BOARD BASICS: Keys to Effective Nonprofit Leadership

November 1, 2011 - from 1 - 5 pm

Join fellow nonprofit leaders for this essential team training led by experienced consultant Leslie Anderson at Mayland Community College. Boards operate better when board members and staff agree on goals, roles, responsibilities, and how the team will work together. Especially in these challenging times, it is critical to understand the essentials of board leadership. During this interactive session, you will: Review the seven key responsibilities every board member needs to know; Understand how your board is fulfilling those responsibilities today, and how you can fulfill them better tomorrow; Discuss ways to engage board members before, during and after meetings; Understand what makes nonprofits most effective.

This is a team training for both staff and board members. Fee: $75 per organization (includes up to four people). Online registration open now!

Strategic Planning Made Easy with Chuck Fink

October 20, 2011 - from 10 am to 4 pm

EXCEL for Nonprofits - with instructor David Pike

September 9, 16, and 23 - from 9 am to 12 noon

Offered through MainPRO, Mayland Community College Small Business Center, AMY Foundation Center, a Cooperative Collection of the Foundation Center and WNC Nonprofit Pathways for the second half of 2011.

No fee, but registration is required.

The Roles and Responsibilities of a Nonprofit Board in the 21st Century

July 21, 2011 - from 4 to 7pm

The Asheville-based instructor is Angela Kemper, who is a successful fundraiser, trainer, and consultant with expertise in strategic communication that has generated results in non-profit and corporate organizations for more than 22 years. Previously, Angela taught Strategic Communication for the MBA program at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She is a published author and has a Master’s degree in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

No fee, but registration is required.

Expand Your Fundraising Learning

Session 1: February 25, 2011 [bad weather date: 3/4/11]

Annual Fund Planning
Sponsored by WNC Nonprofit Pathways, Small Business Center of Mayland Community College, and Main-PRO
10:00 am - 4:00 pm at Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, NC

Bring a team from your organization and take part in a participatory workshop to choose strategies, develop materials, and build a plan to solicit unrestricted support from grassroots sources. This hands-on workshop is a unique opportunity to work with other leaders in your organization in a structured framework to build the foundation for your fundraising success.

Each team will:

• Evaluate your current donor base and annual fund capacity
• Evaluate current annual campaign materials and strategies
• Identify potential allies and supporters in the community for annual fund development and learn how to build a successful annual fund development team
• Identify and rank prospective donors for the annual campaign
• Learn how to convert prospective donors into donors and how to retain and upgrade donors
• Plan activities for donor acquisition and retention * Understand the annual fund calendar and begin to develop a calendar
• Develop detailed gift-range charts
• Develop detailed timelines, strategies, and tools for successful annual campaign fundraising
• Learn how to evaluate success in annual fund development. SPACE IS LIMITED, sign up early!

To register, click HERE.

Session 2: April 8, 2011

Sponsored by WNC Nonprofit Pathways, Small Business Center of Mayland Community College, and Main-PRO
10:00 am - 4:00 pm at Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine, NC

This session also uses a team-based approach. Bring a team from your organization and take part in a participatory workshop to choose strategies, develop materials, and build a plan to solicit unrestricted support from grassroots sources. This workshop is a unique opportunity for the leaders of your organization to prepare, train, and practice for soliciting gifts.

Each team will:

• Learn how to develop a "case for support" and begin drafting a case for annual fund solicitation
• Learn how to determine who should ask, involving Board members and volunteer fundraisers and utilizing your fundraising team;
• Identify personal, cultural, and organizational barriers to fundraising success (including the fear of asking) and work together with teammates to overcome these barriers;
• Understand benefits and challenges of various methods of solicitation (mail, phone, face-to-face at an event, face-to-face at an individual donor meeting) and choose methods for your organization;
• Learn how to prepare for a major or "thoughtful"gift ask;
• Practice asking for funds by phone and face-to-face, critique their own and other participants' asks, and reflect on the experience;
• Practice and plan with other leaders to prepare for successful fundraising asks;
• Set realistic expectations and learn how to evaluate success in asking for donations.

SPACE IS LIMITED, sign up early! REGISTER NOW

Grant Writing Workshop Series [Thursdays: May 13, 20, & 27, 2010]

with Dr. Dan Barron

Dr. Barron will take participants through the entire grant writing process from foundation guidelines or RFP to finished proposal. Every aspect of a generic grant will be covered, including developing ideas into fundable projects, making a case for funding based on local needs and outcomes-based goals and evaluation, writing the narrative and budget justifications, developing collaboratives and getting local support, and the basics of project management. Significant work will be required between sessions before presentation of the proposal to a theoretical funder. Participants are encouraged to bring to the first session an RFP or guidelines for a foundation that relates to the mission and purpose of their organization. For assistance, go to the Foundation Center at the Spruce Pine Library and conduct a search on the Foundation Center Online Database. Organizations are encouraged to send two or more persons to promote collaboration and extend oppotunities for feedback to the organization.

Non-Profit 101 [Feb 2010 Session - Rescheduled for Mar 1, 2010]

with Kim McGuire & Beth Maczka, Dr. Dan Barron & Susan Larson

Nonprofit 101, a winter learning session for area nonprofits, will cover core topics that every nonprofit leader needs to know: planning, board basics, financial management, communications, fund development, and evaluation. In addition, self-assessment tools will be shared to help organizations evaluate their infrastructure and effectiveness, and participants will gain information on how to pursue additional resources and assistance. The workshop will also include an overview of the new Common Grant Approach Kim McGuire, Executive Director of WNC Nonprofit Pathways and Beth Maczka, Program Officer of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina will lead the workshop with assistance from Dan Barron, Executive Director of the AMY Regional Library, and Susan Larson, MainPRO organizer. Designed to help board members, staff, and volunteers learn ways to strengthen their community organizations.

Grant Seeking using the Foundation Center Online [Oct 2009 Session]

with Dr. Dan Barron

AMY Regional Library has been designated as a Cooperative Collection of the Foundation Center which provides access to the nation’s largest database of foundation information for grant seekers. This session will include a demonstration of the online data base, some of its key elements, online instructions available, and the other services provided by the AMY Foundation Center located free of charge in the Spruce Pine Library.

Keeping the Focus – Managing Your Time for Maximum Results [Oct 2009 Session]

with Mary Ellen Boelhower

Life is filled with distractions that can take us away from our ultimate goal: raising funds to advance our organization’s mission. Learn from a seasoned professional to focus your time on the activities that will produce real results, now and in the future. In this workshop you will develop ways to organize your activities so that you are working smarter, not harder, and achieving the goals that will make you and your organization successful.

Board Management [Oct 2009 Session]

with Linda Carter

Having an effective board of directors is key to the success of every nonprofit organization. From choosing a balanced board to giving them job descriptions to orienting them to the mission and goals of the organization, every action and communication is important in creating and managing a smoothly functioning board, especially one that is effective in fundraising. With an eye to the bottom line, this workshop will show how board members can be energized as active participants in keeping the nonprofit they serve fiscally sound.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward as a Tax-Exempt Organization [Nov 2009 Session]

with Laura Collins

The presentation provides an overview of tax issues and current matters facing tax-exempt organizations. Specifically, tax-exempt organizations are experiencing heightened visibility due to local, state, and federal government budgetary constraints, Senate hearings, and Internal Revenue Service initiatives. Redesign of the Form 990 is increasing the compliance burden and disclosure requirements of tax-exempt organizations. Donors increasingly utilize the Form 990 to make decisions about charitable contributions to charities. The objective of this workshop is to increase the participants’ knowledge and understanding of how to put the organization’s best foot forward while also complying with tax reporting requirements.

Telling Your Nonprofit's Story: A Primer on Public Relations and Marketing [Nov 2009 Session]

with Georgann Eubanks

Nonprofits are awarded tax exempt status because they provide services that the marketplace can't or won't pay for. Therefore, a nonprofit must make a very compelling case for its existence to several different audiences at once: the people it serves, the donors and grantmakers who fund the organization, and the general public and media whom (we hope) will talk about how valuable the organization is to the community. We'll consider the basic components of storytelling and how to use this tool with different audiences. We'll also talk about choosing just the right few words to capture the passion, power, and philosophy behind your work so that others can easily help you spread the word!

Grant Readiness: Simplifying and Systematizing Grant Preparation [Oct 2009 Session]

with Tracy Kunkler

This session will help you organize the process of planning for and finding grants to support your nonprofit organization’s work. It is based on the premise that grant writers do not get grants; sound programs and planning do. You will learn a document management system that brings together all the information you will need to apply for most grants. This tool can help develop competitive proposals and help ensure a good process for communications among staff, board, volunteers, and partners that comprise your grants team. Learn how to use this tool to develop an effective grants strategy for finding grants.

The Nonprofit’s Best Tool – EXCEL [Nov 2009 Session]

with Greg Ledford

This session will provide information on how to use Microsoft EXCEL to organize your work and manage your database. Greg Ledford will lead a double session, hands-on workshop in the computer lab to guide participants through the elements of EXCEL that are most useful to nonprofits: managing the nonprofit database, organizing your work, and setting up a simple financial system.

Grant Readiness [Dec 2009 Session]

with Tracy Kunkler

This one-day course will help you organize the process of planning for and finding grants to support your nonprofit organization’s work. It is based on the premise that grant writers do not get grants; sound programs and planning do. This interactive session will include: Part One – Learn a document management system that brings together all the information you need to apply for most grants. This tool can help develop competitive proposals and ensure a good process for communications among staff, board, volunteers, and partners. Part Two – Think through the elements of a good grants strategy and how to use that to identify funding opportunities for your organization. Learn how to adapt your organization’s grant strategy for the new economy, which has impacted foundations’ ability to give and priorities for funding. Part Three – Get tips on writing competitive proposals.