History and Operations
Valley Nonprofit Resources was created after six years of research and active dialogue with nonprofit leaders in the San Fernando Valley. A small convening was held in 2001, and a major planning conference convened in 2003, both at California State University Northridge. Thanks to a grant from The California Endowment, a one-year feasibility study was conducted in 2005. It re-affirmed the need for a resource focused on and in the San Fernando Valley and identified topics Valley nonprofit leaders would like help with, such as executive leadership transition, financial management and volunteer recruitment.
The feasibility study also established the desire Valley nonprofits have for peer-based learning, for information that’s easily-accessible on the internet or by phone, and for training and technical assistance that’s locally available. VNR was created to meet all of these needs simultaneously.
VNR is designed to serve executive directors, staff and board members of nonprofits, plus leaders of volunteer groups and of smaller foundations located in the Valley. Most of its services are provided on-line, over the phone, or in facilities of its partner organizations, making VNR a “virtual MSO,” a management support organization that takes advantage of modern technology and multiple partners.
Support for VNR comes from foundations, corporations and private donors. Most services are free of charge, though modest fees for certain training and technical assistance activities also help support the program. Each of the three partner organizations also donates facilities and time for leadership of the program.
VNR’s Definition of the San Fernando Valley
There are many definitions of the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. The one VNR uses is depicted in the above map. The Santa Clarita Valley is not included, nor are parts of the Simi or Conejo Valleys. Glendale and Burbank are included.
Resources on VNR’s website are available to all, but our Concierge and other direct services are available only to nonprofits physically located in the San Fernando Valley.
Appropriate referrals can be made to other inquiries.
More on VNR’s Partners
California State University Northridge (CSUN) is the largest institution of higher education in the San Fernando Valley, with nearly 34,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty and staff on its 356-acre campus. VNR's partnership is primarily with CSUN's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, which includes the Center for Southern California Studies, and departments of Anthropology, Geography, History, Pan African Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Urban Studies & Planning. To learn more, go to CSUN College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Human Interaction Research Institute (HIRI), founded in 1961, conducts research on and provides technical assistance to the nonprofit sector. The Institute has long been a leader in research on nonprofit capacity building, and on the challenges of innovation and change affecting the nonprofit sector. It also studies both institutional and individual philanthropy, strategies for dissemination and utilization of new knowledge in the nonprofit sector, and collaboration approaches of both nonprofits and funders. HIRI, based in Encino, CA is the lead agency and fiscal agent for VNR. More information is available at www.humaninteract.org.
Meet Each Need With Dignity (MEND) is a volunteer-driven organization based in Pacoima, CA that provides services to meet the basic human needs of individuals who reside in the northeast San Fernando Valley. In operation since the early 1970s, MEND provides emergency food, clothing, medical, vision and dental care, job skills training and job placement assistance, English as a Second Language classes, youth activities, and a Christmas program. MEND serves more than 456,000 people each year. Services are provided in a manner that safeguards the dignity of all recipients, while promoting self-reliance. For additional information about MEND and its programs: www.mendpoverty.org.
VNR Staff
Thomas E. Backer, PhD, Executive Director
Julaine Konselman, Project Coordinator
Kathryn Groves, Webmaster and Project Assistant
Terri Ruddiman, Project Assistant
Mary Anne Shew, Technology Consultant
VNR Advisory Committee
Members of VNR’s Advisory Committee come from nonprofits and businesses located in the Valley, as well as from capacity-building organizations throughout Southern California. The Committee provides input on VNR activities, and oversight to its various programs (for instance, by reviewing and commenting on VNR evaluation data). Committee members are:
Joy Picus, Consultant (Advisory Committee Chair)
Kelly Alexander, Citi Smith Barney
Regina Birdsell, Center for Nonprofit Management
Rev. Dr. D.D. Chatman, Greater Community Missionary Baptist Church
Neal Dudovitz, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles
David Factor, Executive Service Corps of Southern California
Barbara Firestone, PhD, The Help Group
Jennifer Fitzgerald, NBC/Universal
Florence Green, IdeaEncore
Sandra Kaplan, Friends of the Family
Roy Marshall, Child and Family Guidance Center
Bruce Nelson, Glendale Adventist Hospital
Judy Ross, Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership
Jerry Seliger, PhD, California State University Northridge
Lewis Sharpstone, SingerLewak
Ron Sorensen, Providence St. Joseph Medical Center/Valley Care Community Consortium
Paul Vandeventer, Community Partners
Diana Medina Wiley, University of Southern California
Kimberly Wyard, Northeast Valley Health Corporation
VNR Partner Representatives
Marianne Haver Hill, MEND
Josh Sides, PhD, California State University Northridge
Stella Theodoulou, PhD, California State University Northridge
Disclaimer
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