TA Tuesday: Skilling up nonprofits, building a resilient food system, tech as economic development and job creation
Nonprofit skillbuilding
Build the Board You Need, Thursday January 8
Join us to learn practical strategies for creating a board that will move your organization forward. In this course, we’ll cover the board’s role, and what your organization needs from its board members. We will explore ways to find the right board members to serve your nonprofit at its current stage. We will also discuss how to create positive relationships with and within the board, and how to navigate the common challenges that arise with boards. Whether you’re an executive director, board member, or development professional, this course will help you plan for a healthy sustainable organization.
Designing Inclusive and Impactful Nonprofit Websites, Tuesday, January 13
Discover how to create nonprofit websites that inspire action and foster inclusivity. This session will provide strategies for designing user-friendly, visually compelling websites that connect with diverse audiences and reflect your mission.
Learn practical tips to optimize layout, content, accessibility features, and navigation, ensuring that your website effectively engages supporters and serves your community. Whether you're revamping an existing site or building a new one, this workshop will empower your nonprofit to create a digital presence that is both impactful and inclusive.
Get Your Board Fundraising, Thursday, January 15
Join us to learn practical strategies for better engaging your board in fundraising. In this course, we’ll cover boards’ typical fundraising responsibilities, why some board members may be reluctant to fundraise, and how to overcome these concerns. We will also brainstorm new ways your board members can participate in fundraising activities and will share tips for strengthening your board and aligning on fundraising priorities. Whether you’re an executive director, board member, or development professional, this course will help you plan for your organization to fundraise better as one team.
Building resilent systems
Resilient Virginia’s Spotlight on Arts and Cultural Approaches to Community Resilience will
explore how arts and cultural practices can strengthen food systems resilience through the work of the Roanoke Foodshed Network (RFN), a regional collaborative advancing a more resilient, equitable, and accessible food system. Drawing on a community–university partnership, the session highlights how RFN uses arts and storytelling to build relationships, honor cultural food traditions, and foster inclusion across the region.
Participants will learn from initiatives such as Arts Connect the Food System and Stories of Community Food Work, which use culturally grounded events and storytelling to elevate diverse voices, deepen community understanding, and inform collective action. The webinar will share practical insights and strategies for integrating arts-based approaches into community resilience work.
The free webinar takes place Thursday, January 22 at 1:00 pm.
Advancing Digital Skills in Rural America: Lessons from the Field
The Center on Rural Innovation’s free webinar Advancing Digital Skills in Rural America: Lessons from the Field takes place Wednesday, January 7 at 1:00 pm.
The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) will spotlight how six rural communities have strengthened their tech workforce pipelines through cross-sector collaboration, informed strategy, and learner-centered supports.
Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Blueprint Virginia 2035
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce recently presented to Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger Blueprint Virginia 2035. The doc contains recommendations on nine priority areas: Business climate, education and workforce, infrastructure, housing, innovation and technology, military and veterans affairs, healthcare and life sciences, legal climate, and business sustainability.
There’s a lot of information in this report. . . But keep in mind that the Virginia Chamber of Commerce leans toward supporting big business, which may be against the interests of small businesses and definitely takes the side of business owners and not workers. For example, the first recommendation is to maintain Virginia’s right-to-work status, meaning that Virginia law “bars labor unions from requiring workers to join as a condition of employment.” (Spanberger splits the middle on right-to-work, opposes full repeal).