRANATE CENTER

2011 AnnualReportBUILDING :

Community & Places Partnerships Leaders

Pomegranate Center is a non-profit organization that fosters public practices and places that reflect our best selves to stimulate a future in which communities are beautiful, just, unique, and sustainable.

Message from

MilenkoDear friends,

It has been 25 years and Pomegranate Center has remained true to

our mission of building community and places.

We added “building leaders” to our mission

three years ago, and last year was a remarkable

example of how all three areas of our work are

intertwined and powerfully serve our partner

communities.

Today, I am pleased to report the significant strides we’ve made in building integrated programs that more effectively serve communities and the people living there. While more remains to be done, here are some of last year’s key achievements. We built five gathering places in four months, which raised the visibility of our community building model and proved the effectiveness of our programs on even the fastest time lines. It was a record setting year for the number of community volunteers who participated in all stages of our projects.

Nothing makes work more powerful than an effective partnership. To that end, we were thrilled to form a new relationship with Tully’s Coffee. This corporate partner increased our capacity, allowing us to work with three times the number of communities at one time, and raised the visibility of our community building model to a national level.

Pomegranate Center staff developed new programs and traveled the country inspiring community members with our model of meaningful, hands-on community building. Our commitment to sharing our model and lessons-learned became an intentional focus for us.

As we embark on a new year, we continue to partner with communities to help them prepare for the future, becoming vital, strong and connected. We are expanding our reach, refining our leadership curriculum, developing new corporate and foundation partnerships and deepening our volunteer and internship programs. Our primary objective in 2012 is to expand our leadership training programs, deepening our impact on communities and broadly sharing our wisdom. The training program will increase the capacity within communities to plan for the future and build a collaborative culture. It is an exciting year, and we welcome your input as we build this new program.

Sincerely, Milenko MatanovicFounder and Executive Director

Building Community and Places

2011 Annual Report

We reached an incredible number of people in record time in 2011 - building five gathering places in five communities in just four months!

These projects brought together an amazing number of community members to plan, design and build a gathering place for their community.

These five gathering places proved that the community building and engagement model does not have to be drawn out. In fact, the entire process for each project – training, planning, community engagement, design and construction - took place in four months.

781 people8000 hours4 months(That’s 64 hours a day!)

“I think the most impactful thing about this build was the opportunity to meet so many new people in the community in such a creative action. I spend a lot of time in meetings. It is so much more rewarding to work side by side. I heard someone say ‘This place is magical now and anything can happen here.’”

Joann from NE Seattle

“This project was not only monumental in bringing great new additions to dress up our park, it was a great community enhancing experience. I was able to meet and bond with neighbors I had never met and have lived side-by-side with me for years.The experience has been one I will never forget!”

Lesley from Kirkland

“My 92 year old mother has lived on Mercer Island for 61 years. When I brought her to see the Library’s new garden and path, she sat looking and observing the changes and imagining the plants to come. As she sat on the log bench, she said ‘I will come back here, sit, and write a haiku.’ A big YES project!”

Wendy from Mercer Island

Memories of building

a place

www.pomegranatecenter.org

Building Partnerships

2011 Annual Report

TULLY’S COFFEEThe Pomegranate Center team stayed productive and focused with the help of Tully’s Coffee this year.

Their generosity (of both coffee and funds) helped bring our complete program – training, community engagement and planning, and gathering place construction - to four different communities last year.

This partnership increased the visibility of our community building model to a national scale (Tully’s Coffee is owned by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in Vermont).

PUBLIC SPACE RANGERSAnother record for 2011: the number – and quality – of Public Space Rangers that partnered with us to serve communities. Public Space Rangers gave an astonishing amount in time and expertise to communities in the Pacific Northwest last year!

This program expands Pomegranate Center’s capacity and increases the quality of both the design and construction of gathering places. A real multiple victory!

4 projects

65,000 cups of coffee(That’s with community members - not just our staff!)

$139,000 in time and expertise

Through our first annual Major Ranger awards, we honored professionals from the design, construction and fabrication fields who were making significant contribtions to communities throughout the Pacific Northwest.

www.pomegranatecenter.org

Building Leaders

2011 Annual Report

Through trainings, presentations and writing, we educated and empowered thousands of leaders across the country to bring new models of community building to their work and lives. At conferences like PopTech, Milenko inspired an international audience to consider the rewards of meaningful, hands-on community building and collaboration.

Our commitment to grow the field of strong community builders grew last year. We incorporated training into our gathering places projects, created a two-day workshop for community leaders, and mentored students and young professionals from across the country.

We made accessing this information even easier through a brand new resource kit, Building Better Communities, distributed free to thousands of people across the country.

6 interns

1050+ hours of training

100s of copies of our new resource kit distributed

www.pomegranatecenter.org

2011 Financials

2011 was a shift in financial model for Pomegranate Center, increasing our foundation and corporate support significantly as our fee-for-service model was reduced. An additional grant from Tully’s Coffee at the end of 2011 is earmarked for a project in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which we will complete in June 2012. We also saw an increase in our individual donor support from previous years, building our capacity to start new programs and support more communities.

Our expenses remained low, thanks to the generous in-kind support of Rowley Properties Inc., who give us our building rent free, and the because of the participation of our amazing Public Space Rangers.

2011 Annual Report

60%

16%

78%

24%

12%10%

REQUESTS FOR SERVICES ANALYSIS OF 2011 REVENUE

Design and Build Gathering Places

Specific Planning: What to do about an issue

Broad Planning: “What do we want to be when we grow up?”

Fee for Service

Individuals

Corporations and Foundations

Made Possible

By...Pomegranate Center’s work to build community, places

and leaders is made possible through support of foundations,

corporations and individuals. We send our deepest gratitude

to each of you!

2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORSGreg BrowerDianne BrudnickiWilliam ClevelandStacy KitahataJim LauingerSpencer NolandLynn ParkerCallie RidolfiCeleste Tell

5 YEAR PLEDGESJanet Farness and Richard YoungLaura FixlerLynn Hagerman and Jim HummerPrentis HaleScott Krahling Bill PtacekRaul RamirezAndy SeaverDavid and Janet StarrLori Tang

FOUNDATION & CORPORATETully’s Coffee/GMCRSeattle FoundationRowley Properties, Inc.Szekely Family FoundationPeg and Rick Young FoundationThrivent FoundationCareth FoundationHorizons FoundationGLY ConstructionWalsh ConstructionAnonymous

FRIENDS OF POMEGRANATE CENTER FOUNDING MEMBERSJoe BarrettBetsy and Jeff JohnsonMilenko MatanovicMeg Olsen Bryan Wiebe

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORTERS ($1000 and over)2 AnonymousGrant AbertDavid and Leigh BangsJanet Farness and Richard YoungDavid FeigertLynn and Lawrence ParkerMary PigottRon and Eva SherBarbara ThomasWedgwood Community Council

And the 224 individuals, businesses, and organizations that donated a collective $31,220 in 2011!

www.pomegranatecenter.org

POMEGRANATE CENTER

Make a gift! This work is made possible by the generous support of community members like you.

Become a Public Space Ranger. Give your time and professional expertise to communities-in-need. Visit our website to learn more.

Attend our Big To Do fundraising breakfast: Mount Baker Community Club, Seattle. Free to attend on May 16, 7:30am-8:30am.

Intern or volunteer with us: Learn more by contacting Bree: bree@pomegranate.org

Host a presentation: Sponsor a presentation by Milenko at your favorite conference. Call our office (425.557.6412) for more details.

Get involved!

www.pomegranatecenter.org