Friendship, Community, Connection – Nonprofits offer it All

Janice Welborn

At a very young age I was introduced to the value of philanthropy. Mom and Dad participated in organizations and events supporting a variety of needs in our community. They went to meetings, volunteered at a variety of events, and attended fundraising balls and galas with their friends. My dad in his best suit, ball gowns my mom had sewn for each of her friends–all those things that create a picture in my mind of how my family fit into the community we lived in. Who knew I would find a sense of place in the nonprofit world?

When I first moved to the Gunnison Valley in the 1980s, I needed to find my footing in an unfamiliar land. Southern California beach living to mountain living at 10,000 feet – whew! What an adventure! I found my niche in nonprofit work early on with the Pitkin Town Hall roof restoration, which served as a pathway to meeting new friends, job opportunities, and a deep connection to the valley. Those relationships led to grant writing and project management work, as well as being asked to serve as the western slope representative on the Colorado Preservation Inc. (CPI) Board of Directors. CPI is dedicated to building futures including historic places through advocacy, education, outreach and services.

Many of us are engaged with one or more of the nonprofits in the Gunnison Valley. For those community members who want to know more about the role nonprofits play in our region, imagine this: over 100 nonprofits serve the residents and visitors to the valley in so many ways – health equity, indoor and outdoor recreation, arts and culture, early childhood development and care, educational support, housing, and food justice, to name a few.

Each nonprofit has a volunteer board of directors and donors, and most have paid staff and volunteer opportunities that are a necessary and great way to contribute, meet people, and have fun! Try your hand at bar tending at an event, register people at a fundraiser, collect tickets at music and theatre productions, help set up and, yeah, cleanup too, and all the while, learn more about the organization and the Gunnison Valley.

Rural communities invest strategically in community assets to foster the economy. I see nonprofits as community assets worthy of investment, and now there is data to show that each non-profit contributes to the economic development of a community. Partnerships abound with local governments, schools, churches, and the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley. Leadership in all these sectors has leveraged the many connections between the services nonprofits provide and the ongoing needs within the community. Board members donating their expertise and experience have important responsibilities in their roles.

Many things in our nonprofit world have changed over the years. Staff salaries have improved and benefit packages including medical insurance are being added to some positions. Professional development and training are now the norm, helping organizations accomplish their missions more effectively and their ability to add new initiatives.

My life has been defined by my participation in many projects with many nonprofits, which has deepened my pride in our community. I am not alone in feeling this way; many people in the valley are working together to identify and catalyze change for the common good.

I have several key takeaways from my affiliation with nonprofits in the valley. Two of my longest friendships began while we were working in local nonprofits. I continue to be proud of the many programs I contributed to and that I know make a difference in the lives of many people. Currently I am grateful for the opportunity to work with over forty nonprofits on the western slope of Colorado who received federal funding to enhance infrastructure needed to secure their current and future services. Each of these organizations is doing amazing work and impacting the lives of many people.

Like the Gunnison, the East, the Slate, the Taylor, our nonprofits are rivers running through our communities: some deep and wide, others but a trickle, but all making a difference. Their ebb and flow, together with our governance and business sectors, water the ground of our lives and constitute and reconstitute our community. Everyone benefits from the work of our nonprofits in one way or another. If these social facts resonate with your sensibilities, reach out and find a way to engage in the nonprofit culture of the community. Go play in those rivers with the friends you’ll meet there.

Janice Welborn has been intimately connected with many of the nonprofits in the Gunnison Valley. She worked for many years on grants for Western.