Strengthening Capital Region Nonprofits
The Community Foundation offers tools and resources for professional and organizational development around helpful workshop topics— from business planning to program evaluation to helping to strengthen our region’s nonprofit sector. Contact Dylan Hall, Director for Community Initiatives to learn more about how your organization can access these opportunities.
Catalysts for Change Leadership Program: A 10-week board development series that will focus on increasing inclusiveness and diversity on nonprofit boards and linking leaders to supporting nonprofits. Click here to learn more.
Nonprofit Listening Tour: Capacity-building is designed to strengthen organizational leadership and build the skills of the staff and board. In this way, the Foundation can be part of the solution—helping to ensure that nonprofits have what they need to deliver on their mission.
Strategy Labs: are dedicated, deep-dive workshops focused on one pre-identified issue area. The goal of the workshop is to help the organizations develop real solutions and next steps to overcome the obstacles hindering their growth.
Strategy Sessions: Strategy sessions are short informal conversations to help nonprofit leaders to navigate change, align priorities, or build skillsets.
Virtual Workshop Series: Beginning in Summer of 2022, the Community Foundation is hosting an ongoing series of short workshops as an opportunity to gather online to share best practices and learn from industry experts about ways to maximize their efforts and strengthen their work. Click here to register for upcoming programs and view past presentations.
Consultant Directory
The Community Foundation is compiling a directory of nonprofit consultants that will be shared with organizations upon request. The directory will also be included on the Foundation’s website. The Community Foundation does not promote or recommend specific consultants. The listing is for information purposes only. The Foundation recommends interviewing consultants and asking for references prior to engagement.
To be included in the directory, the consultant must either:
- Work, live in, or have clients located in the Greater Capital Region (Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, or Washington Counties) OR
- Have presented at Community Foundation affiliated events.
The directory is a spreadsheet and can be downloaded by clicking this link.
To be included in this directory, please complete the following survey.
For questions about the directory please email info@cfgcr.org.
Additional Resources
Below you will find a number of resources you may find useful in researching funding opportunities, trends in philanthropy, or best practices.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy: the newspaper for not-for-profits
Council on Foundations: a national membership organization for private, family, and community foundations
Guidestar: a source of detailed information on all U.S. nonprofits
NYS Charities Bureau: the New York State Attorney General’s resource for charitable organizations
The New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON): a resource for not-for-profit organizations in New York
Association of Fundraising Professionals: Leading fundraising professional association that provides training and resources for fundraising, ethics, philanthropy and much more. AFP, NY Hudson-Mohawk is the local chapter with trainings and networking groups throughout the Capital Region.
UAlbany’s Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development: Home to Nonprofit University and providing innovative and multidisciplinary organizational capacity-building, leadership development, and research opportunities for Capital Region nonprofits.
Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator
The mission of the Emerging Nonprofit Leaders Accelerator (ENLA) is to cultivate a robust talent and leadership pipeline for the nonprofit sector in the greater Capital Region. Participants engage in professional soft skills workshops, and technical training facilitated by subject-matter experts, and receive one-on-one mentorship and career advisement to prepare for future leadership roles.
Applicant Qualifications:
- Currently working as a mid-level director / manager / coordinator / associate at a nonprofit organization in the greater Capital Region
- Have at least 5 years of professional experience – 2 minimally in the nonprofit sector
- Have completed an undergraduate degree or a mix of equivalent experience and/or education
- Have no graduate-level degree in nonprofit management
Emphasis will be placed on developing a diverse cohort of participants and mentors, and we encourage applications from emerging leaders identifying including Black, Indigenous or a Person of color, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and other individuals from underrepresented communities.
ENLA is a partnership between the University at Albany’s Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development and the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. The program is supported by MVP Health Care and the Michaelson Family Fund of the Community Foundation.