CNE believes that when it comes to improving outcomes for Virginians, nonprofits are getting it done. United Way of South West Virginia is doing just that. Each day, the organization fights for the health, education, financial stability, and resilience of community members across 21 localities from Southwest Virginia through the New River Valley.

How does United Way SWVA do it? According to the organization’s Executive Director, Megan Parks, they’re keeping a pulse on the evolving needs of community members and embracing versatility to meet changing demand. 

Parks credits the organization’s adaptability for the success of its 2024 response to Hurricane Helene, “Disaster recovery on September 29th may not have been our plan for that day, but it became our plan that day. We all called one another and said, okay, what do we need to do?”

Guided by organizational flexibility and supplemented by holistic community knowledge, United Way SWVA raised $2.2 million in response to Hurricane Helene and gave 100% of it to long-term recovery efforts in the community. The nonprofit also operated donation centers and managed volunteers during the recovery effort.

Parks and her team understand that today, fighting for community resilience in South West Virginia requires weaving the region’s disaster-prone status into the fabric of their mission. A first step in this direction is the org’s launch of an emergency preparedness and education program for South West Virginia families.

While United Way of Southwest Virginia dedicates itself fully to supporting local families, CNE supports the organization directly, providing the guidance, skills, and resilience needed to address evolving community needs. Reflecting on her experience working with CNE, Parks says, “I knew we were in good hands. I knew we were in the right place at the right time.”

From conducting Board of Directors trainings on governance and fiduciary duty to facilitating regional convenings for nonprofit Executive Directors, CNE is ensuring that United Way of South West Virginia has the capacity it needs to keep getting it done.

CNE believes that when it comes to improving outcomes for Virginians, nonprofits are getting it done. Blue Ridge Discovery Center is no exception. In their work to connect community members with nature, the organization is inspiring curiosity, discovery, and stewardship through the wonders of the Blue Ridge.

How is Blue Ridge Discovery Center accomplishing its mission? According to the organization’s Executive Director, Lisa Benish, it’s all about getting visitors outside and into the elements. 

Referencing a new renovation to the Center’s headquarters, Benish says, “Even though this is a beautiful building, we try not to stay in it…We might revisit something from a scientific standpoint, and then we take [visitors] back out. So we tell [visitors], when you come here, this is outdoor education, and we’re going to be outside.”

Wilderness explorations, salamander meanders, butterfly counts, and hawk migration walks are just a few of the many outdoor adventures the Blue Ridge Discovery Center has to offer.

It’s an exciting time to be at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center. Having completed renovations on their headquarters and a staff housing facility, the organization is currently working on a new visitors center, which is slotted for completion this time next year. 

With a visible, roadside location, Benish is looking forward to the program-level expansion the visitor center will introduce, “This building will be the gateway…we’ll be able to do more interpretive education right there on the spot and provide more programs, get more sign-ups…I think it’ll really open our doors to more opportunities.”

The Blue Ridge Discovery Center inspires youth and adults through immersive nature experiences, and CNE supports them by offering guidance and training for continued organizational growth. Reflecting on her experience meeting with CNE’s Executive Director Circle, Benish says, “Sometimes you feel completely alone out here, especially as a director…this is that safe space where [directors] can get feedback from other people who are feeling the same pains we are. That has been really inspirational.”

CNE looks forward to continuing our support of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, ensuring the organization has the capacity it needs to keep getting it done.

The National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) and a coalition of other nonprofits, associations, unions, and local government filed a lawsuit today challenging the Administration’s final rule to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by unlawfully limiting which charitable nonprofits qualify as “eligible employers.”

The lawsuit – National Council of Nonprofits et. al. v. McMahon – is asking the courts to strike down the final rule and safeguard the PSLF program as Congress intended: a bipartisan promise to those who choose to serve their communities, regardless of politics.

As NCN president and CEO, Diane Yentel stated in their press statement, “The administration’s new regulation unlawfully politicizes and undermines a successful, bipartisan program, harming nonprofits and the millions of people who rely on them every day. PSLF has a proven track record of helping local nonprofits recruit and retain the workforce they need to provide essential services to the American people. Contrary to law, the regulation allows current and future administrations to change PSLF eligibility according to their priorities or ideology, inviting government overreach and abuse and creating instability that will undermine the program’s success. This must not stand.”

In addition to NCN, plaintiffs include nonprofits: Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Legal Aid DC, Oasis Legal Services, associations and unions: National Association of Social Workers, AFT, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and National Education Association, and local government: City of Albuquerque, City of Boston, City of Chicago, City and County of San Francisco, County of Santa Clara. The coalition is represented by Protect Borrowers and Democracy Forward in this matter; the County of Santa Clara and City and County of San Francisco represent themselves.

You can read NCN’s press statement on the lawsuit.

As a nonprofit executive, academic, and pastor, Dr. Nathan Walton has devoted his career to equipping and mobilizing organizations for social transformation. That career has included serving as Executive Director of a community development nonprofit that specialized in youth development, as well as over a decade of pastoral ministry. Walton currently serves as Co-Lead Pastor of East End Fellowship in Richmond, Virginia.

Dr. Walton first experienced the impact of CNE while leading a CNE member nonprofit and deeply appreciated the community of support and resources that CNE offered. Years later, as the most recent outgoing CNE board chair, Nathan is excited to continue offering his nonprofit expertise to support CNE’s strategic planning and advancement efforts. Those efforts are not only aiding the work of countless nonprofits across Virginia, but are furthering the flourishing of the social impact sector as a whole.

Thank you, Nathan, for your outstanding support of CNE!

Marta Keane has spent her career helping others thrive, first as a speech-language pathologist and audiologist and later as a nonprofit leader. She began at the Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center, where she supported patients from toddlers to seniors—teaching sign language to a preschooler who had survived a stroke, and helping a young man with a brain injury communicate through Morse code. These experiences shaped her lifelong commitment to restoring dignity and improving quality of life.

Over the next 30 years, Marta took on leadership roles directing rehabilitation programs, mentoring clinicians, and integrating physical, occupational, and speech therapies to better serve patients. She later returned to the University of Virginia to train in audiology, helping to ensure more accurate diagnoses and treatments.

In 2013, she became CEO of the Jefferson Area Board for Aging (JABA), leading the nonprofit for 13 years before retiring. She has also held leadership roles with the Speech and Hearing Association of Virginia, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and the Virginia Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

Today, Marta continues to teach on aging at the University of Virginia and James Madison University, and serves on several local boards. As CNE’s Board Chair, the organization’s mission inspires her, “I am honored to be a board member for CNE because its mission reflects what I believe deeply—that nonprofits deserve strong support so they can continue providing the programs and services our communities depend on.”

Thank you, Marta, for your outstanding support of CNE!

CNE’s 7AP in Action series showcases members who exemplify excellence in nonprofit work and embody one or more of CNE’s 7 Actionable Principles (7AP)—guiding values that support a strong, sustainable social sector: This issue features Erika Viccellio, Executive Director at Foutain Fund.

1.     Create strategic budgets

2.     Manage financial position

3.     Build relationships

4.     Prioritize equity

5.     Develop leaders

6.     Collaborate with communities

7.     Evaluate impact

Her leadership reflects a strong commitment to the 4th principle—prioritize equity.

The Fountain Fund began as a quiet but radical proposition: What if financial justice could be a key to healing the harms of mass incarceration? Founded in Charlottesville by former federal prosecutor Tim Heaphy, the Fountain Fund began its journey eight years ago with a mission rooted in understanding—to provide low-interest loans to formerly incarcerated individuals, removing the financial barriers that too often block the road to reintegration. The organization quickly discovered something else: their work wasn’t just about access to capital. It was about equity.

Principle 4: Prioritize equity

Erika Viccellio, who joined as Executive Director early in the Fund’s journey, brought a passion for turning equity from a value into a structure, not just what the Fund did, but how it did it.

“We’ve been asking ourselves,” she said, “what am I willing to give up so that others have opportunity?”

From rethinking traditional top-down leadership to prioritizing lived experience in every facet of the organization, the Fountain Fund didn’t just aim to help formerly incarcerated individuals; they invited them to lead. That meant hiring team members with lived experience, rebalancing board representation to reflect the communities they served, and honoring alternative forms of expertise, from the street to the banking sector. But shifting how an organization thinks and operates requires more than vision—it takes support.

For years, the Fountain Fund has found community through the Center for Nonprofit Excellence – Virginia (CNE)’s peer-to-peer learning programs. Fifteen years ago, Erika joined CNE’s very first Executive Directors Circle, with some of members of this group still meeting monthly today. Since then, other Fountain Fund team members have taken part in the Leaders of Color Circle and the Emerging Leaders Academy, continuing the tradition of shared growth and support. As Erika reflects, “CNE’s peer-to-peer learning opportunities have been foundational to the growth of the Fountain Fund team.”

Today, the Fund operates in multiple cities, including Charlottesville, Philadelphia, Boston, and Richmond, all while maintaining a community-rooted, relationship-first model. From court debt relief to small business loans, each transaction is more than money; it’s a chance to rebuild lives with dignity and trust.

The model is working. The Fund has issued nearly 900 loans totaling over $4 million, but just as importantly, it has become a beacon for how to build power with, not just for, people. As Erika puts it, “We don’t have a flashy equity statement. But if you look at everything we’re doing, it’s about equity. It’s about flipping the script.” The Fountain Fund continues to grow—with care, with courage, and with a clear-eyed commitment to equity that isn’t just spoken, but lived.

La serie 7AP en Acción de CNE muestra a miembros que ejemplifican la excelencia en el trabajo sin fines de lucro y encarnan uno o más de los 7 Principios Accionables (7AP) de CNE—valores rectores que apoyan un sector social fuerte y sostenible:

1. Crear presupuestos estratégicos

2. Manejar la posición financiera

3. Construir relaciones

4. Priorizar la equidad

5. Desarrollar líderes

6. Colaborar con comunidades

7. Evaluar impacto

Esta edición presenta a Paola Sánchez Valdez, Directora Ejecutiva Interina en Creciendo Juntos. Su liderazgo refleja un fuerte compromiso con el sexto principio—colaborar con comunidades.

En el corazón de Charlottesville, Creciendo Juntos (CJ) ha sido una parte vital de la comunidad Latinx durante casi dos décadas. Lo que comenzó a mediados de los años 2000 como una pequeña iniciativa enfocada en ayudar a los proveedores de servicios a interactuar mejor con la población Latinx se ha convertido en una organización sin fines de lucro resiliente, ahora completamente enfocada en construir el poder de la juventud Latinx.

La trayectoria de CJ es una de evolución, resiliencia arraigada en la comunidad y transformación valiente. En 2015, la iniciativa se convirtió oficialmente en una organización sin fines de lucro, y para diciembre de 2024, CJ había refinado su misión con una claridad audaz: construir el poder de la juventud Latinx en la región de Charlottesville. Esta misión ahora guía su trabajo en tres áreas clave: educación transformadora, participación cívica y sentido de pertenencia colectivo. A través de estos canales, CJ está empoderando a la juventud para que se exprese con autenticidad, abrace su identidad y se convierta en el liderazgo que sus comunidades necesitan. Pero el camino hacia esa claridad no fue fácil.

Tras superar la agitación de la pandemia y un período de gran transición, CJ se encontraba en una encrucijada. Con un conocimiento institucional limitado después de un cambio organizacional significativo, el nuevo liderazgo se hizo las preguntas difíciles: ¿Deberíamos continuar? ¿La comunidad todavía necesita a CJ? Esa autorreflexión provocó un renacimiento transformador. En el centro de esta transformación estuvieron el desarrollo intencional de la junta directiva y la formación de liderazgo, un proceso que fue fortalecido y apoyado significativamente por CNE.

Principio 4: Priorizar la Equidad

CJ comparte regularmente los talleres individuales de CNE con miembros de su junta, asegurando que el desarrollo de liderazgo sea continuo e inclusivo. Con una junta compuesta por organizadores juveniles, padres, educadores y miembros de la comunidad, CJ ha priorizado la equidad, la construcción de confianza y la creación de un ambiente en el que cada miembro de la junta se sienta bienvenido y apoyado.

Una de las prácticas más significativas introducidas durante este tiempo fue un ejercicio de valores dirigido por la Directora Ejecutiva Interina de CJ, Paola Sánchez Valdez. Antes de sumergirse en la planificación estratégica, se tomaron el tiempo para comprender los valores personales de cada miembro de la junta. Ese trabajo previo cultivó la empatía, creó seguridad psicológica y preparó al equipo para enfrentar conversaciones difíciles con valentía y cuidado. No se trataba solo de mantener viva a la organización sin fines de lucro, sino de asegurar que realmente sirviera a la comunidad con integridad.

Principio 5: Desarrollar Líderes

Aquí entra Maria Rincon, la comprometida presidenta de la junta de CJ, quien se unió en mayo de 2023. Fue fundamental en la reconstrucción de los cimientos de CJ desde cero. CJ aprovechó al máximo las ofertas de CNE—especialmente la Academia de Juntas, la Academia de Líderes Emergentes y numerosos talleres de desarrollo de habilidades—para equipar a su junta y liderazgo con las herramientas necesarias. La experiencia del equipo de liderazgo con estos programas fue tan significativa que alentaron a varios miembros de la junta de CJ a inscribirse también. Solo este año, cinco personas de CJ asistieron a la Academia de Juntas—una señal poderosa de la inversión de la organización en liderazgo y crecimiento.

A través de CNE, CJ encontró no solo formación técnica, sino también una red de apoyo—un recordatorio de que no estaban reconstruyendo solos. CNE les dio el espacio y las herramientas para preguntar: “¿Qué necesita nuestra comunidad ahora?” y los ayudó a realinear su misión con esa respuesta.

Hoy, CJ está prosperando. Han construido relaciones sólidas con escuelas secundarias locales y educadores de confianza, quienes ayudan a conectar a jóvenes con sus programas. Están fomentando una nueva generación de líderes Latinx—jóvenes que están listos para abogar, organizarse y liderar con una conciencia crítica. Y lo están haciendo con una junta que refleja la comunidad a la que sirven, respaldada por una estructura que nutre tanto la pasión como la responsabilidad.

A medida que CJ continúa creciendo, su historia es un testimonio de lo que es posible cuando una organización abraza la reflexión, centra a la comunidad e invierte profundamente en el liderazgo en todos los niveles. CJ no solo ha sobrevivido a una temporada de transición—ha emergido más fuerte, más clara y más conectada que nunca.