NEW BRITAIN — The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) will offer a series of workshops for non-profit organizations in 2023 that will provide learning opportunities that support their operations and build their capacity.
The Capacity Building Workshop Series will consist of 10 workshops, beginning in February, focusing on the areas of staffing; building a strong board of directors; social media and web integration and philanthropy and fundraising. Various experts will lead the workshops, all will be offered free of charge to organizations based in or significantly the towns in the Foundation’s catchment area of Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington.
“When workshops were offered in 2018 and 2019, the demand was a clear indicator that non-profit organizations valued what was offered,” said Joeline Wruck, Director of Community Initiatives and Program Services for the CFGNB. “The offerings for 2023 were created based on survey input from our local organizations and subsequent meetings. We are excited to get back to meeting in person.”
Non-profit Organizations may apply to participate in only one workshop, or up to all ten. The series is not designed for municipal or quasi-governmental organizations; volunteer-run organizations are eligible if they have a governing board of directors is in place. The workshops are as follows:
In the area of staffing, four sessions will be offered: Leadership 101: Building Essential Leadership Skills on February 15 from 9am-noon; Recognizing and Addressing Burnout from 9am to noon on February 28; Succession Planning on March 1 from 6:30-8PM via Zoom and Creating a Culture of Accountability on March 14 from 9am-noon.

Workshops on building a strong board will provide 3 sessions, all offered from 4-7:30 PM and with a light dinner as follows: Who’s on Your Board and Why on April 5; How Does Your Board Do the Work They Are Supposed To Do on April 19 and What is The Role of a Purpose-Driven Board in Today’s Eco-System on May 3.

Two sessions on social media and web integration are Virtual Community Engagement: Social Media on May 15, 17 and 19 (8:30-10:30am first day; 8:30-11am days two and three)
and then Virtual Community Engagement: Web Integration on October 16, 18 and 20 (8:30-10:30am first day; 8:30-11am days two and three).

A training on philanthropy and fundraising will take place on November 6, 8 and 10 (8:30-10:30am first day; 8:30-11am days two and three).
Instructors include experts in the field including Alicia Davis and Stacie Watson from Transformative Leadership Strategies in West Hartford; Sharon Danosky from Danosky & Associates based in Sherman Connecticut; and Sondra Dellaripa from Harvest Development Group in New Haven. All trainings will take place in New Britain.
Organizations that attend seven of the 10 workshops will be eligible to apply for a grant award of up to $2,000 at the end of the training sessions. The grant will support implementation of some aspect of what was learned from the sessions that will strengthen participating organizations. Complete workshop details are available in the application and on the Foundation’s website.
Space is limited and applications will be considered on a first come-first served basis. Priority placement will be given to those organizations that submit their application by February 1. To apply and also to see the full description of each offering, visit https://cfgnb.org/capacity-building-for-nonprofits/. Those with questions or seeking additional information are asked to contact Joeline Wruck at 860-229-6018 ext. 307 or via email at jwruck@cfgnb.org.
Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. The Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets effectively, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information or to support CFGNB’s work, visit www.cfgnb.org.