First Initiative is hosting
Duke Nonprofit Management Program beginning
in September
ASHEVILLE,
July 27, 2005 – Leading
a nonprofit organization in today’s
world is one of the most challenging
jobs there is, with increasing pressure
on accountability, competition for
funding, and complex issues facing
our communities.
Five leading philanthropic
groups have established WNC Partners
for Nonprofit
Success with the purpose of sharpening
the skills of local nonprofit leaders
and making the sector stronger. “We
want Western North Carolina to have
a vibrant and healthy nonprofit sector
that works in concert with individuals,
business and government to address
needs and opportunities so that our
communities succeed and thrive,” said
Susan Jenkins, executive director of
the Cherokee Preservation Foundation,
at a press briefing announcing the
formation of WNC Partners. “Our
mission is to help build effective
organizations through learning opportunities
and resources.”
The organizations
comprising the Partners include: Cherokee
Preservation Foundation,
The Community Foundation of Western
North Carolina, Mission Healthcare
Foundation, United Way of Asheville
and Buncombe County, and University
of North Carolina at Asheville. The
group will provide learning opportunities
and resources for nonprofits in 18
western counties, stretching from Murphy
in the west to Morganton in the east
and the communities in between.
“
We have come together because we can
do more in a coordinated effort than
any one of us could do alone,” said
Pat Smith, president of The Community
Foundation of Western North Carolina.
Smith talked about the critical role
of nonprofits in our mountain region – “as
an economic engine and employer, as
community builders who improve our
quality of life, and as the providers
of the safety net that cares for our
citizens with the greatest needs.”
Bruce Thorsen of the
Mission Healthcare Foundation announced
that
the group’s
first initiative is to host the Duke
Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management.
Beginning in September, classes tailored
to nonprofits’ needs will be
offered on topics ranging from customer
service and program evaluation to financial
management and fundraising. “We
have planned a solid curriculum with
excellent teachers, all of whom are
gifted practitioners in the nonprofit
field,” Thorsen said. “All
nonprofit representatives are encouraged
to participate, whatever their level
of experience and whether they want
to pursue a certificate or just learn
from a single course topic.”
The
need for WNC Partners for Nonprofit
Success grew out of an awareness of
increasing pressures on community organizations,
according to Ann Von Brock of United
Way of Asheville and Buncombe County.
Von Brock cited new accountability
requirements from government and funding
sources as well as reductions in available
charitable funds – added on to
already stretched nonprofit budgets
and staffs. “Our Partners group
wants to help nonprofits be strong
and effective,” Von Brock said, “and
they need skills and tools, resources
and encouragement to get there.”
WNC
Partners plans to offer additional
high quality, state-of-the-art programming
and resources after the Duke program
gets underway, said William Massey
of University of North Carolina at
Asheville. “This is just the
beginning,” Massey said. “Our
goals include enhancing connections
among nonprofits and being a voice
for the value of the nonprofit sector
so that more people understand and
appreciate the important role the more
than 2,000 registered tax-exempt organizations
play in Western North Carolina.”
Plans
for WNC Partners stem from listening
to the needs of nonprofits. Comments
have been gathered from nonprofit leaders
across the region and a review is underway
of model programs across the country
as well as existing programs locally,
so that the Partners’ work will
not duplicate efforts. On Friday, a
mailing will go to 2,500 area nonprofit
leaders announcing WNC Partners, the
Duke program offerings, and inviting
input on future programming. The Partners
said they will continually seek local
leaders’ guidance on what their
focus should be.
For more information
about WNC Partners for Nonprofit
Success, call (828) 254-4960.
For questions about the Duke Program
in Nonprofit Management or to register
for courses, go to www.learnmore.duke.edu/nonprofit (web site available August 1st) or
call (919) 684-6259.
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