GREENFIELD – A new group of the Excellence Academy recently launched, teaching local residents about nonprofit work in Hancock County.
The program is through the Community Foundation of Hancock County.
The Excellence Academy provides an in-depth curriculum and learning community for small and mid-sized nonprofit organizations that serve Hancock County, according to a press release. Participants learn together about leadership, board engagement, resource development and nonprofit management.
Through quarterly half-day sessions, the three-year program allows time to experiment with new strategies and approaches.
An owl serves as a mascot and representation of the qualities of the cohort members. An “Outstanding Wise Leader” (owl) is an Excellence Academy member who pursues new knowledge and ideas to energize and strengthen a nonprofit organization. Participants discuss concepts together, ask challenging questions, encourage each other, sketch diagrams and more.
“Management knowledge was an area of growth for me,” said Debra Weber, director of Love INC of Greater Hancock County who participated in a previous cohort. “I had managed volunteers before, but not employees and financial accountability.”
The nonprofits represented in 2024-2027 Excellence Academy include Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources, Greenfield Main Street, Jane Pauley Community Health Center, Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen and Zoey’s Place Child Advocacy Center.
For more, visit celebratehancock.org.
