Workshops Offered to Strengthen Local Non-Profits

Community Foundation of Greater New Britain and American Savings Foundation Offer Workshops to Help Local Non-Profits Navigate Challenging Times

New Britain, Conn., January 10, 2018 – The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) and American Savings Foundation are working together to offer a series of in-depth capacity building workshops for local non-profit organizations during 2018. The workshops are designed to help organizations address the increasingly difficult challenge of sustaining programs and services during lean fiscal times.

Supported by $30,000 in funding from CFGNB and a $21,150 grant from American Savings Foundation, the Capacity Building workshop series will run from March through October. The series will consist of six workshops on topics such as building a strong team, fundraising in good times and bad, and public relations and the use of new media. The workshops will be free of charge to nonprofit executive directors, who may be accompanied by members of their board as well as senior staff such as finance directors and development officers.

Each workshop will be led by Danosky & Associates of New Milford and will have space for up to 15 participating agencies. Non-profit organizations based in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville or Southington are invited to apply to attend some or all of the workshops. At the end of the series, organizations that attended at least four of the workshops will be eligible to apply for up to $2,000 toward implementation of a strategy learned during the workshop series.

“As organizations that our non-profit partners look to, not only for funding but also for leadership during difficult times, it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to provide them with tools and resources,” said CFGNB President David Obedzinski. “These workshops will go a long way in helping local non-profits fully realize their missions in a time of decreased government funding, increased costs, greater demand for services and ever-increasing competition for grant funding.”

“We are pleased to partner with the Community Foundation on this important workshop series,” added Maria Falvo, president of American Savings Foundation. “We know that local nonprofits are looking for ways to adapt to the challenges they face. These workshops will help agencies remain strong so they can continue their important work supporting the community.”

As part of the Capacity Building Initiative, CFGNB will be developing a new lending library for area non-profits to use at their Foundation Center on Vine Street in New Britain. The library will provide access to print and online resources to help reduce costs for organizations.

The Capacity Building workshop series is based on an earlier, successful series of workshops held in 2016 by the Community Foundation, via a grant from the Catalyst Fund. Plainville Community Food Pantry Executive Director Susie Woerz, who participated in the 2016 series, said at the time, “This is the kind of training we just don’t have the resources for.”

The application and complete details are available at www.cfgnb.org/requests-for-proposals/.  Completed applications are due by February 16. If space allows, additional applications may be accepted during the year. Space is limited and organizations will be selected by the Community Foundation and American Savings Foundation. For more information, contact Joeline Wruck, Director of Community Initiatives and Program Services, CFGNB, at 860-229-6018, ext. 307, or 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, manage permanent charitable assets effectively, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org

American Savings Foundation is a permanent charitable endowment that provides grants to local nonprofit organizations, and college scholarships to area students. Since its inception in 1995, the Foundation has contributed more than $54 million in total grants and scholarships in central Connecticut. For more information, call 860-827-2556 or visit the Foundation’s website at www.asfdn.org.