Previous NPC Programs

The Nonprofit Center wrapped up its third Fundraising & Sustainability cohort for the year in Spring 2025. The 5-week course met once a week on Wednesday evenings throughout April and May. The sessions included content relevant for all nonprofits looking to improve their fundraising efforts, with a focus on providing guidance for minority-led organizations and BIPOC leadership. And, all participating organizations received three hours of 1:1 consulting with the amazing Lili Leonard of Black Dog Philanthropic.

On Friday, March 7th, the Nonprofit Center hosted dozens of nonprofits at the beautiful Chesapeake Arts Center for our second annual conference. Specifically designed for small to mid-sized nonprofits from Anne Arundel County,, the day was filled with valuable learning and networking opportunities. 

We kicked the day off with remarks by County Executive Steuart Pittman and Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County’s John Rodenhause, Director of Gift Planning. The keynote speaker, Lili Leonard of Black Dog Philanthropic, inspired guests by encouraging them to have an abundance mindset as they pursue their fundraising efforts. 

Multiple guest speakers led insightful breakout sessions, and we were thrilled to feature a panel discussion focused on collaboration. Attendees also enjoyed networking over breakfast pastries and a lunch provided by the Light House Bistro.  

The feedback we received was incredibly positive and we are encouraged to see how professional development opportunities like these empower the County’s nonprofits to increase their impact in the community. 

October 2024 - November 2024

Twenty-four local organizations met weekly for five, intensive learning sessions and received three hours of 1:1 professional consulting services. The program concluded with a networking event for this year's and last year's cohort participants. 

June 2024 - July 2024

The Nonprofit Center offered targeted capacity building services to six local nonprofits in the areas of board development and communications/marketing in June 2024. Eleven nonprofit organizations applied to receive this individualized consulting and six organizations were selected to participate. Each was assigned a consultant, through Maryland Nonprofits, with expertise in the selected area. 

The Blue Ribbon Project focused on board leadership and governance.

The following five organizations focused on communications and marketing:

• Captain Avery Museum
• Charting Careers
• Happy Helpers for the Homeless
• SPAN, Inc.
• Walk the Walk Foundation

February - June 2024

Nearly one third of organizations that responded to the Nonprofit Survey in fall 2023  requested cohort training or technical assistance related to grants. To meet this need, the Nonprofit Center contracted with Maryland Nonprofits to develop and facilitate a 5-month cohort program for 501c3 organizations that were seeking guidance as they wrote a competitive grant proposal. Participants are writing several sections of a grant proposal, learning how to incorporate data and identifying opportunities for collaboration. The program consists of five in-person sessions and one-on-one coaching for teams of two people from each organization. The following organizations were selected to participate:

• Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation
• Arundel House of Hope
• Chase Home, Inc.
• Children's Theatre of Annapolis
• Harvest Resources of AACo
• Respire Behavioral Health
• Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland, Inc.
• Watershed Stewards Academy

May 17th 2024

The Nonprofit Center partnered with the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County to host its inaugural full-day conference at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park. The conference brought together almost 100 people from 80 nonprofits across the County. Attendees were able to register for small-group sessions on topics that included the following.

• Annual Reports
• Artificial Intelligence
• Communication Plans
• Communication Tools and Software
• Internal Communications
• Media Relations
• Social Media and Visual Messaging
• Storytelling for Fundraising

Plus, at the end of the day, attendees were able to ask questions to our funder panel. Panelists represented both government and private grantmakers and offered insight into how funders expect nonprofits to communicate their missions, needs, and results.

View the event speakers and their bios here.

January 2024 - April 2024

Investing time in strategic planning can help a nonprofit clarify its goals, avoid mission creep, identify actionable plans, and track progress. A strategic plan guides decision making and serves as a roadmap to success. But, planning takes time and the process can often take a back seat to other priorities. The Nonprofit Center contracted with Maryland Nonprofits to develop and facilitate a 3-month cohort program for 501(c)(3) organizations that wished to engage in a strategic planning process within the year. Participants began an environmental scan and left with the knowledge and tools needed to begin the full process. The program included a combination of in-person instructional sessions and online group coaching.  The following organizations were selected to participate and completed the program on April 10, 2024.

October 2023 - December 2023

The Nonprofit Center hosted its first cohort training program from October to December 2023. Ten organizations were selected from 26 applicants and could send up to three team members. The cohort met both in-person and virtually and attendees participated in two one-to-one coaching sessions. Each organization completed the program with a draft resource development plan. The following organizations were selected to participate through a competitive application process.