Professional Development
Your Community Foundation is pleased to offer professional development opportunities for local nonprofit staff and board members. Through these offerings, we seek to enhance the skills necessary for a strong nonprofit sector.
A Year-End Reset for Nonprofit Professionals: Stronger Teams, Healthier Leaders
Friday, November 13th, 9:00 AM to Noon
Virginia Room at DuPont Community Credit Union, 1154 Shenandoah Village Drive
Registration fee: $60, includes breakfast
As the year draws to a close and the busy holiday season approaches, it’s a good time to step back, reflect, and consider how we can better support ourselves and one another in the workplace.
Join us for a half-day of learning and conversation focused on two important aspects of a healthy and effective workplace: supporting personal wellbeing and strengthening connections across generations. Through two interactive workshops, participants will gain practical insights and strategies for managing stress, strengthening workplace relationships, and building healthier, more collaborative teams.
Take a little time before the holiday rush to invest in yourself, connect with colleagues, and gain fresh perspectives to carry into the new year.
Full workshop descriptions are provided below.
Session One: Before Burnout: Recognizing the Signs and Changing Course
Presenter: John Thalheimer, CEO and Leadership Coach, True Star Leadership
Session Description
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight. It develops over time as workplace demands, personal expectations, and ongoing stress begin to affect our wellbeing and effectiveness. For nonprofit professionals committed to their mission, recognizing when dedication is becoming unsustainable can be particularly challenging.
In this interactive 90-minute workshop, participants will explore the leading causes and warning signs of burnout, examine how stress influences emotions and decision-making, and discover practical strategies for managing stress and protecting their wellbeing. We’ll also discuss how leaders and organizations can create working conditions that support employees while continuing to fulfill their mission.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the early warning signs and leading contributors to workplace burnout.
- Understand the differences between pressure, stress, and burnout, including how stress influences emotions, behavior, and decision-making.
- Apply practical strategies for managing stress, establishing healthy boundaries, and maintaining personal wellbeing.
- Identify workplace conditions and leadership practices that can reduce burnout risk and support sustainable performance.
- Develop a personal action plan to make more intentional choices and address conditions that may contribute to burnout.
Session Two: Communication across Generations
Presenter: Alicia Turner, President and CEO of North Compass Solutions
Session Description
Today’s nonprofit workforce spans multiple generations, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, each bringing unique values, work styles, and communication preferences. This workshop focuses on understanding and leveraging generational differences to create a more cohesive and productive workplace.
Participants will explore the characteristics and strengths of different generations, learn strategies to bridge communication gaps, and develop approaches to foster intergenerational collaboration and mutual respect.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the values, work styles, and communication preferences of different generations in the workplace.
- Recognize common generational stereotypes and learn to move beyond them.
- Develop strategies for effective cross-generational communication and collaboration.
- Learn how to leverage the strengths of each generation to build stronger teams.
- Create actionable plans for fostering an inclusive, multigenerational workplace culture
Fundraising and Development Discussion Group
Join our Nonprofit Fundraising and Development Discussion Group for a virtual meeting that will focus on “Donor Stewardship and Retention.” George Neighbors with X-Roads Advisory will facilitate the meeting, during which you can share challenges and brainstorm solutions with peers.
2026 Dates for this group:
October 15
Executive Directors’ Discussion Group Virtual Meeting
(Note: meetings have moved to Thursday mornings this year and will last an hour.)
First Thursdays, from 9:00–10:00 a.m. this year: (this is a change from last year)
September 3
October 1
November 5
Nonprofit Finance Discussion Group
The Nonprofit Finance Discussion Group will foster a community of practice among nonprofit staff and board members engaged in financial leadership and operations for their organizations in the CFCBR region.
The group will meet virtually from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the following dates:
September 15
November 17
