20 May

Seeking Input for Nonprofit Resource Center

Contact: Michael J. Cerio | michael@ceriocommunications.com | (401) 743-8269

Rhode Islanders Invited to Share Input, Ideas for Creation of Statewide Nonprofit Resource Center

Design Team working with United Way hosting upcoming input and visioning sessions

Providence, R.I. (May 20, 2022) — The Design Team working with United Way of Rhode Island to create a vision and plan for a statewide Nonprofit Resource Center is seeking input and ideas from the community to help guide what the center could offer. The first virtual session will look at current nonprofit capacity, followed by a number of visioning sessions focused on brainstorming strategies to strengthen nonprofits.

The first public input session will be held on Tuesday, May 24 from 8:30 – 10 a.m., with preregistration available online. Then United Way will be offering multiple visioning sessions, each structured the same, so that people may attend their preferred date and time: Tuesday, May 31 at 1 p.m.; Monday, June 6 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, June 9 at 9 a.m.; Monday, June 13 at 2 p.m.; and Tuesday, June 14 at noon. All sessions are 90 minutes and will be held via Zoom. They are open to nonprofit staff, board members, volunteers, donors, and community members. Anyone who wants to offer feedback on the types of supports a resource center could provide is invited to participate in one session.

Conversations during these sessions will build off focus groups and interviews conducted earlier this month, and will help the Design Team prioritize what the center may offer Rhode Island nonprofits. Community members are also invited to share ideas and questions for the team through an online portal.

The Design Team consists of 11 local nonprofit leaders and is being supported by Community Wealth Partners, a consulting firm with extensive experience in this type of work. The team is playing a vital role in cocreating the vision for the Nonprofit Resource Center, engaging with the community, and responding to research to inform how the center will be structured, staffed, and funded. At the end of its work, the team will shape a recommendation to United Way.

Once established, a Nonprofit Resource Center will be able to serve the Ocean State’s entire nonprofit ecosystem. Where the effort is being designed to be inclusive and accessible for all social impact organizations, there is particular commitment to centering the voices and priorities of BIPOC-led, and small and midsize nonprofits.

Members of the community with questions about the virtual sessions or the Design Team may contact Lori Bartczak of Community Wealth Partners at lbartczak@communitywealth.com.

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United Way of Rhode Island is uniting our community and resources to build racial equity and opportunities for all Rhode Islanders. A member of the world’s largest nonprofit network, we bring together individuals, businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, and government to tackle the root causes of inequity and achieve specific, measurable goals. Our programs include 211, the statewide front door connecting Rhode Islanders with social services, resources, and vital programs. Both directly and through grants to nonprofits, we are investing to build economic opportunity, advance childhood learning, expand philanthropy, and drive policy and participation. To learn more, visit unitedwayri.org, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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