Berkshire NonProfits, BRPC to Host Nonprofit Workshops

Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires is teaming up with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission this fall to offer a series of free workshops to small and mid-sized nonprofits looking to increase their capacity and resilience.

The "Level Up Series for Nonprofits" will take place in the fall of 2022. Over two dozen webinars and in-person workshops are scheduled between September and December.

To accommodate all-volunteer organizations, some evening trainings will be offered. The workshops are open to all Berkshire nonprofits. Small, all-volunteer, new and grassroots organizations are especially encouraged to take advantage of this free series aimed at strengthening organizations in areas such as grants and fundraising, marketing, and board development.

"Looking through the lens of economic recovery and future resilience, it makes sense to gear workshops and technical assistance specifically to the many small organizations we have in Berkshire County for a healthier community overall," says Laura Brennan, Economic Development Program Manager at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Local and regional faculty will teach workshops in grant preparedness and grant writing, program evaluation, logic models and theory of change, the Berkshire funding landscape, donor cultivation, board development, fundraising, social media, video, storytelling, PR, and more.  

These professional development opportunities are made possible by a CARES Act grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Classes are limited to 20 participants, and free, limited, one-on-one coaching is available for most topics. Registration for workshops is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional details about the "Level Up Series for Nonprofits," or to register, visit www.npcberkshires.org


Tags: BerkshireNonProfits,   BRPC,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

BRPC Kicks Off Road Safety Action Plan with Public Information Sessions

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding program is bringing resources to Berkshire County to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on our roads, with the goal of reaching zero.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is kicking off this effort under the banner of their STEPS Initiative: the Safe Travel and Equity Plan for our Streets, and will soon begin the data gathering process.

To help answer the question of how we prevent more people from experiencing traffic crashes in the future, BRPC is inviting residents of Berkshire County to share their experiences that might not be found in a statewide database.

Input will help shape the priorities of the STEPS Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. This Action Plan will open the door for future funding for recommended construction or programs. The planning team will offer three opportunities to attend in-person or virtually this month (the meetings will be identical in content):

  • Thursday, June 20, North Adams: Terra Nova | 85 Main Street | 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • Thursday, June 20, Dalton: Dalton Public Library | 462 Main Street | 5:30 – 6:30pm
  • Friday, June 21, Great Barrington: State Road Firehouse | 37 State Road | 10:00 – 11:00am

Spanish language interpretation will be available on Zoom for the June 20 meeting at 5:30. To join any meeting via Zoom, you must pre-register for the one you wish to attend at: berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/

At the meetings, the planning team will present the background and need for this study and the data gathered so far. Berkshire residents are invited to provide their perspectives and experiences on how they feel about road safety in their communities. Specifically, the planning team wants to know:

  • How has the real or perceived risk of injury affected the way you travel? Do you choose not to take a trip by foot or bike? Not travel after dark?
  • What neighborhoods have been historically underserved by our transportation system, and overly represented in injuries and fatalities?
  • Where have you seen risky situations or behavior that might not show up in statewide crash data?
  • How can we most effectively encourage safer behaviors on a regional scale?

Residents are also encouraged to participate in a 5-minute online survey that will help to build the Action Plan. Take the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/SS4A. The survey will remain open through the summer. Learn more about the STEPS Initiative project at  berkshireplanning.org/initiatives/ss4a/.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories