Nonprofits are often described by their missions: providing housing, supporting families, responding to violence, investing in community needs, or helping people navigate difficult circumstances. But behind those missions are organizations facing many of the same pressures as any other business—rising costs, workforce challenges, limited resources, changing customer needs, and the constant question of how to do more with what they have.

At our October Eggs & Issues, The Power of Community: How Local Nonprofits Turn Challenges into Impact, local nonprofit leaders came together for a candid conversation about the needs they are seeing across Montgomery County and the New River Valley, the challenges of meeting those needs, and the role our business community can play in helping create lasting impact.

The discussion was moderated by Holly Kobia, Principal and Founder of Kobia Consulting, and featured:

• Jennifer Smith, CEO of New River Community Action
• Jonathan Vandergrift, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley
• Jessica Wirgau, CEO of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley
• Kelly McCoy, Executive Director of the Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley

Community Needs Are Becoming More Complex

One message emerged quickly from the discussion: the need for nonprofit services is not only increasing—it is becoming more complicated.

Housing was a common thread across nearly every organization represented.

For the Women's Resource Center, the lack of available and affordable housing can make it significantly harder for survivors of domestic violence to safely move forward. Kelly McCoy shared that the average shelter stay has grown from approximately 30 days several years ago to roughly 45 to 50 days today. When a 26-bed shelter remains full for longer periods, that creates another challenge: finding space for the next person who needs immediate safety.

Housing affordability is also at the center of Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley's work. Jonathan Vandergrift discussed the increasing cost of construction and the challenge of keeping homeownership attainable for working families.

Habitat is currently developing 11 energy-efficient townhomes on Airport Road in Blacksburg. While comparable new construction could cost approximately $450,000 to $500,000, Habitat plans to sell the homes for approximately $250,000.

Even then, the conversation demonstrated just how difficult the word "affordable" has become in today's housing market.

The Community Foundation of the New River Valley sees many of these same challenges through the organizations seeking funding and support. Jessica Wirgau pointed to housing and childcare as two significant issues affecting the region's ability to attract and retain employees. Childcare providers themselves face a difficult business model, with relatively low wages for educators occurring alongside high costs for families.

New River Community Action is also seeing a shift in who needs assistance.

Jennifer Smith explained that more people seeking help today are working individuals and families who have never needed assistance before. Higher rent, utilities, food costs, childcare expenses, medical bills, car repairs, or even a few missed days of work can be enough to push an already-tight household budget into crisis.

That reality challenges a common misconception: needing assistance does not necessarily mean someone is unemployed or unwilling to work. Many households are working full-time while remaining one unexpected expense away from needing help.

Nonprofits Are Businesses, Too

Another important theme from the panel was the need to rethink how we view nonprofit organizations themselves.

Strong nonprofits require professional employees, effective leadership, technology, facilities, financial management, training, and competitive compensation. Mission alone cannot replace those investments.

Jessica Wirgau noted that nonprofit professionals are often expected to be incredibly versatile. While donors understandably want as much funding as possible to directly support programs, organizations also need skilled employees and strong internal operations to deliver those programs effectively.

Funding restrictions can make that especially difficult.

Many grants and donations can only be used for specific programs or purposes. While those dollars are essential, unrestricted funding gives organizations the flexibility to respond when circumstances change, cover operational needs, retain employees, repair facilities, or address needs that do not fit neatly into a grant requirement.

The panel also discussed how demanding nonprofit leadership can be. Organizations continually prioritize needs, pursue new funding opportunities, manage employees and volunteers, respond to changing regulations, and determine where limited resources will have the greatest impact.

It is meaningful work, but meaningful work still requires sustainable organizations behind it.

Partnership Goes Beyond Writing a Check

For the businesses in the room, perhaps the most actionable part of the conversation came when Holly Kobia asked what meaningful support from the business community actually looks like.

Financial contributions matter tremendously, particularly unrestricted and recurring support. But every panelist emphasized that businesses have much more than money to offer.

A contractor may be able to provide materials or reduced-cost labor for a Habitat project. An automotive business may be able to help a family overcome a transportation barrier. A company may encourage an employee to serve on a nonprofit board, organize a supply drive, volunteer during a workday, or provide professional expertise that a nonprofit would otherwise have to purchase.

Sometimes partnership can connect directly to the workplace.

The Women's Resource Center, for example, can work with employers on policies and resources related to domestic and sexual violence. These issues do not disappear when an employee arrives at work, and businesses can play an important role in creating supportive workplaces.

Jennifer Smith encouraged businesses to begin with a simple question: What does your organization care about? From there, find the nonprofit already doing that work and start a conversation.

The strongest partnerships are not necessarily one-time donations. They happen when businesses and nonprofits recognize the skills, resources, relationships, and expertise they can share with one another.

Turning Challenges Into Impact

The morning's conversation focused heavily on challenges, but the reason these organizations continue doing this work is the impact waiting on the other side. For Habitat, it can be physically handing someone the keys to a home. For another organization, those "keys" may look different: helping a survivor reach safety, helping a family keep the lights on, strengthening a local nonprofit through a grant, providing childcare support, preventing homelessness, or helping someone regain stability after an unexpected crisis.

Those moments are rarely created by one organization alone.

They are the result of nonprofits, businesses, donors, volunteers, employees, local governments, and community members deciding that our region's challenges belong to all of us—and that we each have something we can contribute.

THAT is the power of community.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce extends our sincere thanks to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, our Eggs & Issues presenting sponsor, and Kobia Consulting, our topic sponsor, for helping make this important conversation possible. We also thank Holly Kobia for moderating the discussion and Jennifer Smith, Jonathan Vandergrift, Jessica Wirgau, and Kelly McCoy for sharing their expertise and experiences with our business community.

Learn more about upcoming Eggs & Issues programs and opportunities to join the conversation at montgomerycc.org/eggs.