The Capacity Lab

Attention Chautauqua County Nonprofits! The Health Foundation for Western and Central New York is offering a new funding opportunity for organizations that offer, or are planning to offer, a volunteer transportation program with a focus on underserved communities. Watch the webinar recording or view the full RFP for more information. Applications are due April 18.??

JCC Workforce Development is offering new professional and supervisory courses- now scheduled through April. Topics include: Coaching for Impact and Results; Employee Leaves of Absence; Effective Interviewing; Time Management; Unbox the Future: Master Change Leadership; Human Resources 101; Mastering the Art of Difficult Conversation; and AI Mastermind: Lead Your Organization's AI Future. View the full listings with course descriptions and cost here: https://lnkd.in/edcxvPWA

Ask the Expert is a new resource that launched last month! The New York Council of Nonprofits will offer free technical assistance to local nonprofits in the areas of: ?? Human Resources: advice on employee issues, hiring, firing, evaluations and retention. ?? Finance: review of financial documents, training on budget and financial planning ?? Legal Services: legal review of contracts, bylaws, or other legal documents. To request assistance, use the online inquiry form, and a NYCON representative will follow up to schedule a consultation call. Visit: https://bit.ly/4kBnnNO

Last week, we spent a full day in back-to-back sessions with: ?? Community Wealth Partners – presenting the results of our 5-year evaluation report on our collective progress in the sector. ?? City of Light Creative & Consulting, LLC – Nikki Ronan leading us in a group exercise to review and refine our Objectives & Key Results for 2025. We can’t wait to share more on our 5-year report and activities planned for 2025!

The Blue Fund’s 2025 Grant Cycle is now open! Submissions for Letters of Intent (LOI) are due March 17 by 4pm. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York is committed to eliminating health disparities while improving the health, wellness and resilience of families, individuals, and communities in our region. They are looking to partner strategically with nonprofits that are improving racial and health equity by supporting social determinants of health in under-resourced communities. See the Blue Fund’s key health focus areas below. More information visit: https://bit.ly/41ilqym

Our Monthly Networking & Peer Learning Lunch at the end of this month on Artificial Intelligence has already had a lot of registrations! Here is another webinar option on AI being presented by the Institute for Nonprofit Practice as part of their Leadership Learning Series. Registration is free: https://bit.ly/3WR13W7 View other upcoming webinars in this series: https://bit.ly/43mbXHv

Reminder! Applications for the next cohort of the MEDAL program are due March 12. This training and mentorship program is for newly appointed or promoted arts leaders in WNY- including Chautauqua County! Our very own Jane Babinsky participated in the 2023 cohort during her role as Executive Director of the Fenton History Center. Who will our next MEDAList from Chautauqua County be?!

Last week we hosted the relaunch of our monthly networking lunches! These sessions are held on the last Thursday of the month- they are free and open to nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers. Each session will alternate north and south county locations and features a different topic that that will be facilitated by peer professionals. ?? This month's lunch will be: ?? March 27 | 12-1 PM ?? JCC North County Facilities ?? Topic: Artificial Intelligence ?? Facilitators: Brian Rovegno, Jamestown Small Business Development Center & Stephanie Stevens, YWCA Westfield ?? Register here: https://bit.ly/3QH2DGF Join us for a brown bag lunch, great discussions, and valuable networking! Tag a colleague who should attend!

#FlashbackFriday ? Taking it back to summer 2019, when a group of local funders first convened with Community Wealth Partners, a national capacity-building consultant, to assess the greatest needs and opportunities in our nonprofit sector. ?? 400+ people from 36 nonprofits participated in the survey. The results were delivered in January 2020 and would serve as the foundation to guide our collaborative effort to strengthen local nonprofit organizations and leaders—what would become known as The Capacity Lab! ?? Fast forward to today—Community Wealth Partners just completed a 5-year evaluation report with feedback from 100+ individuals on our collective progress. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey to date! ??

Attention Chautauqua County nonprofit leaders! Priority applications for the Institute for Nonprofit Practice's Fall 2025- Spring 2026 Core Certificate Program are due next Friday February 28. This program is a 7-month leadership development cohort designed for executives, directors, and managers looking to grow their skills. Since 2022, The Capacity Lab has invested in 9 local nonprofit leaders to participate in this regional opportunity. Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/430bHxV