After 23 years supporting nonprofits in the Estes Valley, the Estes Nonprofit Network is preparing to sunset operations — a transition leaders say reflects changing philanthropic realities, evolving community needs, and confidence that the organization achieved its mission.
For Executive Director Cato Kraft, the organization’s evolution also coincided with a personal journey. Kraft moved from Estes Park to Hawaii in February, where she is beginning a new chapter after helping guide the network through a thoughtful, strategic wind-down process, as board leaders describe it.
“It kind of felt like the natural cherry on top,” Kraft said during an interview with the Estes Valley Voice. “We achieved our mission.”
The organization announced earlier this year that it planned to wind down operations by the end of 2026.
On Friday, the Estes Nonprofit Network, the Estes Chamber Foundation, and the Estes Chamber of Commerce announced they had entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore transferring several of the Network’s key programs and services under the Chamber’s umbrella.
Programs under discussion include Giving Guest, National Philanthropy Day, the organization’s lending library, and nonprofit consulting and educational services.
The move comes at a time when nonprofit organizations across the country are facing growing uncertainty. Philanthropic giving nationally has declined sharply in recent years.
“Across the nonprofit sector nationwide, we’re at like a 31% down from the previous 24 months,” Kraft said.
Board Chair Jana Sanchez said the challenges extend beyond donor fatigue.
“The funding landscape is uncertain and unpredictable,” Sanchez said, noting shifts in government funding, grant programs, and changes in tax laws governing charitable contributions. “That in and of itself is really complicated.”
Founded more than two decades ago, the Estes Nonprofit Network was created to strengthen collaboration among local nonprofits, provide education and advocacy, and help elevate the role nonprofits play in the Estes Valley economy and quality of life.
Kraft said one of the organization’s proudest accomplishments was changing the way nonprofits are perceived in the community.
“We’ve elevated the industry. We’ve showcased its economic power. We’ve showcased its social power. We’ve connected nonprofits to each other. We’ve connected nonprofits to government, to community, to funders,” she said.
The organization also became known for experimenting with new ideas and sharing what it learned with other nonprofits.
“We have always been the test kitchen for our nonprofits,” Kraft said. “We like to try things, and if it’s successful, then we will pass on the knowledge. If it’s not successful, then we learn from it, we absorb those costs, and then we warn people against it.”
One of the Network’s best-known initiatives is Giving Guest, a tourism-based philanthropic program that allows visitors and local businesses to support area nonprofits. This year, the program distributed more than $30,000 to 40 organizations, according to Kraft.
Sanchez emphasized that while the Nonprofit Network itself may close, much of its work is expected to continue through partnerships with other organizations.
“The work we have done will continue through other organizations,” Sanchez said.
She said the board hopes the Network’s collaborative philosophy will continue influencing the broader nonprofit community.
“I really hope … the way that we function, the way that we work, and the way that we treat other nonprofits and the way that we view philanthropy will sort of infect all the other organizations out there,” Sanchez said.
Kraft said the decision to sunset the organization was not tied solely to her departure. Conversations about the Network’s future had already begun among staff and board members before she announced plans to relocate.
“Not everything is meant to live on forever,” Kraft said. “Sometimes keeping it on life support, it’s only good for the person who’s plugging in the machine.”
The transition has sparked both reflection and grief among supporters and board members.
“The board is not entirely done with its own grieving process,” Sanchez said. “We started with the grieving process about Cato, and then we started with the grieving process about the transition for the organization.”
Community members gathered for a public farewell celebration for Kraft in late February at The Barrel.
The organization’s annual fundraiser, which was planned with an “Alice in Wonderland” theme titled “Down the Rabbit Hole” and billed as its “final extravaganza,” had been scheduled for March 7. However, organizers said economic uncertainty, lower-than-expected ticket sales, and the broader national mood led them to cancel the event.
In previous years, the Nonprofit Network’s costumed and themed galas had been grand affairs. This year, organizers said the mood for levity had shifted.
Although Kraft moved to Hawaii three months ago, she remains under contract through June 30 to assist with the transition process remotely and help preserve institutional knowledge as programs and responsibilities shift to other organizations.
For Sanchez and Kraft, the process has also become an opportunity to model something many nonprofits rarely discuss publicly: how to close an organization intentionally and responsibly.
“There’s an incredible opportunity for us to document how to do this, what not to do during this process, how to make it amicable, how to make it strategic versus emotional,” Kraft told the Estes Valley Voice.
Drawing on her experience in organizational leadership, Kraft said all organizations have a lifecycle that includes transitions and evolution.
A recent example of that kind of change locally was the closing of the Village Thrift Shop on Feb. 28 and the opening this month of the Good Neighbor Thrift operated by Crossroads Assistance Ministry.
“Our world is beautiful because of change,” Kraft said. “We need to do things differently in order to meet the whiplash of times that we’re all in right now.”
Over the next several months, the Estes Nonprofit Network, the Estes Chamber Foundation, and the Estes Chamber of Commerce will continue exploring how programs and services can evolve to meet the community’s future needs.