Key employees from nine Island nonprofit organizations have been selected for a nine-month certificate program in nonprofit leadership arranged by the Martha’s Vineyard Donors Collaborative.

Offered for the first time this year on the Vineyard, the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP) Certificate Program in Nonprofit Leadership has been offered successfully in Boston for over 10 years and on the Cape for the last two years. The Donors Collaborative worked with INP to modify the program to make it more accessible to Island organizations by holding most of the seminars on Island. A group of local foundations and donors are subsidizing tuition fees so the program is accessible to all Island nonprofits.

The curriculum is designed for current and emerging nonprofit executives. It combines traditional classroom learning in a monthly, full-day, intensive management seminar format on the Cape and facilitated small group practice seminars twice a month on the Island.

“The real impact of this program will be felt over time as more and more Vineyard nonprofit leaders take this course,” said Peter Temple, executive director of MV Donors Collaborative.

The inaugural class of participants are: Emily Armstrong, Island Grown Initiative; Kate Desrosiers, Vineyard House; Posie Haeger, Featherstone Center for the Arts; Tom Hallahan, Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard; Sam Hart, ACE MV; Amy Houghton, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services; Sarah McKay, Martha’s Vineyard Horse Center; Nevette Previd, Donors Collaborative; and C.J. Rivard Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association.

Among those supporting the program are the Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, Cape and Islands United Way, Cape Cod Five, MV Donors Collaborative, Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard, the Permanent Endowment and the Vineyard Fund for Board Education and Development.