First Brazos Valley nonprofit leadership summit puts board governance in focus

More than 60 leaders of nonprofit groups from around the Brazos Valley met Friday at the College Station Visitor Event Center for what organizers called the region's first Nonprofit Leadership Summit, a free half-day session devoted to how boards should run their organizations.

The event was organized jointly by the City of College Station and United Way Brazos Valley. David Brower, the city's community development administrator, told KBTX the city paid for it in part with grant money and would like to hold it every year.

"Boards are really important," Brower said. "They set the vision, they direct the nonprofit to where it's going to go... and are responsible for how it's run."

Lizett Hawkins, president and CEO of United Way Brazos Valley, said the aim was to bring groups of every size together, calling the day a chance for United Way to show it wants to work with everybody.

Keynote on governance

The keynote came from Emily Lavin, a consultant with Lavin Strategies who advises nonprofits on management. "Board governance is the foundation for most nonprofit organizations," she said, adding that nonprofits are businesses too, except that any profit is put back into programs rather than paid to shareholders.

Lynn Clary Yeager, who leads the Prenatal Clinic as executive director, said her main takeaway was that "none of us are in this alone."

Giving day Tuesday

Brower said it was a coincidence that the summit landed shortly ahead of Brazos Valley Gives, the area's biggest yearly day of giving. That campaign runs for 18 hours starting Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Run by the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, the campaign is now in its eighth year. It is aiming for $1 million for close to 200 nonprofits this year, after a record $1.5 million last year and more than $7.5 million across its first seven years. Early gifts are being accepted now at brazosvalleygives.org.

Sources

KBTX