Reflecting on 10 Years of Nonprofit Excellence
The Beginning: Listening, Learning, and Responding
In 2014, Welborn’s leadership began asking an important question:
What would it take to meaningfully strengthen the nonprofit sector in our region?
After years of working alongside grant applicants and grantees, Welborn saw firsthand the challenges many organizations faced — leadership transitions, limited operational infrastructure, lack of affordable training opportunities, and growing community expectations. Rather than treating these as isolated issues, Welborn recognized the need for a more intentional and organized investment in nonprofit capacity building.
Research conducted across the country revealed that communities thriving in this area shared several common characteristics. Successful efforts were often initiated by visionary funders willing to convene partners and invest in nonprofit leadership development. Communities that made meaningful progress created trusted hubs for learning, technical assistance, collaboration, and best practice exchange. Most importantly, there was no single model for success — but there was a consistent commitment to strengthening the people and organizations serving the community.
These insights along with findings shared by the Robert-Wood Johnson Foundation on capacity building and focused grantmaking helped shape what would become Welborn’s Nonprofit Excellence focus area.
Watch the video above to hear from area nonprofit leaders who have been a part of Nonprofit Excellence
Looking Ahead
The next decade will undoubtedly bring new challenges and opportunities.
Communities will continue to navigate complex issues that no single organization or sector can solve alone. Nonprofit leaders will need new skills, deeper partnerships, and greater resilience. Collaboration will become even more essential.
Yet the foundation built over the past ten years provides reason for optimism.
The relationships are stronger.
The networks are deeper.
The leadership capacity is growing.
And the vision of a flourishing community remains firmly at the center.
The story of Nonprofit Excellence is still being written — not by one organization alone, but by an entire community of leaders committed to learning together, leading together, and creating lasting impact together.
And that may be the greatest achievement of all.
View the 10 Years of Nonprofit Excellence Report
