Raleigh Nonprofit Support and Community
A note from Cary Heise, founder of Vend Raleigh…
Over the past year I’ve seen ways we can connect women outside of business. Recently we hosted a publishing event and a social media workshop marketed outside our small business community. Women want and need to connect, and with the power, talent and uniqueness of Vend Raleigh, we are exploring ways to connect outside of business. I have many relationships with women in the nonprofit field, either directors or founders, and they too would benefit from much of what we have to offer here at Vend Raleigh, such as networking, support, and business classes like social media. We are excited to announce that we offering a Vend Raleigh Nonprofit Facebook group. My friend, Abbi Tenaglia, founder and director of Transforming Hope will be leading this new group. Transforming Hope is bringing awareness of human trafficking right here at home in the Triangle. She felt there was a need for ongoing support for nonprofit leaders and we are excited to see how we can partner with them. Transforming Hope is a sponsor of Illuminate 2015.
More from Abbi…
This November Transforming Hope will be five years old and what a journey those five years has been for me personally and for the organization. We have evolved from an outreach ministry working with about 60 women in Triangle-based strip clubs to a residential facility working with 3 teen girls who were victims of human trafficking and now to an organization that strives to educate others about human trafficking, prevent children in the Triangle from being lured into human trafficking, and working to restore the lives of girls and their families who have been affected by human trafficking.
God had a much bigger plan for Transforming Hope than what I saw in the beginning and now I recognize that He wanted to start by transforming me. As the organization evolved, so did I into the leader He wanted me to be rather than doing things my way and hoping He would join in. I like to think that I have grown significantly in many areas of my life in the last five years and I hope to continue growing for the rest of my life, especially as the leader of Transforming Hope.
Sometimes, though, this journey is a bit lonely. Sometimes I feel like I have to be the strongest, most “put together” person in the room because I’m the leader and there are expectations about how a leader should act. Some of the most valuable relationships I have now are other women who get how it feels and allow me to have a safe place to be transparent and vulnerable. Sometimes they have the most encouraging word for me because I know that they just get it. We all value people who we know have “been there, done that” and are willing to share what they learned in order to help us.
Nonprofit work (ministry in general) will chew you up and spit you out if there are no safe places in your life. It demands much and returns very little…kind of like parenting. But 2 Corinthians 4:1 says “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” This is the vision I have for this group: that we will encourage each other to not lose heart, that we can be a safe place to come to, a resource when you need new ideas or services for a client, an avenue for training to enhance your skills and contributions to your organization, and a group that sharpens and strengthens each other because we get it. Will you join me?
Request to join the Vend Raleigh Nonprofit Facebook group here.
- Small Business / Nonprofit Meetup - August 16, 2016
- I Want to Save the World | Raleigh Nonprofit Connect - April 8, 2016
- Myths Debunked in the Nonprofit World - April 7, 2016
Comments
Such a great idea! I’m going to suggest this group to Jackie Craig, co-founder and executive director at The Green Chair Project. I volunteer with their organization and do some limited marketing work for them! I think this will be a great resource for them moving forward. Thanks for sharing and putting this group together.