“It’s a hit piece, I think”, non-profit fires back at city’s consultant report

Members of the non-profit group Mexican American Cultural Institute said they were blindsided by a consultant’s report on the organization.

The city of El Paso hired the consultant, Lee and Associates, to examine the group’s fundraising efforts and devise a plan of action.

The Mexican American Cultural Institute, or MACI, has been working to raise $20 million to help fund the city’s future Mexican American Cultural Center.

But the consultant’s study found a serious and widespread perception problem with the group.
Board member Silvestre Reyes held no punches responding to the report.

“It’s a hit piece I think,” said Reyes.

About $6 million was approved for the project in the 2012 quality of life bond election.
But the price tag has now ballooned to $35 million.
The city has committed to an extra $10 million in funding.

The consultant’s study released by the city predicts the group will only be able to raise $3 million to $7.5 million, far short of the initial $20 million goal.

The study found a serious and widespread perception problem.

The authors wrote: “The community believes that the current leaders of the MACI have a culture and history of developing adversarial relationships, both internally and externally and do not reflect or communicate well with El Paso’s rising Mexican American leaders. In fundraising, perception is half the battle.”

The study has been presented to city council reps.

Reyes said city officials told him to keep the report confidential. The word confidential is written on the front of the report. But city officials responded by saying: The city attorney’s office which has received open records requests for the study, says there is no exception under the open records act to justify withholding the information.”

MACI is set to meet with the consultant on Monday and board members are lining up their questions.

“One of the obvious questions is where do you get this erroneous impression that there is conflict or any kind adversarsial relationship among the board members because there isn’t,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the group was caught of guard.

“We are perplexed that an organization, a consulting firm who were were told was going to give us a strategy for how to raise money for the center all of a sudden turned out to be someone that took issue with very professional members of the board,” Reyes said.

The study also took issue with the amount of money raised by the group over the past year — less than $23,000.

But Reyes said the lack of a formal agreement with the city has been holding them back from bringing in the big money.

An agreement is being negotiated now, but board members worry the study could jeopardize the partnership.

“Concerned yes, we are all concerned about that,” Reyes said.

The consultant’s study did include an action plan for successful fundraising.

The non-profit has made one change.

An early city sub-committee came up with the $20 million goal for MACI to raise. But board members said they are more comfortable working to raise $8 million.