Q&A: Strengthening Nonprofit Leadership and Community Ties Through Darden’s Board Fellows Program

As The Darden School of Business prepares to host its Strategic Insights in Nonprofit Management Conference on Friday, April 11, the Darden Report spoke with Professor Toni Irving and second-year student Madelyn Merchant (Class of 2025) to learn more about how Darden’s Board Fellows Program is supporting local nonprofit organizations while deepening ties between Darden and the Charlottesville community.

Madelyn Merchant (left) and professor Toni Irving (right).

How does the Board Fellows Program help Darden strengthen partnerships with nonprofit organizations in the Charlottesville area?

Merchant: The Board Fellows Program connects Darden students with local nonprofits, where they serve as non-voting board members and contribute fresh perspectives and business acumen. These relationships open the door for broader engagement, including events like our upcoming conference, which brings nonprofit leaders together with Darden faculty, staff and students to exchange ideas.

What practical tools or knowledge will local nonprofit leaders gain from this year’s conference?

Irving: Charlottesville’s nonprofits often face capacity challenges that outpace their resources. The conference is designed to equip leaders with both big-picture thinking and tactical tools, whether it’s budgeting, AI, performance management systems or strategy. Like our Executive Education programs, it offers access to world-class faculty and peer networking.

Merchant: We’ve designed each session to be hands-on and immediately useful. Leaders can attend workshops on Budget Management & Financial Planning (Professor Marc Lipson), AI & Leadership Voice (Professor Meghan Murray), Strategic Planning (Professor Yo-Jud Cheng) and Capacity Planning (Professor Toni Irving).

How have Darden students, through their board service, made a meaningful impact?

Merchant: Students bring energy and a fresh lens to the work. Many go beyond board service, volunteering, attending events and advocating for their nonprofits. They’ve helped refine strategy, improve marketing and social media, and even develop new performance management systems.

Irving: Through courses like Thinking of a Master Plan, students engage in field-based work, from financial modeling to development planning. One standout moment was seeing how much Loaves and Fishes had grown in three years thanks to a staffing plan developed by a prior class.

Why is it important for Darden to invest in initiatives like this?

Irving: Nonprofits fill crucial gaps in services, doing work the private sector won’t and the public sector can’t. They innovate at the local level, often with more community insight than government agencies. And yet, their funding models rarely support capacity building. As an anchor institution committed to the role of business in society, Darden is well-positioned to help.

Merchant: Charlottesville has one of the highest concentrations of nonprofits per capita in the country — over 500! Supporting these mission-driven organizations aligns perfectly with Darden’s values and allows students to apply their learning to real-world challenges.

Can you share an example of a nonprofit you work with personally and why this work matters to you?

Irving: I serve on the board of Sasha Bruce Youthworks, which supports homeless youth, and am part of Impact 100, a giving circle. It’s rewarding to help organizations strengthen their ability to serve. Long-term relationships, like the one we’ve built with Loaves and Fishes, give us deeper insight into community needs.

Merchant: I sit on the board of Core Knowledge, which promotes excellence and equity in education.

I also recently visited CASPCA and saw firsthand the impact they’re making — especially during their “bow-WOW-walk” event, where pets were adopted and the community came out in full force. One dog was even dressed as a Target shopping cart!

The Second Annual Strategic Insights in Nonprofit Management Conference will be held on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in CLA 120, with a live Zoom option for remote attendees.