Beginning in 2002, executive directors of 25 agencies in Baltimore City will have the opportunity to learn how to better manage their agencies so they more effectively may assist disadvantaged individuals and families.

The Weinberg Fellows Program, created and funded by The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, is an innovative leadership development initiative designed to enhance community-based nonprofit agency capacity to assist people in need.

The program was first introduced in 1992 in Hawaii, where more than 200 Weinberg Fellows have since graduated and are making a difference throughout the islands. Now the Weinberg Foundation is replicating and adapting its program to serve Baltimore, assisted by a board of advisors that includes leaders of Baltimore's foundation, social service and academic communities.

In keeping with the Foundation's mission of aiding those unfortunate people who by reason of poverty, disability, failing health and/or advanced age are unable to help themselves adequately, the Weinberg Fellows Program is targeted to nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged people in Baltimore City.

The Weinberg Fellows Program for Baltimore City will train the selected nonprofit executive directors and board members, adding to their knowledge and honing their skills, developing common standards and understanding of best practices and positioning their services for maximum benefit to the Baltimore community. The idea is to assist disadvantaged people by strengthening the effectiveness of nonprofit agencies serving them.

Bernard Siegel, president of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Inc., explains the thinking behind the Weinberg Fellows program: ”Truly being helpful when people need assistance most often requires direct aid, but occasionally demands a more complex response.

“Many nonprofit agencies helping Baltimore City's disadvantaged residents toward a brighter future are headed by overworked, underpaid people who day after day not only make do with insufficient resources, but have little, if any, opportunity to catch up on current management ideas and skills or to interact with their peers.

“The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation admires these vital community leaders, and created the Weinberg Fellows Program to give them fresh support from a local network of caring experts in the foundation, business, academic, government and human service communities — but maybe most importantly, from each other.”

A diverse group of 25 executive directors of agencies whose major purpose is to serve disadvantaged residents of Baltimore City will be selected to attend two four-day retreats and two two-day sessions over a six-month period. Their board presidents and other board members will participate in half-day and full-day sessions.

Topics covered with executive directors will include the context of the nonprofit sector, agency mission, outcomes, organizational development, strategic planning, community capacity-building, board/staff relations, personnel, resource development, financial management, legal issues, risk management and other subjects.

Key board members will receive role-specific training on governance, finance, board development, fund-raising and more.

The program's instructors, panelists and resource people will include experts from nonprofit organizations; business, professional and consulting firms; government agencies; professors from local universities and colleges; and staff of the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is underwriting almost all of the program costs. Executive directors selected to participate in the Weinberg Fellows program will be expected personally to invest $100. Each Fellow's agency will be expected to invest an additional $500.

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available to eligible individuals and/or organizations unable to participate without such assistance.

The program will be hosted and staffed by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, which represents more than 1,200 nonprofit organizations statewide.

“We are excited to be able to work with the Weinberg Foundation in providing this unique opportunity to local service providers,” remarked Peter V. Berns, executive director of Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. “The Weinberg Fellows Program dovetails beautifully with projects we currently have under way such as the Standards for Excellence program, the Advocacy Leaders program and our training for new executive directors.”

Applications for the 2002 Weinberg Fellows charter class are now being accepted from executive directors of nonprofit organizations that serve disadvantaged people in Baltimore City. Applications and additional information may be obtained from the Foundation Web site (www.hjweinbergfoundation.org). Applications must be received by 5 p.m. Dec. 21. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Betsy Nelson is executive director of the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers. Her column appears in this space every other week. She can be contacted at bnelson@abagmd.org. Copyright © 2001 The Daily Record