The West Virginia Community Development Hub and the West Virginia Grantmakers Association are working together to establish a new nonprofit association in the state, the Register-Herald reports.

According to a 2000 study by the Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits, West Virginia is among the bottom ten states in terms of philanthropic assets. Although nonprofits account for approximately one of every ten jobs in the state — more than double that of the state's mining industry — West Virginia is one of only four states without its own nonprofit association.

With partial funding from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the West Virginia Community Development Hub and WVGA have received input from more than two hundred and fifty nonprofit organizations in the state and have established a nine-member steering committee that will create a business plan for the new association. WVGA president Paul Daugherty told the Register-Herald that the organization will work to provide nonprofits with effective management and operations models, cost sharing ideas, and a unified voice that helps them advocate for changes to state policy.

"A lot of time, small nonprofits in the state don't have a lot of peers to talk to," said Daugherty. "Whether it's fundraising, [human resources] practices, marketing, or outreach, one of our aims is to provide a treasure trove of training resources and assistance to help them be more effective in their communities."