By Adelia Thompson
In the early fall of 2025, the board of Network Peninsula made the tough decision to sunset operations. For nearly 20 years, Network was a steady, comforting hand for the Virginia Peninsula’s nonprofit community — bringing leaders together, offering training and helping organizations thrive through connection.
When it closed its doors, folks were left wondering: How do we make sure our nonprofits don’t lose the vital network, resource and connections they depend on?
Well, four organizations, all created to serve the entire Peninsula, decided to roll up our sleeves and find out:
- The Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (Bob McKenna, president and CEO)
- The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation (BFSF) (Sister David Ann Niski, executive director)
- The United Way of the Virginia Peninsula (Charvalla West, president and CEO)
- The Peninsula Community Founda-tion (PCF) (Adelia Thompson, CEO)
None of us could replace Network Peninsula on our own. But we figured we could divide and conquer — taking stock of what each of us already did best, keeping what worked and maybe even adding a few new possibilities to the mix.
We labeled our little collective the Peninsula Nonprofit Partnership. Now, a year into our work together, it’s time to check our homework.
What’s working, what’s not and what are we actually delivering? Here is our quick self-report card:
- We show up for each other: We meet monthly in person, share plenty of emails and phone calls in between and always leave with a fresh list of assignments. Plus, we show up for each other’s events.
- One easy front door: We set up a unified email address — niskinavigator@uwvp.org — where all four of us see every message and make sure it gets to the right person right away.
- Back to school: Sister David Ann took the reins on training, putting together a fantastic roster for staff and boards starting this fall, bringing in both outside experts and local leaders.
- Coffee and conversation: Our monthly networking coffees for executive directors and development directors — which our four organizations rotate hosting at locations around the Peninsula — have been a huge hit. Turns out, nonprofit leaders just really need a reliable space to share a cup of coffee, compare notes and lean on each other.
- News, jobs and grants: The Chamber stepped up to run a dedicated monthly newsletter with local news, grant opportunities, trainings and job postings, alongside directory listings and preferred provider discounts.
- Data and advocacy: The Peninsula Community Foundation built and maintains a comprehensive database of Peninsula nonprofits, complete with a “how-to” guide for collaborative funding. Meanwhile, United Way and BFSF team up with the Chamber on legislative breakfasts.
- Room to gather: United Way, PCF and BFSF offer meeting spaces at no cost, with the Chamber providing special rental rates for nonprofit members.
Certainly, there are plenty of numbers we can track — like leadership engagement, workshops held and referrals made. But some of the best value we’re seeing will never fit neatly into a spreadsheet.
It’s about watching genuine, trusted relationships bloom among organizations and colleagues. It’s about spotting community needs earlier because we’re talking across sectors.
As nonprofits, we always hear the business, educational and governmental worlds around us urging us to collaborate, share resources and partner. And we should! So, this past year, the four of us figured we better start by looking in the mirror. We have to be willing to do the work, make a little mess and figure it out together. If we want our community to partner, we have to live it ourselves to have any credibility.
We are still figuring things out, and we welcome you to check our homework, too. We are grateful to Oyster Pointer for the chance to issue that invitation here — and to share this collective update we crafted, together. Email us at niskinavigator@uwvp.org, join us at our upcoming Town Hall meeting on November 4, 2026, at the Chamber or reach out with your thoughts. We are proud to serve the Peninsula’s nonprofit family, and we want this partnership to help us all do more, together.
Adelia Thompson is CEO of the Peninsula Community Foundation and can be reached at athompson@pcfvirginia.org or 757-327-0862 (office) or 205-441-0880 (cell). To contact the Peninsula Nonprofit Partnership organizations with questions or comments, its shared email address is niskinavigator@uwvp.org.
