$11,000 Gifted to Nonprofits to Accelerate Missions Forward: The Power of Start-up Acceleration for Nonprofit Organizations
The Collaboratory of Virginia and The Spark Mill are thrilled to announce that we gave away $11,000 to nonprofits at our virtual event, THRIVE: Demonstration Day, on Wed, March 24, 2021. Ten nonprofits in the Richmond region recently completed our second cohort of THRIVE: An Accelerator for Social Good. Each organization gave a 5 minute pitch to an audience of funders, peers, constituents, and the public. The event was emceed by local comedian and nonprofit board member Micah “Bam-Bamm” White. THRIVE takes the best of start-up acceleration and applies it to the work of nonprofit organizations by focusing on mission and vision as the cornerstone of the experience.
“Nonprofits featured: Downtown Ashland Association, East End Renaissance Council, Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, KLM Scholarship Foundation, NextUp RVA, Reading Without Borders, Second Chance At Renewing Self, Inc, Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond, St. Andrew’s School, St. James’s Children’s Center.”
Nearly 100 virtual attendees heard pitches of these ten nonprofits and voted on the People’s Choice Award, awarding a prize of $1000 to Reading Without Borders, which creates and sponsors high-quality books representing diverse characters, voices, and life circumstances and makes them available to educators and families supporting kids everywhere. Adanna Carter, Social Media Intern says: “I hope we can raise brand awareness naturally by letting the world know that inclusive books are lacking and that this is a problem that needs to be solved.”
Thanks to the sponsors, Carmax, Virginia Community Capital, Doug Pick, The Collaboratory of Virginia Advisory Board, FeedMore, Dominion Payroll, Robins Foundation, and Fahrenheit Advisors, Demonstration Day also awarded a surprise $1,000 to all ten of the participating nonprofits.
The Collaboratory of Virginia exists to build resiliency and efficiency among Richmond region nonprofits. It is both an ecosystem and a 38,000sf coworking center exclusively for its members. When COVID-19 hit, The Collaboratory partnered with The Spark Mill (TSM), a strategic planning and change management consulting firm with extensive experience in nonprofit acceleration. The first cohort of THRIVE focused on helping nonprofits respond to the pandemic. This second cohort clarified nonprofit best practices with a special emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Nonprofits were guided by weekly topic experts and aided by a mentor throughout the experience.
TSM Leads in Nonprofit Acceleration
TSM has been leading nonprofits through acceleration across Virginia for the last four years through their program, Mission Forward. Our accelerators feature a deep partnership with a local sponsor including Community Foundations, Capacity Building Organizations, and in Richmond - The Collaboratory of Virginia. As developer and facilitator we provide the content and you serve as the host of the experience driving impact for nonprofits in your city or region.