CVANE HISTORY
Nonprofits that exist to provide business skills to other nonprofits have not been around for more than a few decades.
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Following the massive paradigm shift brought on by the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. and the cultural resistance to entering Vietnam in 1965, Americans began to organize and work together to tackle specific issues with a narrow focus.
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The government also became much more involved in social and cultural welfare programs. In 1969, the Tax Reform Act gave us Section 501(c)3 in the Internal Revenue Service Code, which said that every charity in the U.S. that fits certain requirements is a “private foundation,” meaning they have a principal fund managed by their own trustees or directors.
When organizations found that they could legally have status as a charitable organization and offer tax exemptions to their donors, there was a surge in applications for 501(c)3 status. With the development of an official “nonprofit sector” came the development of more rules, regulations, and policies.
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Also arising with the increasing numbers of nonprofits was the need to provide training for nonprofit staff about business practices that would help them thrive and legal rules they would need to follow, including the rules of the IRS. A Brief History of Nonprofit Organizations | Nonprofit Blog (nonprofithub.org); https://nonprofithub.org/a-brief-history-of-nonprofit-organizations/#1970s
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David Neumeyer became executive director of Virginia Legal Aid Society (VLAS) in 1990, and in the ensuing years approved requests by VLAS staff for training events in Richmond, Tidewater, Charlottesville, and out of state, but very few in Lynchburg because there were few offered in Lynchburg. Those that were tended to be offered by national for-profit businesses skill training organizations. In the 2000 oughts, however, he began to notice and participate in training opportunities offered by the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville, and learned about similar organizations elsewhere in Virginia.
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As president of the Council of United Way Agencies in 2012, David was responsible for planning an annual half-day summer retreat for nonprofit agency executive directors, and in March 2012 David met with Karen Wilder of The Arc of Central Virginia and Jane Francis of CASA of Central Virginia to plan the summer retreat. All liked the idea of discussing the creation of a local center or academy for nonprofit excellence, having one or two guest speakers, such as directors of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville or Tidewater Academy for Nonprofit Excellence, talking about what their organizations do and what impact they have had for their communities, followed with a charette on what would make sense in Lynchburg.
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The Council of United Way Agencies, Lynchburg, and Central Virginia Nonprofit Coalition invite one and all to attend our annual summer workshop. This year's topic: Should We Have an Academy of Nonprofit Excellence? The date: July 26, 2012 The location: Merritt Hall, Room 5124, Centra Virginia Community College, Lynchburg The schedule and agenda: 10:30 AM: Check-in; preregistration with $30 fee is required* 11:00 AM: Executive directors Christine Nardi of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Charlottesville, and Lillian Bailey of the Tidewater Academy for Nonprofit Excellence, Suffolk, will speak and take questions 12:00 PM: Box lunch and networking 1:00 PM: Small-group breakouts on the needs of boards, management staff, service staff, and volunteers 2:00 PM: Small groups report to large group; preference voting; discussion of next steps 3:00 PM: Adjourn Register online by credit card at http://summerworkshop2012.eventbrite.com or through mail by sending your $30 registration check, payable to Council of United Way Agencies, with a copy of the attached form filled out for each registrant, to Karen Wilder, Arc of Central VA, 1508 Bedford Ave, Lynchburg VA 24503, so it is received no later than July 20.
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Following is the text of the invitation which was sent by email to executive directors and board presidents of every nonprofit in Lynchburg we could think of:
Several dozen people responded and attended, and half a dozen nonprofit leaders volunteered to keep working on the formation of an Academy of Nonprofit Excellence for Lynchburg. They became the first board of directors of CVANE, and included David, Francie Dye of Central Virginia Community College, Caroline Hudson of the Free Clinic, independent business consultant Alan Ahrens, fundraising consultant Harriet Whitten, and Lisa Dibble of Lyn-CAG.
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A series of planning meetings in late 2012 and in 2013 produced agreement on the need for an executive director, a budget, an initial training schedule, and a training location:
The initial schedule of CVANE events included:
· An October 2013 kick-off event with VIP speaker Anne Holton, then Virginia’s First Lady,
· A January 2014 fundraising overview with speaker Amy Nisenson, executive director of the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation in Richmond, owner of Amy Nisenson Consulting, and a regular presenter for Center for Nonprofit Excellence
· A February/March presentation on board building by Charlottesville’s Alyson Ball, founder of Boards that Excel.
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David incorporated CVANE and obtained 501c3 approval from the IRS, with the $850 application fee paid by the Council of United Way Agencies, and designed the first website. Edwana Coleman designed the weathervane logo that is still in use today. The board also hired its first part-time executive director. Leslie King, to arrange meeting logistics and conduct marketing.
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David served as the board president and Caroline Hudson served as treasurer for a number of years. Subsequent board presidents have included faculty members Jimmy Roux and Ghislaine Lewis of the University of Lynchburg, leadership trainer and consultant Gloria Witt, and now fundraising consultant Shannon Watts. Subsequent executive directors have included Kendall Faris and Katherine Daniel, each a recent graduate of the University of Lynchburg, and now Sarah Blankenship. Members of the board and the Lynchburg nonprofit community were crushed by Caroline’s sudden and untimely death in 2019, and CVANE has continued to honor her memory with the CVANE Caroline Hudson Memorial Scholarship. The 2021 death of Alan Ahrens, a leader in nonprofit and business management and leadership training for decades, was also a great loss.
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The Central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence improves the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of Central Virginia’s charitable organizations through the education of board members, staff, and volunteers. Over the past ten years, CVANE has presented over 50 classes and presentations, beginning at United Way of Central Virginia’s board room, continuing at Oakwood Country Club, and now utilizing United Way once again, to hundreds of nonprofit staff and volunteers throughout Central Virginia. Educational programs covering a wide variety of subjects pertaining to operating a nonprofit organization are offered monthly, August – May, including a holiday social and a spring social. Please see CVANE’s website at www.cvane.org for a list of upcoming educational opportunities and socials.
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By strengthening, educating and engaging nonprofit organizations, CVANE seeks to improve the quality of life in Central Virginia through improved program operations, increased resources for families and individuals, and greater impact of charitable donations. CVANE provides unique training by seasoned professionals who are experts in their respective fields and offers training at an affordable cost to ensure accessibility to a wide range of nonprofit organizations in Lynchburg and its surrounding counties. The first decade of CVANE’s existence has helped numerous nonprofit organizations, staff members, board members, and volunteers throughout Central Virgnia. We are looking forward to sharing the second decade of CVANE outreach with our peers throughout the Central Virginia nonprofit sector.
