Agency Professional
Development Support
The Greater Cabarrus Foundation is dedicated to fostering the growth and success of nonprofit agencies in Cabarrus County through our Agency Professional Development Support. Once every three months, the Foundation is sponsoring a single topic lunch and learn workshop focusing on one area of nonprofit administration followed by an opportunity for fellowship and networking.
By investing in the skills and capacity of agency staff, we empower them to innovate, collaborate, and address community needs with greater impact and efficiency. Together, we strive to build a resilient nonprofit sector that drives positive change and improves the quality of life for all residents of Cabarrus County.
REGISTER FOR OUR NEXT SESSION
WCNC Cannon Charitable Trust Grant Process Through the Greater Cabarrus Foundation
📅 Date: Friday, January 30, 2026
🕛 Time: 11:30AM-1:30PM
📍 Location: 4855 Milestone Ave, Kannapolis
🍽️ Cost: Free (Lunch provided for registrants)
Workshop Agenda
— 11:30AM | Doors open, lunch is ready
— 12:00PM | Speaker Presentations
— 1:00PM | Fellowship and networking
Presenter: Robbie Furr, Director of Development at Greater Cabarrus Foundation
- Walk through and review the new online grant application system
- Review the WCNC Cannon Charitable Trust grant scoring rubric
- Receive key dates for the grant process
- Q&A the process with GCF staff
SAVE THE DATES
Stay tuned for more details!
📅 Friday, April 24, 2026
📅 Friday, July 31, 2026
📅 Friday, October 23, 2026
About the Workshop
A thriving nonprofit doesn’t just have strong leadership—it has leadership that’s strategically aligned. When boards and executive leaders collaborate around a shared vision and plan, they create the conditions for long-term impact, accountability, and organizational resilience.
In this workshop, Dr. Cam Cruickshank will guide participants through the essential elements of strategic alignment between governance and executive leadership. Drawing on real-world examples and practical frameworks, the session will explore how a well-crafted strategic plan—and a disciplined approach to executing it—can transform an organization’s trajectory.
Participants will gain insights into:
- The strategic planning process as a tool for alignment and clarity
- The CEO’s role in shaping and driving the plan
- The board’s role in setting direction, asking the right questions, and monitoring progress
- Alignment of long-term strategic plans, annual organizational goals, annual performance goals, and performance appraisals
- How boards and CEOs serve as “accountability partners” to ensure follow-through
- Techniques for fostering trust, transparency, and shared ownership of strategic goals
Keynote Speaker
Cam Cruickshank, Ph.D., President and CEO, Greater Cabarrus Foundation
Cam Cruickshank, Ph.D. has over three decades of experience in non-profit organizations, including over 20-years as a higher education executive and as a board member in non-profit organizations such as the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and the Cabarrus Healthcare Foundation. His executive experience includes serving as a chief development officer at Madonna University, in Livonia Michigan where he and his team raised over $10 million in three years while he served in that role.
Dr. Cruickshank also has extensive experience in start-up organizations and in launching new initiatives, as he has founded companies, a college within a university, a new branch campus, and dozens of new academic and extracurricular programs. Since he arrived in Concord in 2020, Cam has also used his know-how in start-up organizations by serving as a mentor to founders of companies who wish to grow and establish roots in Cabarrus County through the venture mentoring service (VMS) program at the Cabarrus Center for Entrepreneurship.
