Across Virginia, nonprofit leaders are strengthening their organizations and communities by putting CNE’s 7 Actionable Principles into practice. CNE’s 7APs in Action series highlights members whose work reflects the leadership, adaptability, and long-term vision needed to build a strong and sustainable social sector.
1. Create strategic budgets
2. Manage financial position
3. Build relationships
4. Prioritize equity
5. Develop leaders
6. Collaborate with communities
7. Evaluate impact
This issue of CNE’s 7APs in Action features Jeff Connell, Director of a Southwest Virginia 4-H center, whose leadership reflects a strong commitment to managing financial position and developing leaders—two principles guiding the organization through a season of growth and transformation.
The 4-H center’s story begins long before its current mission took shape. Long before it became a center for youth leadership and learning, the property served a very different purpose. Established in the 1800s as a “poor farm,” the site once provided housing and work for individuals experiencing poverty and displacement. Today, many of those original buildings (including cabins built in the early 1880s) still stand—transformed into classrooms, gathering spaces, and places where a new generation of young people build confidence, independence, and connection.
Since officially becoming a 4-H center in the late 1950s, the site has grown into a hub for youth development, anchored in its core purpose: camp-based learning experiences that shape the next generation.
For Jeff Connell, 4-H’s Executive Director, every decision—whether financial, operational, or programmatic—begins with the same question: how will this strengthen the experience and opportunities available to young people?
“We always come back to why we exist,” Connell shares. “Everything we do is about making that experience better and helping it grow.”
Each summer, the center welcomes nearly 2,000 youth from 13 counties for camp programs that emphasize leadership, independence, and hands-on learning. Throughout the year, that number grows to more than 3,500 participants through retreats, workshops, and community events.
Principle 2: Managing Financial Position
When Connell stepped into his role just over two years ago, the organization—like many nonprofits—was navigating financial challenges in the wake of COVID-19.
In the years following the pandemic, the organization faced many of the same pressures impacting nonprofits across the country: rising costs, operational uncertainty, and shifting participation patterns. Rather than scaling back its vision, the center focused on building a stronger and more sustainable future.
“We’ve worked really hard to grow our revenue and reduce debt,” he explains. “And we’ve been able to do that by expanding how people see and use this space.”
By expanding facility rentals, hosting community events, and broadening year-round programming, the organization has diversified revenue while remaining firmly rooted in its mission.
At the same time, the team is thinking long-term. A new strategic plan outlines significant campus improvements, including a dining hall designed to double as an event venue and a flexible education building that can accommodate both youth programming and large community gatherings.
The goal is clear: build infrastructure that not only enhances the camp experience but also generates sustainable revenue.
“We want to be able to tell supporters—if you help us build it, we can maintain it,” Connell says.
Principle 5: Developing Leaders
Leadership development is woven into every aspect of the organization’s work—from campers to staff to emerging young adults, ensuring it is part of the culture at 4-H.
In addition to traditional camp programming, the center has introduced new initiatives like leadership workshops, teen-focused trainings, and “Adulting 101,” a program designed to equip young people with practical life skills as they transition into adulthood.
“We’re asking, what do teenagers need to know before they step into the real world?” Connell explains. “And then we build programming around that.”
The organization is also expanding its reach to college students—an audience that has historically served as camp staff but is now being intentionally engaged as participants and leaders in their own development journey.
This focus reflects a broader commitment to cultivating leadership at every stage, ensuring that young people leave not only with memories, but with skills and confidence that last a lifetime.
While financial sustainability and leadership development are top priorities, Connell is equally focused on strengthening relationships across the community.
“We’ve worked really hard to rebuild trust and connection,” he says. “With local businesses, with families, with the broader community.”
Future plans include expanding public access to the campus through recreational amenities like walking trails, sports courts, and open swim hours—creating new opportunities for the community to engage with the space.
As the organization navigated growth, planning, and long-term sustainability, Connell found an important source of support and connection through the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNE). Connell explains, “CNE gets a group of people who are going through similar things together for us to be able to discuss it…”
“Those little things—those connections—are kind of big,” shared Connell.
Through CNE’s Leadership Circle and Strategic Planning Cohort, Connell has gained tools, peer relationships, and insights to strengthen both his leadership and the organization’s direction.
“It’s been incredibly helpful to be in a room with others facing similar challenges,” he shares. “You learn from each other, and that makes a big difference.”
Today, the 4-H center stands at an exciting intersection of history and possibility—honoring its roots while building toward a more sustainable, community-centered future.
At its core, the mission remains unchanged: to create meaningful experiences that shape young people into capable, confident leaders.
For generations, 4-H has helped young people grow into leaders. Through intentional stewardship, sound financial strategy, and a clear vision for the future, this center is ensuring that tradition continues for generations to come.
