White Rose Leadership Institute

The Leaders Who Shape York’s Future Start With You

Every strong community depends on compassionate and courageous leaders. Leaders who are willing to step up, ask the hard questions, and create meaningful change. Our York County nonprofit leaders are the ones helping feed families, mentor the youth, protect our environment, preserve our history, and build bridges across the sector.

This innovative leadership doesn’t just happen. It takes intention, education, and a support system. It takes a community willing to invest not just in the work itself, but the people doing the work. That’s where the White Rose Leadership Institute (WRLI) comes in.

Our mission is simple: to strengthen the capacity of local nonprofit leaders so that York County can thrive. We believe that when you build strong leadership, you build stronger organizations. And when you build stronger organizations, you build a stronger York.

Through the York Federal Fellows Program, WRLI identifies and cultivates the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Fellows engage in an immersive year-long experience that helps them refine their leadership style, deepen their understanding of community systems, and create lasting relationships across sectors.

Each Fellow emerges with a broader perspective on how to drive change, not just within their own organization, but across the interconnected systems that shape York’s future. They leave the program not only with new skills, but with the confidence and community to put those skills into action.

Since its inception, the York Federal Fellows Program has become a cornerstone of nonprofit leadership in our region. Fellows have gone on to lead major community initiatives, direct local organizations, and mentor others following in their footsteps. Your support helps ensure that this transformative experience remains accessible to nonprofit leaders from all backgrounds - because true community change requires diverse voices and perspectives at the table.

Of course, leadership development doesn’t stop with the Fellows. Each year, WRLI also powers Give Local York, the biggest day of giving in York County. This incredible event has become more than just a fundraiser. It’s a movement of generosity, collaboration, and shared purpose.

Behind the scenes, WRLI provides free training and capacity-building resources to every participating nonprofit. From social media strategy to donor stewardship, data analytics to board engagement; these workshops and materials equip organizations of every size to raise more funds, tell their stories more effectively, and strengthen their impact long after Give Day ends.

By investing in WRLI, you’re helping us provide these resources at no cost to hundreds of local nonprofits so they can focus on what they do best: serving the community.

Your Gift Builds More Than Leadership. It Builds Legacy.

When you give to the White Rose Leadership Institute, your impact multiplies. You’re not just supporting one organization - you’re fueling an entire sector of changemakers.

Your generosity:

• Equips local leaders with the skills, knowledge, and networks to drive meaningful change.
• Provides free, high-quality training to hundreds of nonprofits through Give Local York.
• Fosters collaboration between organizations tackling York’s most pressing challenges.
• Ensures equitable access to leadership development and resources across our community.

At the end of the day, you’re helping build the foundation for a stronger, more connected York. One where local leadership flourishes and systemic change takes root. As we look toward the year ahead, we see tremendous opportunity, and tremendous need. The challenges facing our community are complex, but we know York has the people and potential to meet them.

With your support, we can continue to nurture that potential. We can continue training, equipping, and inspiring the leaders who will make York not only stronger, but more inclusive, and more united.

We invite you to make your donation to the White Rose Leadership Institute today. Together, we can ensure that York’s nonprofit leaders have the tools and support they need to create long lasting, positive change.

Thank you for believing in the power of leadership - and in the future of York.