• The Wyoming Nonprofit Network is coming to train and support local nonprofit organizations

Individuals involved with nonprofit organizations throughout Star Valley are invited to attend the Star Valley Nonprofit Networking Event offered Friday and Saturday, April 25-26 at the Alpine Civic Center. Workshops are offered from 12-2 p.m. and from 2:15-4:15 p.m. on Friday and a networking social is offered from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday.

This unique event is sponsored by the Wyoming Community Foundation and organized by Patti Rooney, a local nonprofit advocate and supporter, as well as Jennifer Wilkins, who serves as Founder and Executive Director of the Wyoming Arts Development Institute based in Afton.

Rooney, who brings decades of experience with business and fundraising to the table, was recruited by the Wyoming Community Foundation to facilitate increased influence for the Foundation in Star Valley. “Star Valley is kind of separated from the rest of Wyoming geographically and [the Foundation] really didn’t have a presence here,” she explained in an interview on the SVI Radio Network last week. “They wanted a presence here.”

Wilkins established WYADI as a vehicle to help artists connect with the resources they need to grow their businesses. “I found there was a huge need for artists to be connected to resources such as people who offer grants or people who can help them learn” the business aspect of art, Wilkins shared in the same interview. WYADI also hopes to support  the community with increased art and business education opportunities.

The Nonprofit Networking Events are designed to support the Wyoming Community Foundation’s mission, which is to “provide educational opportunities and have initiatives to help support nonprofits throughout the state,” said Rooney.

The first workshop on Friday is designed to educate nonprofit board members, volunteers and staff members in strengthening their “working atmosphere.”  The second workshop will teach nonprofits how to harness the power of the WyoGives initiative, which serves as a powerful fundraising tool, offering a donation matching format for non-profits in Wyoming.

“They’ll explain how to register,” and “provide a lot of information on how to be successful,” said Rooney, “This is a matching type campaign – a one-day event where you get your people and your donors to log in and make their donations, and make it count.”

At the networking social event on Saturday evening, organizers will offer round table discussions with representatives from the Wyoming Community Foundation who will cover fundraising and grant opportunities. These discussions will be “very educational and connect you to very strong resources and other opportunities in the nonprofit industry,” Wilkins added.

Tuition for the workshops is $20 per person if you have registered as a partner of the WYCF and then use the discount code WYCF2025. The QR code to register can be found on the event flyer or under Events at SVInews.com. Without registration, the tuition is $50 per person. The networking event on Saturday evening is entirely free of charge.

“We need community outreach.” Wilkins hopes that every nonprofit will have a representative in attendance, “maybe a board member or a volunteer –  somebody to get the word out to start this collaboration. I think everyone will benefit from it. We’ve got high expectations. It’s really important to show up, because when we show up, we represent what it is that we’re doing here and it shows [WYCF] how much we need their help and how much funding we can use here. If we’re not using the funding, then they won’t keep giving it. Please show up. Please tell others what you’re doing.”

Rooney encourages everyone to bring a business card, their elevator pitch, and a winning attitude. “We’re going places with this!”

For more information, feel free to reach out to Rooney at 601-953-5350 or Wilkins at 307-200-9819.