The Community Foundation to Assume Ownership of Connect Richmond Online
September 21, 2006
The board of The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia (TCF) has agreed to assume ownership of, and provide long-term support for, ConnectRichmond, an online network and information clearinghouse for nonprofits, and its sister network, ConnectRappahannock.
In so doing, TCF’s board renewed the foundation’s long-term financial support of the Connect Network from 2007–11. Trustees of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, based in Jacksonville, Fla., also agreed to provide $250,000 in continuation support.
The networks provide a wealth of information about the respective communities, their people and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. Their Web sites include searchable databases of nonprofits, event calendars, jobs and volunteer opportunities. They provide tools and resources to help nonprofit leaders build stronger organizations. And, they offer subscription e-mail features that provide users with daily news of interest.
“These networks are important tools for our communities,” said Darcy Oman, president and CEO of TCF. “They help individuals and organizations gain knowledge and build relationships that are critical to community health and well-being. We are pleased to have the opportunity to broaden their impact and visibility in Richmond, the Northern Neck and beyond.”
The Connect Network was created and launched at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies in 2001, with the support of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, The Community Foundation and the university. The network has also received funding from the Cameron Foundation, Capital One, Junior League of Richmond, Jackson Foundation, Jenkins Foundation, Markel Corp., Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, William H., John G., and Emma Scott Foundation, and Ukrop’s Super Markets/First Market Bank.
In 2004, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund made a second investment to create Connect Rappahannock.
“We have seen the value of these networks first-hand,” said Sherry Magill, president of the fund. “In Richmond, nonprofits have drawn on the data to substantiate community needs and support requests for funding. In the Northern Neck, state legislators have used the networking tools to communicate with constituents. These are vital community assets that demand our support and attention.”
“The networks have proven to be an extremely popular resource for nonprofits. The need for expansion to meet growing demand can be best managed now in a base that is embedded in the nonprofit community,” said June Aprille, Richmond’s provost. “We look forward to watching the networks’ further growth under The Community Foundation in a setting where their potential can be fully realized.”
To manage the networks and to support the development of additional replication sites, TCF will create a subsidiary nonprofit that will become a central resource for capacity building and technical assistance for the local charitable sector.
TCF’s governance structure also will serve to strengthen the collaborative partnership of funders in this important area of work and build upon existing strategic partnerships, including those ongoing with University of Richmond.
The operations of the network will continue under the leadership of Nancy Stutts through a grant contract with Virginia Commonwealth University. The transition is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
The networks are located online at www.connectnetwork.org/richmond and www.connectnetwork.org/rappahannock.
TCF was established in 1968 to provide effective stewardship of philanthropic assets entrusted to its care by donors who wish to enhance the quality of community life. With assets of $567 million, it is among the 20 largest community foundations in the United States and the second largest in the Southeast.
For more information, contact Darcy Oman, TCF’s president & CEO, at (804) 330-7400, or Mary Kress Littlepage of KBT & Associates at (904) 384-8496.