A Durable Chapter
A curated room for Utah’s nonprofit CEOs.
For two years, Utah’s nonprofit CEOs and executive directors have met monthly as the Utah Social Innovators Alliance. That room is now a Durable chapter — the same leaders, same candor, still by application only, now with 1,500+ Utah business owners around it. The funders, board members, and partners you have been trying to reach are already in this community.
This chapter is for nonprofit chief executives and C-level leaders. If you run a business, Commons or Private is your lane.
From $750 / year · Tiered by organizational budget
“I started this group because too many nonprofit CEOs in Utah were facing the same challenges in isolation. Each of us had board pressures, funding gaps, and difficult staffing decisions we could not openly discuss with our own teams.
Two years later, this has become the room where leaders can say the hard thing out loud and receive honest, practical feedback from people who understand the weight of the role. The group is intentionally limited to Executive Directors and CEOs so every person at the table shares that responsibility. If you are serious about leading a nonprofit in Utah, this is the room I want you in.”
Preston Cochrane
CEO, The Other Side Village
President, Nonprofit Innovators Chapter
The programming
One membership. Eight rooms.
Monthly
Chapter Meeting
- Nonprofit CEOs and executive directors, at rotating locations
- Fundraising gaps, board dynamics, the staffing call you keep postponing
- Roundtable format. No panels, no pitching
- Second Thursday, every month
Monthly
Commons Coffee
- Informal mornings with Utah business owners
- Where nonprofit leaders meet future donors, partners and board members
- The lowest-friction room on the calendar
Monthly
Speaker Series & Social
- The whole Durable community in one room
- Programming first, then the part afterwards where the real conversations happen
- Nonprofit leaders seated beside operators who can open doors
4–6× a year
CEO Speaker Series
- Candid, off-the-record conversations with marquee Utah founders and operators
- Normally a Durable Private event
- Nonprofit leaders in this chapter get access
Quarterly
Nonprofit Innovators Speaker Series
- Built for nonprofit leaders, not a general business audience
- Working sessions on the problems specific to running a nonprofit
- Led by people who have already solved them
4× a year
Private Dinners
- Twelve seats, closed door
- Nonprofit leaders seated alongside Durable business owners
- Small enough that everyone at the table talks
Annual
The Durable Summit
- The whole community, once a year
- The largest room Durable puts together
- Your organization in front of 1,500+ Utah business owners
Always on
The Chapter Chat
- A private WhatsApp group for chapter members. Nonprofit leaders only, moderated
- Ask the room at 9pm, have three answers by morning
- Board candidates, vendor referrals, salary benchmarks, funder intel
“Being part of Nonprofit Innovators (and now Durable) has reminded me how valuable it is to have a community of leaders who understand both the opportunities and the challenges of this work. The relationships, shared ideas, and willingness to collaborate have brought new perspectives and possibilities to Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area. It’s a space where nonprofit leaders can learn from one another, think bigger together, and remember that we don’t have to solve our communities’ biggest challenges alone.”
Carin Crowe
Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area →
Leadership
The people behind the chapter.
The chapter is led by a volunteer leadership committee of Utah nonprofit executives who set the programming, shape the direction, and hold the standard for who joins.
Preston Cochrane
CEO, The Other Side Village · Chapter President
Kelsey Lewis
Friends of the Children Utah
Alyssa DeHart
Utah Advocacy Coalition · People Pitch
Lavanya Mahate
RISE Culinary Institute
Community & recognition
Known in the room. Never on your own.
The Chapter Chat
The room between the rooms. A private WhatsApp thread for chapter members — nonprofit leaders only, moderated, no vendors and no recruiters. Ask about a board candidate, a salary band, a funder or a vendor quote, and get answers from people who have already faced it.
Get Featured When You Join
An SEO-optimized profile article on the Durable website, written with you and linking to your organization. Your mission told well, in front of the business owners who fund causes and join boards.
Get Introduced to 1,500+ Owners
Every new member is introduced through the Dispatch: your name, your organization and the work you do. It goes to the whole Durable community, not only the chapter.
“For me, this is much more than networking. It is about surrounding yourself with people who help you become a stronger, more thoughtful and strategic leader.”
Celeste Edmunds
Executive Director, The Christmas Box International →
The math
What not being in the room costs.
Every dollar in your budget has a job. Fair. So start with what staying outside the business community actually costs your organization:
The board member you never met — the operator who would have said yes if anyone had asked.
The corporate partnership that went to a peer organization with a warmer introduction.
The vendor contract you renewed at full price for the fourth year running.
The funder conversation that never happened because nobody in the room knew your name.
None of these show up on a budget line. Every one of them costs more than your dues.
Your first 30 days
Join today. Here’s exactly what happens.
Today
You’re in.
Your confirmation arrives with the next five chapter and Durable events on the calendar.
Day 1
Meet the room.
You are added to the private chapter chat. Nonprofit leaders only, moderated, always on.
Week 1–2
Onboarding call.
A live call with the Durable team to map your year: which rooms, which events, who you should meet.
First month
Your introduction.
Your organization is introduced to the Durable community.
Next chapter meeting
The room knows you.
You walk in already introduced.
Who it’s for
Nonprofit chief executives.
Chief executives, executive directors, and C-level leaders of Utah nonprofits. The people carrying the weight of the organization, whatever the title on the door says.
Membership belongs to your organization and is held by one leader at a time. If that person moves on, the seat stays with the organization and passes to whoever takes the chair. One organization, one seat, one name on it.
The chapter grows slowly, by application, one leader at a time. Utah has no shortage of open networking and large forums — this is not that. The room stays small on purpose, because the candor is the product: what you say here about your board, your funding gap, or the staffing decision you have been avoiding does not leave the room.
Making the case
Taking this to your board.
Most of our members need approval for this. Here is the short version you can forward:
Membership connects our organization to Utah’s business community through a curated group of nonprofit leaders and 1,500+ business owners. It is a professional development and partnership investment: monthly peer sessions with other executives, access to events that put us in front of business owners who become funders, board members, and partners, and negotiated vendor rates. The membership belongs to the organization rather than to me personally, so the seat stays with us through any leadership transition.
“Running a nonprofit is running a business. Same payroll, same margins, same hard calls — we just measure the return differently. That’s why being connected to Utah’s business community matters so much. The people solving these problems on the for-profit side are solving ours too, and this is the room where we actually meet them.”
Alyssa DeHart
Founder & Executive Director, Utah Advocacy Coalition →
Simple, honest pricing
Nonprofit Innovators Chapter.
Dues are tiered by organizational budget so the room stays open to leaders at every size. Pick the tier that matches your annual operating budget.
We verify operating budgets periodically so the tiers stay fair to everyone in the room. Questions before you join? Email hello@builddurable.co.