Dear ,

Welcome to the Fall 2011 issue of NSP Update.  This edition includes information about our upcoming workshop series, as well as Idealware's social media and donor database guides for nonprofits.

We hope you find this issue helpful.  As always, we welcome your feedback.  Let us know what you think by contacting us at nsp@hfpg.org or 860-548-1888.

(Please share these dates with your board members now)

Now more than ever, nonprofits need strong boards and management, realistic and flexible plans, solid financial systems and up-to-date technology.  Organizations with a strong organizational foundation will be best positioned to survive these times.  This fall we are pleased to continue our popular workshop series for nonprofit executive directors and board leaders. 

We're sending you this workshop information so that you can plan ahead.  Please don't RSVP at this time.  Invitations will be sent to executive directors five to six weeks prior to each session.  Remember that locations and times vary. 

Come join your colleagues in Greater Hartford for useful information, networking and a free breakfast!

Balancing Mission, Strategy and Finance: How Your Programs Impact Financial Sustainability
Thursday, September 22, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to Noon

This session will provide an analytic approach for better understanding the mission and economic impact of your business model and each of your programs.  Through a combination of instruction, discussion and case study, you will gain the skills needed to determine the financial bottom-line of each program and link individual program economics to organizational sustainability.  A "sustainability framework" will help you strengthen or restructure your business model in relation to your mission.
(This session is limited to organizations with budgets between $300,000 and $3 million that have multiple programs).

Presenter:  Sandi McKinley, Nonprofit Finance Fund.
For executive directors, board members and senior staff

Keep Your Donors: Building Profitable Relationships that Last
Thursday, October 27, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to Noon

Donor retention is extremely low and the majority of newly acquired donors don't make a second gift.  It costs ten times more money to acquire a new donor than to keep an existing one.  This workshop will help you understand how to nurture relationships, build donor loyalty, realize the full potential of your donors and improve your bottom line.  You will learn how best to tell your stories, make sure that donors hear the most critical messages, and create experiences that engage your donors.

Presenters:  Simone Joyaux, Joyaux Associates, and Tom Ahern, Ahern Communications, Ink.
For executive directors, fundraising staff and board members

So You Want to Expand Your Planned Giving Program?

Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 8:30 a.m. to Noon
 

This advanced workshop is geared toward nonprofits with an active legacy program that is poised to grow or expand into a comprehensive program for planned giving.  Topics covered will include: best practices for gift acceptance, guidelines and policies, marketing and promotion, internal resources required and other key issues.  Time will be allotted for moderated discussion, case study and Q&A.  In order to participate, organizations must have at least one full-time fund development staffer, a current fund development plan, and an active legacy program.

Presenters:  Lori Rabb, VP for Philanthropic Services, and Sally Weisman, Senior Philanthropic Services Officer, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
For executive directors, fund development staff, board members, and financial staff

A Conversation with Deb Heinrich, Nonprofit Liaison to the Governor 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

This facilitated discussion with Governor Malloy's newly appointed nonprofit liaison will allow nonprofits that currently receive State funding to hear directly from Deb Heinrich about her plans and goals for this newly created position, and will allow nonprofits the opportunity to raise issues regarding their relationship with the State.

Presenter:  Deb Heinrich, Nonprofit Liaison to the Governor
For executive directors and board members

 For other workshops available to nonprofits in the Hartford region and statewide, visit the Connecticut Association of Nonprofit's website.

The Hartford Public Library provides free workshops for nonprofits.  A listing of workshops may be accessed here.  The Library offers some of these workshops in partnership with the Hartford Foundation in order to better meet the needs of smaller agencies.  

Building Evaluation Capacity Program to be Offered Again 

NSP will once again be offering the highly successful Building Evaluation Capacity (BEC) Program to Hartford area nonprofits beginning in early 2012.  The BEC program helps nonprofits build evaluation capacity and utilize evaluative thinking on an organization-wide basis.  The program will work in depth with a group of up to 12 agencies to enhance their knowledge about evaluation, develop an evaluation plan, conduct a selected evaluation project, use evaluation findings, and apply evaluative thinking skills to multiple organizational tasks.  This program will be open to agencies with budgets over $300,000.

If your organization would like to learn more about this program and how to apply, an Information Session will be held on Wednesday, October 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  If you would like to attend, please email us or call Shirley Beyor at 548-1888, ext. 1006 by September 30th.

Is Your Executive Director Leaving the Organization?

If so, the Executive Transition Program may be able to help.   Call us to learn more about helping your board to do the proper planning required to have a successful transition.

Call Meher Shulman at (860) 548-1888, ext 1047

Social media can be useful to your organization... but how useful?  What tangible results are nonprofits seeing from it?  Idealware's Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide walks you through a step-by-step process to decide which social media channels make sense for your organization via a workbook, guide, and the results of more than six months of research. 

The Decision Guide walks through:

• What social media is, and why it might be useful for you
• How your goals, audiences, and metrics should drive the decision making process
• Specific information on the tangible value nonprofits have seen in using Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, photo sharing sites, video sharing sites, and more.
• Choosing an effective social media mix
• Integrating all your communications
• A workbook that helps you walk through all of this for your own needs

The Guide may be accessed here.  

Written in partnership with NTEN, A Consumer's Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems summarizes and compares 29 different donor management systems that cost $4,000 or less in the first year, and provides detailed reviews of 10 of them.

The report provides an overview of what donor management systems do, recommendations for systems based on particular needs, comparison charts, and an index that provides summaries of all 29 systems.  It also includes detailed reviews of 10 systems: Common Ground, Donor Perfect, DonorPro, eTapestry, Giftworks, CiviCRM, Neon by Z2, NetSuite Do Good Better, Nonprofit Manager by Trailblazer and Total Info.

The Guide may be accessed here.