OREANDA-NEWS. GE Capital Bank is providing training, management expertise and funding grants to six community organizations that serve rural Utah. Called “Invest in Success,” the program helps non-profit leaders build essential skills through courses designed to emulate corporate executive education seminars. The program is presented in conjunction with the Community Foundation of Utah and Fifth Ocean Consulting.

“Organizations tell us they need help building networks and thinking in expansive, innovative ways about the services they provide to rural communities,” said Fraser Nelson, director of the Community Foundation. “This program is intended to help them build the skills needed to serve Utahns living in poverty.”

The Invest in Success participants are:

Teri Iverson, southern Utah coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Utah in St. George, UT,

C. Josie Luke, executive director at Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County in Price, UT,

Jae Maxfield, executive director at Dixie Care and Share in St. George, UT,

Chris Lezama, community development specialist at Epicenter in Green River, UT,

Tracy Johnson, executive director at New Frontiers for Families in Panguitch, UT, and

Rhiana Medina, executive director at Moab Valley Multicultural Center in Moab, UT.

Invest in Success includes courses on budgeting, board governance, social media usage and other relevant subjects taught by GE Capital and Fifth Ocean Consulting. Participants may apply for grants of up to USD 2,500 to tackle a specific challenge addressed during the program. To help implement their plans, they'll receive ongoing support by Fifth Ocean Consulting.

“Invest in Success is many things - boot camp, supportive retreat and networking opportunity as well as a long-term regional support system,” explained Julie Buchholz, GE Capital Bank's Community Reinvestment Act officer. “These leaders immerse themselves in a learning environment where they absorb new management techniques while meeting others who are addressing some of the same issues.”

This is the second annual Invest in Success event. The first one in 2013 involved six Salt Lake City-area non-profits that met once a week for six weeks.

“This year, we organized an intensive three-day session to provide rural non-profits with the kind of training that can help them better serve their constituencies,” said Scott Roberts, CEO of GE Capital Bank. “We realize these agencies need more than money; they also need help building the leaders, systems and cultures that can drive community empowerment. Invest in Success was created to help meet these needs.”

About the Community Foundation of Utah

The Community Foundation of Utah is a catalyst for philanthropy that is visionary, diverse and inclusive. One of more than 700 community foundations nationwide, it was created by a group of people who wanted to do good-and its goals are still that simple. Its mission is to harness Utah's entrepreneurial spirit in service to the common good through smart philanthropy. The Community Foundation of Utah focuses on the people, places, causes and resources of Utah, gathering the assets and ideas that will serve Utah for good and forever.

About Fifth Ocean Consulting

Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Fifth Ocean Consulting helps build organizational capacity, increase sustainability, improve service delivery, cultivate leadership, demonstrate effectiveness and articulate an organization's unique impact on its community.