Nonprofit leadership requires a special skillset. The contrast to other organizations can be quite nuanced, vastly different or even unique. In 2024, United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) expanded its role among partner agencies and other charitable organizations with the creation of a training program designed to address many of those vital skills.
Known as “LEARN United,” which stands for Leadership Education and Readiness for Nonprofits, the new program’s training sessions were attended by more than 300 professionals from nonprofits throughout the region in its first year.
LEARN United has been a vision of UWCA’s Senior Vice President of Community Impact Katrina Watson since joining the organization in 2023. Having previously served as Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Central Alabama, a UWCA partner agency, she knew how limited professional development opportunities were for small agencies.
“We know that long-term sustainability for nonprofit organizations requires employees of all levels to continuously sharpen their skills, and I know firsthand how hard that can be for many of our agencies,” Watson said. “Professional development is often one of the first items cut from a tight budget, so it was important to us that we provide this training at no cost to agencies.”
LEARN United offered training on a wide range of topics in its first year. These included digital marketing, accounting, board and organizational governance, as well as grant writing and management. For each session, experts from both inside and outside United Way shared their skills and knowledge.
Elizabeth Norman, Executive Director of Fellowship House, which provides services for people recovering from substance use disorders, said that while they have consistently received the funding they need to provide services at one level, the need has increased and continues to grow. To keep up, Norman said her organization has begun seeking grants. And through this year’s training series, she said they learned a lot from the sessions led by Atlanta-based Purpose Possible.
“Purpose Possible was great with just helping us learn where to look,” Norman said. “People from the organization helped us start learning who funds what and to make sure that we apply for grants from funders that focus on missions like ours.”
Sophia Leverson, Executive Director of the Central Alabama Chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, said she took “pages and pages” of notes from the LEARN United sessions she and her team attended this year. Continuing education is something Leverson values highly, and she said she appreciates the level of care taken to ensure that United Way’s professional development offerings are meaningful for area agencies.
“UWCA takes it so seriously. There are no fluffy, unnecessary aspects of trainings,” Leverson said. “I struggle to keep up with all the gems I hear at these sessions, and our staff thinks so, too.”
Additionally, Leverson said these trainings are critical as many local agencies are experiencing significant change. Leverson herself has been in her role for only about a year. “These trainings help us stay sharp and have a safe place to ask questions and be honest about what we can do better,” she said.
Both Leverson and Norman were among the most dedicated attendees of the learning opportunities and, for their commitment to learning through the program, they joined 17 others in receiving certificates for their accomplishment.
Each of the training sessions offered through LEARN United is provided at no cost to agencies. Representatives from agencies that have received United Way funding are eligible to attend. That includes partner agencies, as well as agencies that have received funding through other United Way programs, such as the Community Project Grants.
Shakeitha Tatum, Vice President of Agency Relations at UWCA, said the LEARN United program is huge in terms of the added value that United Way brings to the organizations it funds. “I am so pleased that, in addition to the oversight, guidance and funding we provide to Central Alabama agencies every year, we now also serve as a vehicle for useful trainings,” Tatum said. “We are constantly looking for new ways to serve and support our agencies, and this is just the latest product of that work.”
For more information about all of UWCA’s impact locally, click here.
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