nothin 9 New Nonprofits Get A Boost | New Haven Independent

9 New Nonprofits Get A Boost

Nine nonprofits are getting off the ground with the help of a new network founded by veteran community organizers in Newhallville.

Doreen Abubakar and Jeanette Sykes founded the Urban Nonprofit Network in April. The duo came together as nonprofit founders themselves to discuss the need to help local nonprofits become more sustainable with the end goal of having a more effective and positive impact on their underserved communities.” The network offers education, training, and resources to developing nonprofits formed by the community to strengthen the community.

The Urban Nonprofit Network hosted an inaugural annual celebration online Monday for the first cohort of nine rising nonprofits. The nonprofits went through a five-part training series and consulting with experts this past summer. Participants discussed what they learned at Monday night’s event.

The nonprofits include The Green Peacock Cooperation, Inspired Communities Inc., Women in Recovery Education Corporation, Community Place-Making Engagement Network (CPEN), The Perfect Blend Inc., Fixing Fathers Inc., Total Man Ministry, Newhallville Cooperation, and Weruche Inspires International.

Six of the nine nonprofits presented about their learning and accomplishments during the program. The virtual celebration’s viewers included nonprofit organization supporters and stakeholders. Staff and board members of the local nonprofits also each discussed their plans for growth.

The first cohort of nine went through a five-part training series called How to Make New and Emerging Nonprofits Stronger and Sustainable,” presented by Jackie Downing of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. Downing led the nonprofits through five virtual workshops focused on strategizing their passions into a business that effectively fills a community need. After completing the five-part series, the nonprofits received eight hours of one-on-one consulting.

Inspired Communities Inc. was founded by Newhallville management team chair and elderly-childhood advocate Kim Harris. The stated mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty through local community economic development, while empowering Newhallville and other underserved communities to advocate for themselves and their communities.” The group has also helped feed hungry families in Newhallville during the pandemic.

Harris worked with nonprofit consultant Steven Eppler-Epstein during the Urban Nonprofit Network’s summer program for local nonprofits starting up. Eppler-Epstein helped her translate her vision to make sense to the white funder world,” Eppler-Epstein reported. They worked on code-switching.”

They don’t need focus. They just needed help putting the pieces together,” said Eppler-Epstein of his work with Harris.

It was a breath of fresh air not just to me but to our board members,” Harris said at Monday evening’s event. Harris consulted with Eppler-Epstein to develop a workbook for her board, a 2021 work plan, and elevator speech for the organization. Harris also joined her coach on a three-day retreat to work on growing the organization’s confidence to expand and have a greater impact on Newhallville.

Each of the organizations worked with the consultants to learn better marketing strategies, make and organize their budgets, and updating their websites.

David Lee Asbery founder of Fixing Fathers Inc used the program to improve his organization’s board. With a qualified board no longer just consisting of his family members, Asbery said, he gained confidence in seeking out new partnerships. These are the little things that we learned and will help us when we’re filling out our applications for our grants,” he said.

During the program, Abubakar and Sykes made consistent follow-up calls to the nonprofit leaders to get feedback on how the program was. Those calls meant a lot and made it feel real,” Asbery said.

Of the five consultants, three joined the celebration to discuss their experiences with the program. The coaches agreed their work consisted mostly of helping the organizations strategize their ideas and develope their visions to present to potential funders.

The Urban Nonprofit Network is working to recruit its next cohort of about ten more emerging nonprofits to go through the five-part training series. Abubakar and Sykes are also seeking funding to offer continued support, coaching, and technical assistance to the nine graduated nonprofits. The team hopes to offer quickbooks training and grantwriting workshops in the future.

This is just a taste of what we want our community to have,” said Sykes.

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