Training Nonprofit Leaders

Third Thursday, providing leadership training for non profit professionalsThe staff and volunteers at over 200 nonprofit organizations in the NRV commit their time, expertise, and money to making our community a better place, often with limited budgets and increasing demands. This initiative builds on the CFNRV’s strong reputation for nonprofit management training to offer a comprehensive curriculum and forums for information sharing that build the skills and capacity of nonprofit leaders.

Understanding the Need

  • The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance’s 2011 study of 3,200 nonprofit leaders indicated that managers entering nonprofits lack core competencies in volunteer management, risk management and legal issues, and fundraising.

  • A recent survey by Bridgespan, a philanthropy consulting group, revealed that nonprofit leaders cite leadership development as their biggest organizational weakness by a factor of nearly 2 to 1 over the next closest weakness.

  • Stanford Social Innovation Review reported in 2014 that between 1992 and 2011, less than 1% of total U.S. foundation giving went towards non profit leadership development.

  • The majority of nonprofit organizations in the NRV have few staff members and little to no budget for professional development.

Building Nonprofit Capacity

Philanthropic organizations like the CFNRV have both the privilege and the responsibility to build the capacity of the organizations we fund. To be good stewards of the funds we manage, and of our community, we must invest in the passionate individuals who give their time and energy to charitable organizations. The CFNRV has a lengthy track-record of capacity building services, including the monthly Third Thursday Society, workshops, and one-on-one consultation offered free of charge.

The Nonprofit Leadership Institute (NLI), an initiative of the Fund for the NRV, expands on this track record with a comprehensive program that will:

  • Engage nonprofit leaders in an accessible, informative curriculum that covers a broad array of nonprofit and leadership topics at low cost.

  • Create a forum for information sharing that encourages peer-to-peer learning and problem solving.

  • Introduce best practices and innovative ideas from within and outside of our region.

  • Build a sense of community through a cohort model that creates and strengthens a network of support for nonprofit leaders.