NetworkWilliamsburg, a group that works to strengthen local nonprofits, is seeking participants for its next Nonprofit Board Training class, to be held Feb. 28.
The course began in 2010, originally as a six-week class that met for a short period of time once a week. To accommodate the busy schedules of community members, the class became a one-day event in 2013, where participants spend seven hours soaking up knowledge on board service.
Lisa Freeman of E.L. Freeman Fundraising Counsel will be the training, which now boasts 80 graduates. Topics will cover important issues vital to serving on a board including the role of the board in fundraising, financial oversight, hiring and recruiting staff, and board governance.
Freeman was worked in nonprofits for more than 30 years, working as a fulltime consultant since 1998. She also serves on the board of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives.
Karen Dutro, executive director of NetworkWilliamsburg, said the class works to dispel mystery or even fear of joining a board. It equips board members to understand their tasks, and thus makes for better prepared, committed stewards for nonprofit groups.
Graduates also leave with a solid understanding of what it means to fundraise on behalf of an organization. In an email, Dutro said this “should be required of everyone, and is much easier if you really know about and believe in the organization you are serving.”
Upon completion of the course, participants will become part of an online database of trained board prospects made available to local nonprofits.
The fee for the class is $150, or $100 for current board members of a nonprofit registered with NetworkWillliamsburg.
That fee provides a binder of resources, for use during the class and in the future. Additional income goes back to the NetworkWilliamsburg trainings and programs.
The class starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Virginia Company Bank.
For more information, visit the NetworkWilliamsburg website or call 945-1285.
