Center marks 30 years of helping nonprofits

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Nov. 10, 2021) The Center for Nonprofit Leadership at California Lutheran University is celebrating 30 years of fulfilling its mission to help the region’s charities “do better at doing good.”

The free 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Sector will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, on Zoom.

Presenters will announce the recipient of the Kate McLean Visionary Leadership Award to Sally Yount of Oxnard, share the latest data on the state of the region’s philanthropic sector, and discuss lessons learned during the pandemic, the difficulty of hiring people today and current trends in philanthropy. A key challenge they will address is that although Ventura County’s per-capita giving rate has increased in recent years, it continues to fall below the counties of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and the state of California.

“We will share stories from our past and present and look to the future,” said Dena Jenson, who has served as the center’s director for 16 years. “We will elevate our collective resiliency, service to community and passion for our mission and lift up the voices of the region’s nonprofit leaders.”

The center started in 1991 as a single shelf of grant-writing books at the Ventura County Community Foundation. Located at Cal Lutheran since 2016, the center presents affordable professional development workshops for nonprofit board members, staff and volunteers conducted by respected leaders in their fields. The sessions provide hands-on training in management skills and opportunities to connect and collaborate with peers. Upcoming workshop topics include language access and justice, building a budget, and identifying and engaging new donors and increasing donations from those who give.

The center’s staff and faculty adapt programming to reflect national and local trends affecting the nonprofit sector. The center shifted to webinars and virtual workshops during the pandemic and more than doubled the number of annual attendees to nearly 4,200.

The only management training center of its kind in Ventura County, the center developed a Board Leadership Institute, Board Service Bootcamp for prospective leaders and Nonprofit Leadership Council as signature ongoing programs. Additional resources are provided online and in an e-newsletter with 5,700 subscribers.

Providing supporting to nonprofits is critical because they constitute a vital segment of the community. In Ventura County alone, there are 3,199 registered nonprofits ranging from all-volunteer efforts to large organizations such as hospitals and universities. They have $2.51 billion in annual revenue.

Registration is required to attend the event. To register, visit CalLutheran.edu/cnl. For more information, visit the website, email nonprofit@callutheran.edu or call 805-493-3740.