Adam Clevenger, fundraising professional with Loring, Sternberg & Associates, presented the final training of the Excellence in Nonprofit Management series.

The fundraising session was preceded by “Board Governance” (beginning in June) followed by “Strategic Planning, Marketing,” and “Measuring Impact through Outcomes.”

“This five-month series was created based on survey input from over 50 local nonprofits last spring, so the topics were important to organization leaders. The trainings stimulated thinking and discussion about ways to improve their organizations,” said Wendy Rose, executive director of the Community Foundation.

Comments from attendees also reflected their intent to utilize the information within their organizations: “Many takeaways! So much valuable and applicable information … I appreciated how each session built on the previous ones … very helpful walking through the whole process, step-by-step. Hearing others’ ideas, challenges and perspectives was also helpful … very good information to take back to my board and volunteers.”

Rose believes that the success of the training series proves that COVID-19 “will not stop people from moving forward. Although we had challenges along the way, many participants attended in person and several others attended virtually. Partnering with other local entities for technology (Nathan Origer, Pulaski County Community Development Commission) and the program site (First United Methodist Church) enabled us to make necessary adjustments through the pandemic.”

Registrants who attended the entire series are eligible for a Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Management once they submit a brief summary of how they will use what they learned for the benefit of their organizations and/or the Pulaski County community. Those recipients will be officially announced and honored at the Community Foundation’s annual celebration on Dec. 10.

This training series was facilitated by Amy Beechy, Project Matters, LLC and Kimberly Pinkerton, Kimberly’s Business by Design, LLC.

“We really love Pulaski County. It has been a sincere delight to meet and build relationships with the local nonprofit leaders and understand their organizations’ needs and missions,” said Ms. Beechy.

Ms. Pinkerton added, “It truly has been a privilege to work with the Community Foundation to bring this successful series forth as a result of last year’s community conversations. It is just one step toward the community’s aspirations. We look forward to continuing this Forward-Thinking Leadership process.”

For more information about the Forward Thinking Leadership Initiative or to learn how you may support this process, email the Community Foundation at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or telephone 574.946.0906.

Participants in the recent “Fearless Fundraising” session included (l-r)  Amy Beechy, Brandy Aschbrenner, Wendy Rose, Diana Day, Sharon McKinley, Kitty Gutwein, Jodie Schlatter, Lisa Zlystra, Brandi Larkin, and Kimberly Pinkerton. Not pictured, or attending virtually were Karen Albrecht, Kaye Beall, Emerald Blankenship, Jon Chapman, Natalie Tucker, Marcy Fox, Jackie Frain, Connor McBride, Betty Stinemetz, Steve Morrison, and Darlene Mellon.