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Congratulations to the 2019 Nonprofit Academy Graduates!

Please join me in congratulating the 2019 Nonprofit Academy Graduates! New Executive Directors of 17 nonprofits successfully completed the inaugural Nonprofit Academy. All participants had less than three years of experience in their roles. Participants met monthly at the Community Foundation throughout 2019 and created their own curriculum. Nonprofit Academy Topics:

  • Strategic planning
  • The Executive Director’s role in fundraising with a development team
  • Fundraising without a development team
  • Board development and engagement
  • Human resources and personnel issues
  • Budgeting and financial reporting
  • Marketing and communications
  • Planned giving

At the start of each meeting, participants shared recent achievements and sought wisdom from their peers. The group jokingly referred to this time as “Nonprofit Therapy.” After that, there were presentations by seasoned Executive Directors and other experts, followed by questions, group discussion, and a debrief. The Nonprofit Academy was designed for Executive Directors because they can most significantly influence their nonprofit. Enhancing the knowledge and skills of Executive Directors helps the Community Foundation achieve its mission of strengthening our community. Evaluation Highlights:

  • Participants rated the Nonprofit Academy 4.7 out of 5 on average
  • 100% of participants offered to serve as a reference for other Executive Directors considering the Nonprofit Academy
  • 89% would recommend the Nonprofit Academy to other Executive Directors

Graduates’ Comments:

“Thank you for the opportunity to attend the Nonprofit Academy. I feel I am a better executive director because of it, as I have a larger toolbox to work from and an expanded network of professionals I can reach out to for support.” “Topics that came up in the Nonprofit Academy became topics in board meetings. I talked with my staff about what we were doing in the Non Profit Academy and that led to good conversations that would not have happened otherwise.” “I personally feel stronger and more confident and that I am a better leader of our organization. I've also immediately brought back ideas and suggestions I learned at the Nonprofit Academy regarding strategic planning, HR and employee retention, budgeting, etc. It's amazing to be learning something that can be immediately applied to my day-to-day.”

 Hats off to this outstanding group of leaders! 2019 Nonprofit Academy Participating Organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada Communities in Schools Cultural Alliance Nevada Dress for Success Envirolution Girls on the Run – Sierras Nevada Educational Advocacy Center for Children & Youth Nevada Historical Society Nevada Outdoor School OLLI Pioneer Center Reno Little Theater ROC Foundation Sierra Arts Foundation Step 2 Tahoe Rim Trail Association Urban Roots Community Foundation fundholders and the Corporate Philanthropy Partners make our Community Engagement programs like the Nonprofit Academy possible. If you would like to learn more about what we do and how we do it, give me a call, 775-333-5499. Nick Tscheekar Community Engagement Officer Connecting people who care with causes that matter.