Mission Statement
Virginia Organizing is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to
challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address
issues that affect the quality of their lives.
As a non-partisan organization, Virginia Organizing especially encourages the participation of those who have had traditionally little or no voice in our society. By building relationships with diverse individuals and groups throughout the state, Virginia Organizing strives to get them to work together, democratically and non-violently, for change.
Web and Social Media
Facebook
Leadership
CEO/Executive Director
Mr. Joe Szakos
Board Chair
Ladelle McWhorter
Board Chair Company Affiliation
Professor, University of Richmond
Contact Information
Address
703 Concord Avenue
Charlottesville, VA 229035208
Telephone
434 984-4655
Fax
434 984-2803
E-mail
info@virginia-organizing.org
History and Background
Year of Incorporation
1995
Financial Summary
Projected Revenue
$6,271,000.00
Projected Expenses
$6,271,000.00
Statements
Mission
Virginia Organizing is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to
challenging injustice by empowering people in local communities to address
issues that affect the quality of their lives.
As a non-partisan organization, Virginia Organizing especially encourages the participation of those who have had traditionally little or no voice in our society. By building relationships with diverse individuals and groups throughout the state, Virginia Organizing strives to get them to work together, democratically and non-violently, for change.
Impact
Accomplishments:
- Increased
our strategic capacity by hiring new organizers, expanding our geographic reach into more communities across the state, developing more grassroots leaders among people directly affected by the issues, and building on relationships with many
elected officials.
- On the
statewide level, we worked on banning the box on employment applications and to interrupt the school to prison pipeline.
- We had successes on a wide range of social justice issues at the local level.
- We ramped up our work on climate change.
Goals for 2017:
- increasing and diversifying Chapter membership and
strengthening leadership development in communities across the
Commonwealth;
- adding at least three new
Chapters and deepening existing ones;
- making tangible gains on a variety of issues including climate change
and renewable energy, women's issues, racial profiling, fair
hiring practices, and restoration of voting rights, among other
social justice and environmental issues.
Needs
Virginia Organizing needs to expand to 20 organizers to develop more leaders and more community groups across Virginia.
Background
Prior to the formation of Virginia Organizing, formerly known as the
Virginia Organizing Project (VOP), no statewide organization existed in
Virginia to encourage the active participation and empowerment of many
different groups of people on a variety of issues. As government policy
and control shifted dramatically from the federal to the state and
local levels, it became clear to Virginia Organizing’s founders that
statewide organizing work was needed.
Virginia Organizing, founded in August 1995, is a non-partisan statewide
grassroots organization dedicated to challenging injustice by empowering
people in local communities to address issues that affect the quality
of their lives. Virginia Organizing especially encourages the
participation of those who have traditionally had little or no voice in
our society. By building relationships with diverse individuals and
groups throughout Virginia, Virginia Organizing enhances their ability
to work together at a statewide level, democratically and non-violently,
for change.
The overall purpose of Virginia Organizing is to create a strong
political force for long-term change which has a diverse grassroots base
and includes people who have not been active before.
Areas of Service
Virginia Organizing organizes in local communities across Virginia.
Board Chair
Board Chair
Ladelle McWhorter
Company Affiliation
Professor, University of Richmond
Term
Jan 2017 to Dec 2017
Email
lmcwhort@richmond.edu
Board Demographics - Ethnicity
African American/Black
6
Asian American/Pacific Islander
0
Caucasian
4
Hispanic/Latino
0
Native American/American Indian
0
Board Demographics - Gender
Male
2
Female
8
Governance
Board Term Lengths
1
Board Term Limits
15
Board Meeting Attendance %
90
Written Board Selection Criteria?
Yes
Written Conflict of Interest Policy?
Yes
Percentage Making Monetary Contributions
100
Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions
100
Number of Full Board Meetings Annually
12
Other Boards
The tables below contain information about other groups that advise this nonprofit on operations and projects.
Executive Director
Executive Director
Mr. Joe Szakos
Experience
Mr. Szakos has 39 years experience as a community organizer. Masters Degree from the University of Chicago.
Staff
Full Time Staff
36
Part Time Staff
8
Volunteers
1500
Plans
Organization has a Fundraising Plan?
Yes
Organization has a Strategic Plan?
Yes
Years Strategic Plan Considers
3
Date Strategic Plan Adopted
Jan 2016
Management Succession Plan?
Yes
Organization Policy and Procedures
Yes
Nondiscrimination Policy
Yes
Whistleblower Policy
Yes
Document Destruction Policy
Yes
Directors and Officers Insurance Policy
Yes
Collaborations
Virginia Organizing has entered into a Joint Plan of Work with the following groups:
Camping for All
Southern Appalachian
Mountain Stewards
Earth Week
Charlottesville
Advancing Green
Chemistry
Health and
Environmental Funders Network
Science
Communication Network
Environmental Health
Sciences
The Clinch Coalition
Living Energy Farm Educational Program
Urban Agriculture
Collective of Charlottesville
Virginia Coalition of
Latino Organizations
Charlottesville Community Bikes
Food Not Bombs
Library Solidarity
Open Source Computer
Recycling
Building Experiences
Friends of Nelson
Friends of Buckingham
Preserve Montgomery County
Groundswell Development Project
Center for Urban Habitats Education Project
Just World Education Project
Preserve Giles County
New Dream
Falls Church Day Labor Center
Generation180
Interspirituality Empowerment Project
Fiscal Year
Projected Revenue
$6,271,000.00
Projected Expenses
$6,271,000.00
Spending Policy
N/A
Detailed Financials
Short Term Solvency
Capital Campaign
Currently in a Capital Campaign?
No
State Charitable Solicitaions Permit