"It becomes a little frustrating--a little discouraging--you offer staff a training that they say they want but they don't come out for." Said Jonathan Rondeau, Chief Program Officer of Melwood, about his agency's challenge with staff development."You always have that small contingent of workers who show up, but those tend to be our top performers anyway. We're looking for creative ways to get everyone involved."

Those who joined Rondeau at the October 12th IDEAS&INFO "Roundtable" session were looking for solutions to similar nonprofit issues. In addition to Staff Development, participants created teams at designated tables to share their best strategies for Funding, Board Development, (acquiring) Pro Bono Services and Telling Your Story (effective communication).

Each group came away with a range of practical ideas and free or low-cost resources.

Several emerging organizations, all three years or less in operation, explored ways to use Pro Bono Services to reach more clients in their communities. The overwhelming consensus: PARTNERSHIP.

According to Howard Burnett, former Director of Prince George's Dept of Health and Human Services, "You have more opportunity for success if have the right partners."  Because organizations often have different approaches to program delivery, they also may use different resources. Resources-like legal aid or accounting services--that can be effectively shared by partnering with the right related agency. The group also suggested tapping into one of the many volunteer programs of Volunteer Maryland to bring additional experienced support into your organization.

For those seeking new or additional funding, the HSC Roundtable recommends researching: fiscal sponsorship, a formal arrangement in which a 501(c)(3) public charity sponsors a project that may lack exempt status; individual donors, a contributor to a cause or fund; and special events, opportunities to recognize and strengthen relationships that (often) lead to raising money, in addition to the ever popular grant seeking. For in-depth information on grants and grantors, a visit to the Hyattsville Branch of the Prince George's County Public Library with a satellite office of the Foundation Center (the nation's leading library on funding sources) may be in order.

Discussion on ways to tell a good story turned 'personal.' That is, nonprofits should make the effort to share their personal stories in ways that do two things well: give (quantified) data on the impact of their service, and detail some of the ways they have bounced back from failure (lessons learned).

Said Hank Gromada of the Foundation Schools, "Sharing our personal stories gives substance to who we are as people as well as to the programs we offer. When we know what others have been through, it can be very instructive."  It's also vitally important to hook your story to an important issue of the day, for instance, by stating how your program is helping the unemployed find jobs or the homeless secure shelter.  "Every evening," said Gromada, "I see how NBC Nightly News and others are highlighting work being done at the local level.  Telling your story makes a difference."

And, what about developing your staff?  How do you get workers who've put in an 8-hour day already to willingly engage in professional development training-that may not be compensated?
 

One way is to give the staff an opportunity to be involved in creating or presenting the material.  Another is to offer the presentation in a range of formats (i.e., in person, online, teleconference, etc). The key is to be persistent and creative.  According to Rondeau, "It boils down to mission. You have to know what your organization is trying to accomplish and be committed to making it happen. There may be times you feel like putting in on the shelf, but we also come back to it and keep trying new ways to get high productivity throughout the agency."

Share your brilliant ideas for new topics, events and guests. Email: insight@hscofpgc.org.