2008 Workshops and Seminars

It is our goal to provide accessible, affordable and practical instruction to anyone working with or for nonprofits in Northwest Ohio communities.

We hope that you will have a chance to participate in any or all of the workshops we offer, and join our ever-growing network of people who make a difference.
 
This year’s workshops focus on seven critical areas of nonprofit organizational and management principles: Board Development, Human Resources, Marketing, Fundraising, Finance, Technology and Volunteer Management.

HUMAN RESOURCES

HR 101 (January 24, 2008) - completed
In this interactive workshop we will discuss practical, real life solutions to typical HR issues such as: organizational compliance, employee retention, regulation changes, compensation, staff development, sexual harassment laws, etc.  This workshop is designed to help Executive Directors and management staff, assess their organization’s human resource status.  Whether your organization is small or large, old or new this workshop is sure to enhance awareness of what you do well and where you might need a dash of improvement.  This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours.  Click here for details.

UNDERSTANDING ADA & FMLA  (September 18, 2008) - completed
FMLA and ADA often interact.  If you don’t know how to navigate these complex regulations, including the gray areas, your organization may be at risk.  This workshop will take a detailed look at the Americans with Disabilities Act including: the primary purpose of the ADA, key ADA concepts like reasonable accommodations, essential function and qualified individual with a disability.  It will also take a detailed look at the Family Medical Leave Act including: what FMLA guarantees, types of FMLA leave, eligibility requirements, procedures to apply for leave, employer’s responsibilities and limitations and reinstatement. This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours.   Click here for details.

INTERVIEWING/SELECTION/HIRING  (Tuesday September 23, 2008)
Recruiting and selecting the right person for your organization is one of your most important jobs.  Do you know what questions you should and shouldn’t ask during an interview?  Do you know what information should be on an application, can’t be on an application, and how long you have to retain the application? Mistakes are costly; not only are they financially expensive, but they hurt organizational performance, undermine morale and consume valuable time.  With a better understanding of job requirements, (both technical and behavioral) and a more productive interview process, you can reduce hiring failure.  This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours.   Click here for details.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT

BOARD RECRUITMENT AND ORIENTATION  (February 5, 2008) - completed
One of the most important responsibilities of a board is to ensure that it continuously adds qualified new board members and keeps them engaged.  Board building shouldn’t just happen when it’s time to fill a vacancy; it should be an ongoing process with year-round activities.  But how do you find board members passionate about the mission, who are willing to govern and not micromanage, and who are willing to raise money? This workshop will guide participants through a process that includes identifying, cultivating and recruiting members; orienting new board members; encouraging active participation and commitment; educating the board; rotating board members; and engaging in self assessment.   
This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

WHAT DOES THE BOARD REALLY DO?  (March 13, 2008) - completed
Co-sponsored with Epic and Leadership Toledo
As volunteer leaders, board members play an important role in the success of the organization.  Boards have significant legal and ethical responsibilities to their constituents, staff, and communities.  Strong, knowledgeable boards help the organization gain credibility, provide important access to the community and serve as effective advocates.  This workshop will introduce board members to the fundamentals of effective governance by defining the basic roles and responsibilities of the board and examining strategies for building effective board structures.  This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours.  Click here for details.

FUNDRAISING

DEVELOPING A FUNDRAISING PLAN  (March 4, 2008) - completed

Diverse funding streams are key to long-term financial stability.  In this course, you’ll learn to craft a fundraising plan that includes a healthy mix of resources.  With careful planning and an understanding of the components of a well-orchestrated campaign, your organization can attain its fundraising goals.  In this workshop we will discuss how to:

• Recognize organizational assets that will attract prospective funders.
• Select a mix of funding partners.
• Set a financial goal for diversity of funding and know how to reach that amount.
• Build and commit to a strategic fundraising calendar.

Attendees will receive a free copy of Securing Your Organization’s Future, revised edition (a $34.95 value), a workbook outlining all major course topics and templates for worksheets used in the course.  This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

GRANT WRITING 101  (Four offerings: February 13, 2008 (completed), May 21, 2008 (completed), September 27, 2008 or October 7, 2008)

The basis for successful grant writing is knowing where to find grant money and writing an effective proposal. In this workshop, we will examine different types of funders, resources available to you to find these funders and specific grant opportunities. We will then talk about the different sections of the grant proposal and how to write each section. This is an introductory grant writing course. It is open to those individuals who have little or no grant writing experience or those individuals who are looking to make their grant writing more successful. Click here for details.

ACCESS FEDERAL FUNDING - INSIDE TIPS ON HOW TO OBTAIN $$$ FOR R&D, JOB TRAINING, NON-PROFITS & MORE 
(December 2, 2008)

• Learn how you can help your business or non-profit grow by accessing federal funding opportunities from G2G consulting, llc – which has secured over $11 million in the FY2008 federal appropriations process (as of 10/22/07)
• Hear from former Legislative Director on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. and former District Director for Senator DeWine in Cleveland, OH
• Seminar to be followed by one-on-one assessments and consultation
  
  Click here for details.

TECHNOLOGY

WEBSITE ESSENTIALS FOR NONPROFITS (April 2, 2008) - completed
Wanting to accept donations online, but not sure where to begin?  Still using a Yahoo or Hotmail account for your nonprofit?  Tired of having to email press releases to a tech person, then waiting for them to post the changes to your website?  It doesn’t have to be this way!  Join us for a fast-paced workshop that will cover website essentials including:

• How to get your own domain name (e.g., www.mynonprofit.org).
• Free and low-cost options for designing and hosting your website.
• Recommendations regarding what information should be available on your website.
• An overview of tools you can use to manage email lists that drive traffic to your site.
• How to set up your website to accept donations in less than an hour.

This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

TELLING YOUR STORY ONLINE: USING “WEB 2.0” TOOLS  (April 9, 2008) - completed 
So you’ve read a bit about blogs, RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, wikis, SMS (Short Message Service), and social networking sites, but you’re not sure exactly what any of these tools can do for your nonprofit?  We’ll cover exactly how these tools work and show you how you can use them to enhance your marketing efforts, raise money, and streamline your work processes. This session will cover:

• How to use a weblog to track information about your nonprofit.
• The basics of blogging: Why? When? How?
• Online tools that simplify the process of creating a grant proposal.
• How to decide when (and how) to integrate your website with your other databases.
• eAdvocacy tools and resources you can use to get your message out.  We’ll discuss several software and service options that make communicating with your constituents easy.

This class is aimed at non-technical nonprofit staff members interested in leveraging new online tools in support of their organization’s mission.  This workshop has been approved for 2.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

 
VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

Due to the rich interactive nature of this series, it is paramount that those attending commit to all FOUR SESSIONS.  This series has been approved for 14 CFRE hours.

Establishing an Effective Volunteer Program  (April 29, 2008) - completed
What does it take to have a great volunteer program?  This workshop will discuss the planning and structure of a volunteer program, how to design a program to impact the bottom line of your organization and different cultural and communication systems.  Click here for details.

Utilizing the Volunteers You Have  (Wednesday May 7, 2008) - completed
How do you create an environment that volunteers want to work in?  This workshop will discuss how to motivate, mobilize and match community resources to the needs of both the volunteer and the organization.  We will also discuss recruitment strategies that hit the target for today’s volunteers and how to get the right person for the right job.     Click here for details.

Building Bridges Between Volunteers and Staff    (May 13, 2008) - completed
One of the most challenging aspects of volunteer management is successfully integrating volunteers and staff in the service of your organization’s mission.  This workshop will focus on the development and supervision of volunteers to increase organization services, the staff/volunteer relationship and how it impacts the success of your program, and how training and effective supervision relate to the success of volunteer work.    Click here for details.

Saying Thank You  (May 20, 2008) - completed
How do you properly thank your volunteers for their time and talents?  This workshop will look at successful recognition and retention of effective volunteers using more than formal recognition.    Click here for details.

FINANCE

990's FOR REAL PEOPLE (November 12, 2008 – morning)
This session will provide an engaging conversation on both the current Form 990 and the upcoming redesigned 990.  Participants will learn the key components of the form, common challenges and how to put their best foot forward.  This workshop has been approved for 3.0 CFRE credit hours and is currently pending CPE approval.
Click here for more information.

Planning for the Redesigned Form 990 (November 12, 2008 – afternoon)
This presentation will build upon the “990’s for Real People” workshop and will highlight the expanded information captured and disclosure points that will be employed by the Redesigned 990.  This workshop has been approved for 3.0 CFRE credit hours and is currently pending CPE approval.
Click here for more information.

MARKETING

Developing a Marketing and Branding Strategy (October 1, 2008)
People often say they want to “create a brand” with a marketing plan, but you can’t.  Unless you are a brand new organization, YOU ALREADY HAVE A BRAND (it just may not be the one you want).  Your brand is far more than a logo.  It is your organization’s personality or their DNA or fingerprint.  Marketing plans are not a “Band-aid”.  They are a tool to help promote organizational growth through objectives, tactics, and strategies.  In this workshop you will learn an eight step planning process that will help you to evaluate your brand, create a marketing strategy and develop a roadmap for success.  This workshop has been approved for 3.5 CFRE contact hours.  Click here for details.

Media Training (October 15, 2008)
When asked by the media for an interview, do you think “PANIC!” and proceed accordingly?  Why not think of it as an “OPPORTUNITY!”?  The media controls the outlets that allow you to reach hundreds, thousands, even millions of your potential donors, volunteers or service users.  Every interview is an opportunity to sell your message through the media. During this workshop we will conduct word exercises that help identify the type of words that are good and bad to use during interviews, and we will put those words to work with a three-step answer process that will take your message from an idea to a sound bite.  We will outline a reporter’s mission and thought process.  We will also list dos and don’ts, give appearance tips and help you realize the difference between certain types of questions and interviews.  This workshop has been approved for 3.5 CFRE contact hours.  Click here for details.

MISCELLANEOUS

ED BOOT CAMP - Fundamentals for New Executive Directors (April 23 & 24, 2008) - completed ED Boot Camp helps nonprofit leaders who are new in their role, determine the ins and outs of their positions. Targeted for newly appointed nonprofit leaders, attendees should be at the Chief Executive Officer or Executive Director level and in their role for 3 years or less.  The workshop combines theory with best practices to get participants up to speed fast.  Through case studies, lectures and small group discussions, attendees will explore issues critical to leadership in the nonprofit context.  Participants will identify the essential principles and questions that need to be considered for specific organizational context.  Specifically we will:

• Identify the role of an Executive Director.
• Build leadership skills.
• Lay a foundation of understanding of key components of an ED’s job areas including financial management, board relations, fundraising, and staff and volunteer management.

To engage participants in the training and to make the training as relevant as possible, attendees will participate in a short interview and short organizational assessment prior to the workshop.  This workshop has been approved for 16.0 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

GETTING STARTED WITH SOCIAL ENTERPRISE (October 23, 2008 -   8:30am-12:00pm)
This workshop will provide an opportunity to explore how a social enterprise or micro-business venture could help an organization increase mission impact and organizational sustainability.  This session will help participants explore whether their nonprofit is a good fit for social enterprise and what profit generating opportunities might be appropriate for their organization.  Participants will leave the workshop with a list of social enterprise ideas that could fit their organization and a process that they can implement with board and staff to help them move forward with a social enterprise opportunity. Click here for details.

MEASUREMENT 101**  (November 6, 2008 - Morning)
In today’s world of social change, accountability is the watchword.  CEOs are looking for the relevance to business strategy.  Donors are asking for outcomes.  Boards are requiring greater accountability.  Bottom line:  you need better data – to communicate impact, to defend your budget, to make better decisions and to manage your priorities.  In today’s world of social change, performance matters.  In this interactive workshop we will discuss:

• Why Measure - including key drivers, benefits and challenges.
• What to measure - including key terms, a study of performance measurement versus evaluation, the difference between measuring outcomes versus activities and SMART metrics.
• How to measure - including building a success equation
• Next steps - including how to get organization buy-in, implementing measurement and how to apply the data.

This workshop has been approved for 3.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

IMPLEMENTATION AND ANALYSIS**  (November 6, 2008 - Afternoon)

This interactive workshop will discuss:

• How to implement performance measurement including organizational considerations, technical considerations, capacity considerations and budget considerations.
• The implementation process including metrics definitions, data sourcing and data validation.
• How to launch data collection including existing systems, Excel spreadsheets and online options.
• How to the get the most from your data.
• Approaches to communicating results.

This workshop has been approved for 3.5 CFRE contact hours. Click here for details.

**Participants do not have to attend both sessions, however you must attend the Measurement 101 workshop to attend the Implementation and Analysis workshop.  Lunch will be provided to those participants attending both workshops.

MAXIMIZING THE IMPACT OF NONPROFITS (September 10, 2008) - completed

In this interactive session you will learn more about:

• The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Nonprofit Leadership
• Shifting the focus from building the organization to building the movement
• Adopting the mindset of the entrepreneur

Click here for more details.

Click here for more details

Workshops by Topic