Strengthening communities by connecting nonprofits
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONFERENCEThe Central Washington Nonprofit Network began in 2014 in response to the local need for nonprofit learning and connection. We also host an annual conference, an event that has become a cornerstone of the nonprofit community in Central Washington.
Throughout the year, we host training and regular networking events for nonprofits in the region. We support programming offered in Spanish, as well as technical assistance and mentoring connections. Our organization is an important vehicle for investment in strong, effective, and connected nonprofits.
Our Goals
The work of the Central Washington Nonprofit Network is defined by the theory of change:
Our communities are healthy when strong nonprofits are connected to each other and the resources around them, and they are focused on how they will make a difference.
The Network has four main goals:
To ensure that nonprofit people have the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to strengthen their practice within a safe and supportive community.
To solve problems with technical assistance customized to the challenges and assets of an organization.
To connect nonprofit leaders with each other and resources within and outside the Central Washington region.
To increase our impact through collaborations focused on complex problems.
Our Strategy
The Central Washington Nonprofit Network strengthens nonprofits through a three-legged stool model:
TRAINING: Nonprofit staff and volunteers have opportunities to learn about a range of topics that are fundamental to the improvement of nonprofit performance.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Nonprofit leaders receive right-sized technical assistance that solves a problem in a culturally competent way.
NETWORKING: Nonprofits have a chance to build a peer network that supports learning, resource-sharing, collaboration, and spirit-building in tough times.
These three core strategies reflect three important values we hold:
EQUITY: The Network actively works to be inclusive in its work. It works to support nonprofits in under-resourced communities, and it invests time in cross-community relationship-building as an important element to building a stronger community as a whole.
COLLABORATION: The Network was founded to foster collaboration, and this continues to be an important guiding value.
IMPACT: The Network seeks to make a difference on the issues that matter to our communities.
Who We Serve
Central Washington—from Ellensburg to the Tri-Cities—has well over a thousand nonprofits, many of them small and without paid staff. The Network serves nonprofit leaders, staff, and volunteers across all fields of service throughout the Yakima Valley. Our region also has many larger nonprofits that are vital employers contributing to our region’s economic strength. These nonprofit leaders need access to current information and opportunities to learn from peers. We exist to serve both large and small nonprofits, connecting them and supporting them so that together we can build stronger communities.
Many of the state’s resources—disaster relief, funding, nonprofit experts, and capacity building programs—are located on the west side of the state, not readily accessible to nonprofits east of the mountains. We connect our region’s nonprofits with statewide and national resources.