Saying Goodbye After 25 Years of Service

November 20, 2025

Dear Friends,

For 25 years, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence (CNPE) has stood at the heart of our region’s nonprofit community, helping organizations grow stronger, lead better, and serve more effectively. Since our founding, we have been guided by a single belief: that when nonprofits thrive, our entire community benefits in immeasurable ways.

Now, we are sharing a difficult decision. CNPE will be closing its operations at the end of December 2025.

This decision was not made lightly. Like so many of the organizations we have supported over the years, CNPE has felt the effects of the profound challenges facing the nonprofit sector. Supporting the work we do has required continuous investment to ensure our programming and services remain relevant, affordable and accessible for all. And today there are many resources available for nonprofit leaders to learn and connect.

Our business has always required a heavy lift from philanthropy, and today our philanthropic community faces immense new pressures to rightly focus their resources to direct services to meet our community’s most urgent needs—from food insecurity and housing to education and health. These priorities are essential and the continued shifting landscape around us has made it untenable to sustain the capacity-building work that CNPE provides.

We remain deeply committed to our mission and to the vision that inspired our founding. The need for education, collaboration, and connection has not gone away – it is, in fact, greater than ever. Over the coming weeks, our dedicated team and board will be focused on stewarding as much of the essential roles CNPE has played as possible into our community. We are confident that the spirit of learning and collaboration that has defined CNPE will continue in new and innovative ways.

To our members, donors, sponsors, faculty, vendors, and the many partners who have stood beside us over the years—thank you. Your belief in CNPE and in the power of the nonprofit sector has made an immeasurable difference. To our remarkable staff and board, whose passion, expertise, and commitment have shaped CNPE’s legacy of service for a quarter-century, we extend our deepest gratitude. It has been our honor to serve the thousands of organizations and nonprofit leaders we’ve come to know throughout the past 25 years.

More details about what comes next for our members, vendors and partners will be shared in the coming days.

Though CNPE’s chapter is coming to a close, the pursuit of nonprofit excellence in our community continues—and we are proud to have been part of it.

With heartfelt thanks,


Das Rooprai
CEO, Center for Nonprofit Excellence

Managing a Nonprofit Staff in Uncertain Times

By CNPE Staff • April 22, 2025
A Joint Letter from CNPE CEO, Das Rooprai, and HR Affiliates President, Jennifer Wheatley

Advice for Handling Financial Uncertainity

By CNPE Staff • February 21, 2025
Dear Friends, With continued changes in government funding, the financial outlook for nonprofits feels more stressful than ever. But there are steps we can take right now to help insulate our organizations from the severity of what may come. In the spirit of "preparing for a rainy day" now is the time to take practical steps to identify and manage financial vulnerabilities in our organizations. From business and banking perspectives, here are a few items and actions to consider: Information is power. Now is a good time to assess your business model for more efficiency, resilience, and adaptability. Scrutinize your budget – trim non-essential costs and consider delaying investment in discretionary items. Cash is king - know your cash position and how long can you operate if funding stops. Manage payables carefully and take advantage of the full time your organization has to pay expenses. Talk with your banker – discuss ways to improve cash flow and ask about a potential line of credit for that rainy day. Have your bank provide a wellness checkup – how do they view your organization’s financial health? In general, don't be afraid to ask for help in times of financial strain. Your accounting firm, associations, and peers are helpful resources too - you are not alone. Plan for possible cuts. Nobody wants to think about this, but the reality of the moment calls for it. Staffing is typically the largest category of expense, so the hard question to wrestle with is how would we trim staffing expenses if needed without impacting our mission. Running a non-profit organization is stressful work. Throw in the uncertainty of our current environment and the task becomes even harder. Call upon trusted partners to help you see through the haze of uncertainty and take actions now that will extend your financial runway. There are additional considerations related to grants, contracts, funders, and social capital. The following resources can help you strategize and manage the financial needs of your organization during these times of uncertainty: 12 Urgent Financial Action Steps for Nonprofits: A 2025 Checklist How do Nonprofits Manage Cash Deficits? The Essentials of Cash Management for Nonprofits Small Business Resource Center | Pinnacle Financial Partners CNPE is partnering with Pinnacle Bank for our next Power Hour that will focus on bringing nonprofits more helpful advice about banking solutions and managing financial uncertainty. The event will provide opportunities for Q&A and networking with peers to help find answers you may be looking for. The date and time in March for Power Hour will be announced soon. We are available to connect with you to help where we can. With gratitude and admiration for everything you do to serve our community,

Managing Stress and Anxiety in a Time of Uncertainty

By Das Rooprai and Kyle Kramer • February 14, 2025
A Joint Letter from CNPE and the Earth & Spirit Center