A new program in Arlington aims to provide nonprofit organizations with the proper training and resources to run smoothly and do effective work.
“The bottom line is that a nonprofit is just like a business,” said Arlington County Board Vice President J. Walter Tejada, one of the individuals behind the Arlington Nonprofit Assistance Network.”They still need to be responsible and responsive about thinks like tax filings and budget management.”
To help them, Arlington partnered with Virginia Tech to open a resource center based in the county’s Central Library in Ballston. A business librarian will manage the center and it will include a number of print and digital resources for nonprofits to use.
The center will also hold six to seven workshops annually on topics such as grant writing and legal regulations governing nonprofits. Organizations based in Arlington can participate for free, Tejada said, and also can apply for a chance to earn acceptance into a more in-depth executive coaching program.
Arlington committed an initial $50,000 to the venture and some funds remain untapped, Tejado said.
The county is home to approximately 500 nonprofits, about half with a national reach and the rest focusing on area concerns, according to Nonprofit Roundtable Executive Director Chuck Bean.
“Arlington nonprofits are particularly challenged by the staggering costs of renting space,” Bean said. “When they get that squeeze, that can make it harder to invest in things like governance and technology.”
The center could particularly help emerging, often smaller nonprofits, which focus on a particular niche, such as immigrant populations, Bean said.
