“SURPRISE!”

The Spark Mill founder Sarah Milston showed up for what she thought was a branding meeting with long-time partner in the nonprofit scene, Nonprofit Learning Point, last month – only to walk in to a room filled with friends, colleagues, clients, former students, and balloons! 

Unbeknownst to Sarah, Nonprofit Learning Point, with a little help from other staff at The Spark Mill, had been planning for weeks to throw her a surprise party announcing her selection as NLP’s Instructor of the Year.  There were lots of really awesome words spoken by Senior Program Manager, Eleanor Sharp, who presented Sarah with a lovely plaque, as well as by the people who came to celebrate with her.  The official written announcement included the following:

“Sarah has been teaching with us since about 2009 and is so deserving of this award--she goes above and beyond to ensure a special learning experience for all of our students, celebrates NLP at every chance, and even volunteers her time as a committee member for the program...in addition to all of the other amazing things that she does to keep the nonprofit community and Richmond amazing!”

Each year, Nonprofit Learning Point presents the student-nominated Instructor of the Year Award to one outstanding instructor. The considerations for the award are to recognize an instructor who:

• Performs above and beyond the requirements of an instructor
• Demonstrates excellent communication and presentation skills
• Encourages pride in the Nonprofit Learning Point program
• Displays a commitment to his/her own personal and professional development
• Is respectful, fair, and equitable

About Nonprofit Learning Point

For those who are unfamiliar, Nonprofit Learning Point offers year-round classes in nonprofit management and leadership in the Richmond area.  These classes include certificate programs in Nonprofit Management, Volunteer Resources Management, and Case Management.  The extensive list of nonprofits that have at least one representative as an NLP alumni is outstanding…FeedMore, UMFS, Special Olympics of Richmond, YWCA, ACLU, VMFA, CMoR, NAMI, Fan Free Clinic, CARITAS…to be honest, it would be shorter to name the ones that aren’t on the list!  Since Sarah has been teaching a range of classes at NLP for about 7 years, she has had the opportunity to instruct and impact many of these nonprofits.  Her four main classes are: Social Media Strategies, Marketing on a Nonprofit Budget, Dashboards and Infographics, and a Nonprofit Crash Course.  One of Sarah’s former students through NLP recently told The Spark Mill that, “what Sarah taught me changed my life!”

Check out the Nonprofit Learning Point 2015 Catalog and sign up for a class - you never know – it could change your life!