Sonia White, the Director of the Center for Nonprofit Management and Leadership at Midwestern State University, is more excited than ever about the future for Wichita Falls area nonprofits.

The Center for Nonprofit Management and Leadership at MSU Texas will celebrate its first anniversary on January 1, 2020. It also marks one year since the establishment of the Nonprofit Management minor at the university.

White is a part of the 2019 Class of Licensed Consultants from The Standards for Excellence Institute. Standards for Excellence is an initiative designed to help nonprofit organizations operate more ethically and accountably. Twenty-nine class members from nine states completed an intensive three-day training seminar.

“The designation as a Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant will allow me to introduce the local nonprofit community to these national standards and provide a framework for the Center to deliver these standards and assist nonprofits in applying these standards to their day-to-day operations,” White said.

Jeff Stambaugh, Dean of the Dillard College of Business Administration, praised the progress the Center has made in one year.

“Ms. White has been a tremendous addition to MSU Texas, the Dillard College, and the community,” Stambaugh said. “She has brought vast nonprofit expertise to us and has made a huge difference in the program. Partnering with Marla Malone, the Center’s assistant director, the two have accomplished so much in just one year.”

White anticipates more progress in 2020. “Our current professional development opportunities, such as monthly Coffee & Conversation, Nonprofit Management Certificate Program, and the North Texas Nonprofit Business Summit, will all reflect the Standards for Excellence framework and guidelines,” she said. “We also plan to add fee-based training opportunities, such as one-day 'boot-camps,' which specializes in board training, fund development, and volunteer management.”

Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultants use their extensive knowledge of the multi-faceted initiative to help nonprofits strengthen their governance practices and exceed the rising demand for accountability. The Standards for Excellence was founded as an initiative of Maryland Nonprofits in 1998 and has since expanded into a national program to help nonprofit organizations achieve the highest benchmarks of ethics and accountability in nonprofit governance, management, and operations.

White believes the resources and tools acquired will help her better “guide and coach my clients to implement these best practices and accomplish this mission.”