There’s no mistaking that a strong, effective nonprofit sector is vital to the Louisville community. These organizations serve and address critical issues facing our region’s most vulnerable populations – but large or small, well-established or in their first few years, they share in one thing: they are strapped for time and resources. Since 2004, the Leadership Louisville Center has worked to fill these gaps, adding capacity and offering expertise to over 150 area nonprofits, pro-bono, through our Community Acceleration Teams.
We have two types of teams, who help greater Louisville nonprofits with:
- Strategic consulting on organizational issues (these teams are made up of credentialed, experienced professionals from our Encore Louisville program)
- Project-based design and implementation (these are high-performing young professionals from our Ignite Louisville program)
Our mission is to equip and inspire Louisville’s leaders to be better and do better. Community Acceleration Teams are the perfect realization of this mission – giving talented leaders in our programs an opportunity to make an impact while empowering our region’s nonprofits to go even further in serving our community.
Participating nonprofits come away with:
- Improved operations
- Increased exposure
- More strategic focus
- Connections with potential board members and strategic volunteers
Among our 2021 cohorts, these teams contributed a combined total of over 5,200 hours of service and $310k of value to partner organizations.
See recent outcomes of: CONSULTING TEAMS | PROJECT-BASED TEAMS
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Your organization submits an application, and a selection committee determines if your need is a good fit for a team. If it is, you’ll pitch your project to individual teams that might work with you. Not every project gets selected, but the closer you can get to a good fit, the greater a chance you’ll have!
You are welcome to submit an application at any time but you will not be notified of your status until the end of the formal application period. We will be considering our next set of projects in Spring 2023.
What makes a nonprofit a good fit for selection?
Basic requirements that allow for a great partnership between one of our teams and your nonprofit include:
- Already having your 501(c)3 status (education institutions, government agencies, B-Corps and 501(c)6 are also eligible)
- A fully staffed Board of Directors (unless your application is regarding help in this area)
- Your Board fully supporting the application for a team
- Being in a position to make decisions and get approval quickly (a team that isn’t held back can achieve substantially more for your organization)
- The capacity to communicate and meet with the team regularly – working with them to make decisions quickly regarding the direction of their project
- Flexibility in your request and willingness to engage the creativity of the team
Consider these aspects, too:
- The project needs to be realistic and able to be completed in the time frame of our programs (2-3 months for consultancy work, 5 months for project-based work)
- The project should produce sustainable results – allowing your organization to better serve the community
- Projects work best when they are strategic, structural, operational, or organizational in nature
- The more clearly your submission is written, the better teams can understand and be energized by your ideas and need
If you don’t have a project, we’re here to help give you clarity. Reach out to Aimee Jewell with the hurdles you’re trying to overcome, and she’ll be happy to talk you through it. Contact her at ajewell@leadershiplouisville.org or (502) 468-2426.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? CHECK OUT OUR FAQ
We know this feels like just one more thing to do. As a nonprofit ourselves, we completely understand that sentiment. These past few years have challenged us all. We want our community organizations to have all of the help they can as we move toward the new normal. Let us know how we can help you. Cheers!
