Addressing Nonprofit Training, Capacity Building Needs

Center Convenes Training and Education Task Force, Helps Nonprofits Assess Professional Development Needs and Creates Solutions

As nonprofit organizations throughout the Greater Washington region face increasing demands for services, the Center for Nonprofit Advancement is engaging the community to develop short- and long-term solutions to support their training and capacity building needs.

In response to the expressed needs of area nonprofits, the Center has established a dynamic Training and Education Task Force of area experts to enhance its programming for nonprofit staff development and overall organizational capacity building. The Center’s Learning and Leadership Institute currently offers more than 100 comprehensive workshops on core management areas annually. In addition, it hosts continuum series sessions for emerging nonprofit leaders and new and veteran executive directors.

Task force members include Lee Christian Parker and Kristin Scotchmer of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, Karen Kinney of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Bob Wittig of the Jovid Foundation, Rick Moyers of the Meyer Foundation, Michela Perrone, Ph. D. of MMP Associates, Emily Gantz McKay of Mosaica, Chuck Bean of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington and Patricia Mathews of the Northern Virginia Health Foundation.

The Task Force was established to help identify and collaborate on solutions to the region's most pressing needs in professional development and move toward implementing short- and long-term solutions.

“As organizations across the region are asked to do more with less, continued support for nonprofit capacity building is critical,” said Center CEO Glen O’Gilvie. “We’re delighted to engage these learning champions to assist the Center in building upon our 30 year history of supporting and strengthening nonprofits in the region.”

To help assess the current needs of nonprofits, this spring the Center invited nonprofits across the region, including Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, to participate in a comprehensive survey to assess the training and educational needs of nonprofit leaders, staff and board members.

Respondents rated the strength of their organization in the following categories: governance, leadership, management, finance/accounting, human resources, fund development, program management, public relations/marketing and information technology.

Results show that executive leadership, finance/accounting and program management were perceived areas of strength for local nonprofits. The areas for which nonprofits expressed a need for ongoing skill development included fund development, governance and public relations/marketing.

Ninety-one nonprofit organizations participated in the survey. Respondents were both Center members and non-members, shedding light on the nonprofit community as a whole. Thirty-one percent of respondents have an operating budget of $1 – 4.9 million and 32 percent of respondents have five or fewer paid employees. Click here to learn more about the survey's findings.

“The results of this survey emphasize the ongoing needs of area nonprofits,” said O’Gilvie. “These results, along with the work of the Education Task Force, will help the Center to build upon its work supporting the capacity building needs of our region.”

About the Center for Nonprofit Advancement:
The Center for Nonprofit Advancement strengthens the capacity of nonprofit organizations throughout Greater Washington, D.C. The Center directly partners with more than 800 nonprofits, helping them achieve their missions through training and technical assistance programs, networking, advocacy and group buying power.