The Mayor’s Office of Partnerships and Grants Development (OPGD) graduated the fourth class of its Strengthening Partners Initiative (SPI) on Wednesday, September 27, 2006.

Twenty-five executive directors of local nonprofits successfully completed the year-long SPI program. The year included six months of bi-weekly capacity building instruction on core topics such as fundraising, financial management and board development. It also provided several months of individual coaching with professionals from local nonprofits, businesses, and government. Ultimately, the participants presented projects demonstrating how they have used or plan to use the tools learned from the program to improve their organizations.

Topics for the final projects included board development, organizational development, budgeting, communications, marketing, strategic planning and fundraising diversification.

“I am very proud of this year’s SPI graduates. They have worked exceptionally hard during the program while still providing much needed services to the DC community. These graduates are now better prepared to partner with DC agencies and improve the quality of life of District residents,” said Lafayette Barnes, the director of Office of Partnerships and Grants Development.

The following is a list of the graduating class:

Allen Chapel AME Church Evening Academy, Katrina Brock
Ascensions Community Services, Inc., Satira Streeter
Association for Spiritual, Emotional and Evangelical Development (ASEED), Donetta King
Capital City Symphony, Victoria Gau
Concerned Citizens on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Inc., Charles Avery
DC Assembly on School-Based Health Care, Jennifer G. Leonard
The Gatepost, Inc., Theresa Mullen
Institute for African Man Development, Chester Marshall
Interstages, Inc., Noel Tieszen