The CFNRV’s new Nonprofit Accelerator kicked off on January 23rd and 24th with a two-day workshop at the Floyd Event Center. Chris Bennett and Sarah Milston, team members from The Spark Mill, led the workshop. Staff and board members from seven nonprofit agencies worked with mentors drawn from business and higher education communities. Over the next few months, the groups will review the nonprofits’ core missions, articulate their value, and identify challenges. Then, they will develop a 30-60-90 day plan to address some of those challenges, culminating in a celebration in early May of their accomplishments.
The Roanoke Times published an article about the Nonprofit Accelerator featuring the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center, one of the participating agencies. A complete list of the participating organizations and their mentors is below.
Participating Organizations
- Blue Mountain School mentored by Tracy Kwock of the Virginia Department of Education
- Christiansburg Institute, Inc. mentored by Jill Williams, founder of Wild Angle Strategies
- The Lyric Council mentored by Dr. Kathy Krendl, retired president of Otterbein University
- Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center mentored by Greg Reiter, CFO/COO of Torc Robotics
- Pulaski Arts and Cultural Collaborative mentored by Lisa Garcia of the I-Corps program at Virginia Tech and a business consultant
- Springhouse Community School mentored by Henry Bass, President of Automation Creations, Inc.
- Wonder Universe: A Children’s Museum (formerly the Children’s Museum of Blacksburg) mentored by Shelley Fortier, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley.
Professional development for nonprofits
The staff and volunteers at over 200 nonprofit organizations in the NRV commit their time, expertise, and money to making our community a better place. They often run these organizations with limited budgets and increasing demands. The CFNRV has a lengthy track-record of capacity building services. This includes our monthly Third Thursday Society, workshops, and one-on-one consultation offered free of charge.
Want more information on the Nonprofit Accelerator program or the CFNRV’s other professional development opportunities? Contact our team at cfnrv@cfnrv.org or call 540.381.8999.