T. Rowe Price Foundation Hosts Capacity Building Workshop Series to Help Nonprofits Become More Effective

The T. Rowe Price Foundation, in partnership with the Maryland Association of Nonprofits, held a series of five capacity-building workshops during the past several months. The sessions focused on key capacities: leadership, adaptability, management, and technical skills (marketing and communication, fundraising, and development).

Just like any business or institution, nonprofits go through life cycles, but many are ill-equipped to handle change.

“Most nonprofits are focused on the mission and don’t run themselves as effectively as they could,” says T. Rowe Price Foundation President John Brothers. “We decided that holding a series of workshops would be an impactful way to help these organizations.”

John feels strongly about the need to make nonprofits more effective. He points out that more than 400 organizations worked to eradicate poverty in his childhood neighborhood in Minneapolis, but most of their efforts were unsuccessful. “They failed not because there weren’t enough organizations; they failed because too many were weak and ineffective,” John says.

John has worked closely with nonprofits for more than 20 years, and prior to becoming president of the T. Rowe Price Foundation, he founded Quidoo Consulting to help nonprofits develop the organizational capacity to achieve high-impact results. He says that many nonprofit leaders need tools to better manage their organizations, engage more meaningfully with their communities, and build networks with other nonprofits, businesses, and institutions in their communities.

Each half-day workshop was attended by about 85 organizations. Leading local experts led the sessions, which involved talks and interactive breakout sessions. Attendees left with practical, hands-on items such as templates and diagnostic and learning tools.

The intent is that building nonprofits’ capacities will improve and strengthen the delivery of their programs and services. Next year, the Foundation plans to continue the sessions but potentially fashion them so that representatives from each organization get more personalized attention.

In post-session surveys, participants gave high ratings to workshops. “That this level of training is available is simply amazing,” said one participant. “T. Rowe Price is to be commended for this level of investment. It truly says to the development community how much the firm believes in their capacity and interest in change.”

“From what we have heard, this year’s sessions were well received and much appreciated,” says John, “We hope to take what we learned this year and apply that knowledge to next year’s program.”