Third Thursday Society
January 21, 2010
“Brainstorming for Better Impact”

Should the Third Thursday Society continue?

• All groups responded YES, seeing the benefits of the programs as:
  o Networking opportunities
  o Education on critical issues to NRV nonprofits
  o The opportunity to learn more about what different agencies do and how we can help one another.
• Groups suggested Third Thursday return to its original intent of:
  o Keying into nonprofit leaders and collaborating on how to address issues
relevant to NRV nonprofits.

How should Third Thursday be structured?

Venue:
• The idea of rotating every quarter is a good one and would allow for broader participation from the NRV.
  o Each quarter could focus on a particular theme though this would require “just in time” planning in which the topics for each upcoming meeting emerge from the previous.
  o Could take advantage of meeting space in local libraries
• Instead of moving quarterly, each quarter meet once in a different place and then return to Blacksburg for the other two meetings.
• The disadvantages of moving venues include:
  o Could create confusion and lead to a decrease in attendance.
  o Could disrupt the camaraderie that has already developed between participants.
• All groups agreed that the setting needed to be more intimate. The YMCA is cold and the acoustics are not ideal.

Time:
• May wanted to consider moving the time later – perhaps to 8am – particularly if the
location will be moving regularly.

Presentation Structure:
• Could be a mix of traditional presentations by a speaker and small group exercises (like the World Café model used today) that allow participants to dig deeper into issues and meet others they might not normally interact with in the socializing period before the program.
• Panels in addition to individual speakers
• We could utilize more electronic communication to reach a broader audience

Potential Topics:
• Panel discussions around a particular topic such as the arts, human services, etc…that feature the leadership from local nonprofits
• Presentations by NRV nonprofits so that participants can learn how they might work together. i.e. one month could feature a presentation by Literacy Volunteers and the next by NRV Cares
• Presentations by area nonprofits could include the opportunity to learn about
participants both professionally and personally.
• Topics that help us understand how we can better serve the “underserved” portions of our community.
• The opportunity to work together on issues or questions requested by a particular agency such as fundraising or hunger to gain new ideas and share advice.
• Presentations on best practices.
• Presentations that benefit not only individual nonprofit leaders but the community at large so that we give participants something they can take back to those they serve.

The Third Thursday Society

The Third Thursday Society, an informal association of civil society leaders, meets monthly and sponsors the 2008-2009 breakfast speaker series. The Society grew out of a series of nonprofit/civil sector workshops sponsored by the Community Foundation of the New River Valley and the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance. Workshop attendees identified the need for a monthly opportunity for nonprofit and civil sector folks to meet, to exchange information, and to develop professionally. The partnership has resulted in a rich exchange of insight, information, and expertise regarding nonprofit and civil sector development. The partnership of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley and the Virginia Tech Institute for Policy and Governance sponsored an international symposium on nonprofit governance held at Mountain Lake Hotel, April 14-17, 2007. The symposium is a project of the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network, funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Membership is open to trustees, board members, staff and friends of the nonprofit and civil sectors in the New River Valley. There are no dues. The Society meets monthly on the third Thursday at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast. Meetings feature guest speakers on topics identified by the membership. Each breakfast costs $10 payable in advance or at the door.

Communications: We send out announcements about each meeting via e-mail and snail mail. Please, if you wish to be added to the invitation list, send us an email at cfnrv@cfnrv.org and provide your email address and postal address.

Resource Materials
"Non-profits Going Green" a presentation to the Third Thursday Society, November 20, 2008 by Billy Weitzenfeld, Executive Director of the Association for Energy Conservation Professionals (PowerPoint)
(play and/or download)