Connection
OPPORTUNITIES | |
We're happy to share these items of interest from around our local network. Please e-mail us any opportunities you would like to be featured in future editions! (The Nonprofit Connection usually goes out during the first ten days of the month.)
Training
OPPORTUNITIES
+ Cannon and Company CPAs To Offer Best of Board Governance Series, FREE! This series is designed to familiarize board members with the most important aspects of board governance. Marci Thomas, a nationally recognized speaker, will lead the training sessions. The four, two-hour sessions, starting in March and going through July, are designed to give board members the knowledge they need to feel comfortable in their roles and to perform their duties more effectively. Although these sessions are targeted at board members themselves, management staff and those new to working with or in nonprofits may also find them very helpful. You'll find more details, the schedule, and registration information here. You must return the form by March 10th to register for the first, March 16th session.
+ "Mystery or Mastery? Ten Tips on Writing Great E-Mails," teleseminar, Wednesday, March 16th, Noon, $15 for up to 5 people, Nonprofit Direct. So how did you do when you took emailing in school? That's the point, isn't it? For many of us email is the lifeblood of our professional communications, and yet, we have no training in writing emails that deliver maximum impact. Participants will receive two background sheets in advance and a five-minute assignment. Presented by Norm Friedman of Norm Friedman Communications, which helps organizations, businesses, and individuals with their written communications through training, coaching, and hands-on assistance. His communication services focus on keys to clarity, organization, brevity, correctness, aesthetics, editing and proofing. Registration is online.
+ "Shining Our Skills in Challenging Times - NCAVA's Regional Training Event," March 21st, Morganton, NC, $65 for full day; $35 for either half-day session. The second in a series of regional training events that NCAVA has planned in an effort to provide training closer to home for volunteer managers whose travel/training budgets have been reduced, and also to provide training beyond what is provided at their annual conference (scheduled for May 18th-20th at Atlantic Beach.) This regional training is open to anyone, not just NCAVA members. For more details on the agenda, and to register, go to NCAVA's website.
+ Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Foundation's Healthy Community Institute for Nonprofit Excellence Now Open for Spring Registration! The Institute will take place April 27-28 in New Bern, and provides an intensive experience for a team of board and staff member's to take a systemic review of all aspects of your organization's structure, governance and operation. Highly anticipated, registration is open on a first-come, first-served basis. Only 50 organizations are accepted each year from across the state; the deadline to apply is April 8th.The estimated value of this unique capacity building training is in excess of $2,500 per organization; however, the training is offered at no charge to participants. (You are responsible for your transportation, lodging and parking fees.) More details on the Institute can be found on their website; registration materials are also online. For more information, please contact Jill Mallatratt at 919.765.7347.
Funding
OPPORTUNITIES
+ Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Healthcare Division Grants Deadline is March 15th! As many of you know, through their Healthcare Division, the Trust provides grants to address healthcare and wellness needs for the underserved throughout the state, with emphasis on Tier One counties (in HandsOn's service area, this includes Surry County.) The focus is on the following categories: Diabetes, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Access to Primary Care, and Community Change (including increasing physical activity and good nutrition, and decreasing risky behaviors.) An advance consultation with a member of the Trust staff is the first step of the application process. Visit the Trust's website to learn more about grant application guidelines.
+ Youth Service America's Sodexo School Engagement Grants Encourage Nutrition Education!
is designed to ensure that every child in the United States grows up with access to enough nutritious food. The programs funded through this grant will engage teachers and students, grades K-12, in learning about childhood hunger in their community, and in leading meaningful activities that facilitate access to nutritious food for all children, especially those most at risk. 10 grants of $5,000 will be awarded to teachers to implement a service-learning "Semester of Service" focused on childhood hunger. Learn more here. Applications are due March 18th!
+ Disney Friends for Change Grants Support Youth Environmental Service Projects! Youth Service America, together with Disney, is now accepting applications from youth around the world that will support youth-led service projects that focus on making environmentally friendly changes and engage youth on Global Youth Service Day, April 15-17. The program will award 50 $500 grants to youth-led service projects that demonstrate youth leadership, creativity, and the commitment to making a positive impact on the environment. Applicants must be young people ages 5 - 25, who seek to engage younger youth, or their peers, as volunteers; they must also be associated with a school or nonprofit organization. Disney's Friends for Change initiative encourages projects that address issues of waste, habitat, climate, and water. For project ideas, download the Friends for Change Green Your Scene Toolkit. The application deadline is March 10th! Learn more details at YSA's website.
+ Funding Available for Social Justice Work! The Fund for a Just Society, a program of the Unitarian Universalist Association, provides grants to nonprofit organizations that address issues of social and economic justice. The Fund supports organizations that use community organizing to bring about systemic change leading to a more just society and mobilize with those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power, and the right to self-determination. Consideration is given to projects that are less likely to receive conventional funding because of the innovative or challenging nature of the work or the economic and social status of the constituency. The maximum grant amount is $15,000; however, most grants range between $6,000 and $8,000. The next application deadline is March 15th! Visit the Unitarian Universalist Association website t o review the funding guidelines.
+Third Annual BE BIG Contest Now Open! Scholastic Media, HandsOn Network and American Family Insurance have launched a Call for Nominations for the Clifford the Big Red DogŪ BE BIG in Your Community Contest. Last year, sixteen year old Jennifer won the Grand Prize of $25,000 from the BE BIG Fund to create a hospital classroom for young cancer patients at her local hospital. This year's winners will receive grants totaling $75,000 to help make their BIG ideas a reality. You can learn more online at HandsOn Network's website. Nominations are being accepted now through June 17th.
Employment OPPORTUNITIES + Susan Reynolds Babcock Foundation Seeks Communications Professional! The Babcock Foundation is searching for their first-ever Communications Officer. Five years experience and a passion for economic and social justice is required. They are seeking a large and diverse candidate pool for the position. You'll find the full position description and more details on their website. Application deadline is April 8th!
+ FaithAction International House in Greensboro Seeks New Executive Director!
The board of FaithAction recently announced the retirement of founding Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Mark R. Sills, effective June 30th. FaithAction International House is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide variety of services to help meet the needs of immigrants and refugees, especially those new to North Carolina. FaithAction is supported by individuals and religious congregations that share their vision of an equitable and inclusive community. The board now seeks a creative, dedicated, compassionate, and hard working individual to provide continuing leadership to one of the Triad's most prominent nonprofits working in this arena. For a detailed position description and application information, please see their website. Deadline for applications has been extended to March 14th! + Leadership Winston-Salem Seeks Next Class of Participants! Recruitment for the 2010-11 Leadership Winston-Salem program is now underway, with a deadline of May 31st for applications. This life-changing, 9 month program ignites community leadership through educating, connecting, and energizing leaders to serve and improve the community. An information session on the program will be held on March 16th at 4:00 pm at Family Services (1200 S. Broad Street). Space is limited, so please register for the session today!
+ Run, Women, Run! The NC Center for Women in Public Service is accepting applications for the 8th Annual Women in Office Institute, an intensive leadership program that prepares women to seek elected or appointed office. Participants will learn what's involved in public service work, hone their leadership skills, prepare for political campaigning, and develop tools for effective and ethical public service. Women of all backgrounds, interests, and political affiliations are encouraged to apply. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants to ensure a quality learning environment. Learn more here; application deadline is April 1st!
+ Nominate your nonprofit for a Nonprofit Sector Stewardship Award! Organized by the NC Center for Nonprofits, the Nonprofit Sector Stewardship Awards pay tribute to nonprofits whose organizational effectiveness furthers the public's understanding of and trust in the state's nonprofit sector. Award recipients will be recognized at the N.C. Center's 2011 Conference & Public Policy Forum, Sept. 22-23 in Greensboro, and will also receive $500 to invest in board and staff development. Click
for more information. Nominations must be received by Monday, March 7th!
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HandsOn
JOIN / GIVE NOW
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HandsOn NWNC invites nonprofits to financially support our mission to build the capacity of local nonprofits and increase volunteerism. In exchange for a minimum $50 donation, our Supporting Partners receive a variety of discounts on our program offerings and other special opportunities, that can lead to savings as great as $800 per year! Vendors and consultants who work with nonprofits are also encouraged to become Supporting Partners. Join HandsOn and Become a Supporter
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March 2011- Vol 4, Issue 3
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| Greetings! |
Earlier this week, I was proud to be a part of a large gathering of nonprofit Executive Directors and board members that was pulled together by the United Way of Forsyth County, the Winston-Salem Foundation, and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. In a packed room on the Hospice and Palliative CareCenter campus, many members of our nonprofit network came together to discuss the devastating impact that upcoming state budget cuts as well as proposed legislation would have on their organizations, their clients and our community as a whole. A reporter from the Winston-Salem Journal attended, and you can find the story on the meeting here. I was excited to witness the momentum that was created in that room, and the willingness that was demonstrated to work together to limit the cuts that would, ultimately, hurt all of us--whether we receive state funds or not, whether it would be our clients who would be directly impacted or not.
That spirit made an impression the reporter as well. When she called me Wednesday night to get a reaction to the welcome news that House Bill 100 was being withdrawn, she mentioned how impressed she was with the gathering on Tuesday--both in size and in tone. I believe the words she used were "practically unprecedented." When nonprofits work together, instead of trying to protect individual turf, the results are noticed. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to develop language and a strategy that we can all get behind and support. The reporter plans to continue to follow this story, making sure that citizens know what the impact of these cuts will be in real, concrete terms. On our end, we're considering creating a forum for our local legislative delegation to meet with members of our network in a group setting, to educate them further about how nonprofits save taxpayers money. Because, as we all know, just because the services go away, doesn't mean the needs do, too. Contact us if you'd be interested in helping to plan or participate in this gathering. The meeting also impressed upon me how important it is that we make sure that we continue to support each other, connect with each other, and invest in ourselves. This month, we are providing multiple opportunities for you to do just that. Give yourself a morning to learn hands-on ways to integrate social media into your mission. Take a Friday afternoon and attend our "Making Play Work" creativity "playshop", a chance for you to recharge your inner creative, ensuring that you'll have the tools to focus your energy and creative spirit as we all seek new and fun ways to build staff morale, engage our boards, and tackle our ever-growing workload. Or participate in our Nonprofit Essentials collaboration class later in the month--with budget cuts all around, collaborating on programs and services may be more important than ever before. While the Nonprofit Essentials series is a wonderful example of a collaboration as a whole, this class in particular will be co-taught by Steve Virgil and Karl Yena, collaborating together to practice what they'll be preaching!
In the midst of the busy-ness of our daily lives, I hope you'll take a moment to go outside, stand in a shaft of spring
sunlight, take a breath, and know that the work that you are doing is valuable. We can't help others unless we take a moment to help ourselves.
Happy Spring!  Executive Director |
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Taming of the Spew:
Web Publishing and Social Media Workshop
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Tuesday, March 8th, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm
Location: Salemtowne's Community Center. NOTE: MapQuest directions are incorrect! Use entrance off of Bethabara Park Rd. (get correct directions)
Understand the nature of today's internet publishing environment from content management to social networking. This workshop will feature a short presentation followed by a guided demonstration where you will learn the skills to build a powerful website and tie in social media streams to encourage more engagement from your visitor/fans/followers. Bring your wireless-enabled laptop and get hands-on; you can also just come watch the demo and learn. Topics covered include a welcome to cloud computing; using a content management system for publishing; creating plug-ins for productivity and promotions; embedding shared media; and tips and tricks for social networking. Basic computer and internet literacy is required. Many thanks to Piedmont Communities, our technology partner, for providing this training for our network!
Cost: $25 per person for Supporting Partners/ $35 all others. The cost includes take-home materials and a networking lunch with your peers.
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Making Play Work:
Unleashing Your Inner Creative
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Friday, March 18th, 1 pm to 5 pm
Location: TBA (will be posted on our website soon; we will e-mail registrants with the location)
Tired of doing the same old things, the same old ways? Are your board and staff members tired of it, too? This innovative PlayShop will provide you with the tools to uncover and harness your own individual creativity. By the end of the class, you'll be able to identify and address limited thinking that negatively impacts your personal productivity and your organization as a whole. Walk away with concrete, take-home strategies for how to implement creative practices into your personal development, interpersonal relationships, business processes, and board and staff meetings. Our presenter is Suzy McCalley, the Founder and Director of Art Tasting, a local organization dedicated to increasing our community's access to the arts. She teaches weekly interdisciplinary arts classes at The Children's Home and plays the violin, writes, sings, and acts. Cost: $25 per person for Supporting Partners/ $30 all others. The cost includes take-home materials and a mid-afternoon snack.
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Nonprofit Essentials: Collaboration
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Thursday, March 24th, Noon to 4:30 pm
Location: WFU campus; Benson University Center, room 401A. Parking is available in Davis Field, adjacent to Benson (see map)
Saving time, money and resources through collaborations with other organizations sounds like a good idea, but what are the key principles that should be considered? The next class in our Nonprofit Essentials series held in conjunction with Wake Forest University's Institute for Public Engagement, you'll explore the do's and don'ts of collaboration. Learn best practices for nonprofit collaborations and how to make these partnerships legally sound and successful. The class will be taught by Steve Virgil, Director of the Institute for Public Engagement, and Karl Yena, a local consultant who works with over 100 different Forsyth County nonprofits each year. Steve will be sharing his legal expertise and knowledge in creating sound partnerships, and Karl will bring tales of local collaborations, both good and bad, from his vast experience to the table. You'll walk away from this class with practical advice that you can implement immediately with your current collaborations. Our Nonprofit Essentials Series, launched last fall, is primarily taught by Wake Forest University staff and faculty, and classes are located on WFU's campus. Individuals can register to take single classes or all nine classes and receive a significant discount (you can begin the series at any time with any of the classes.) This is a great option for organizations that have several employees who could benefit from taking different courses. If you have any questions concerning Nonprofit Essentials, please contact HandsOn NWNC at 724-2866. Cost: $35 per person for Supporting Partners/ $45 all others. $300 for all nine classes! The cost includes take-home materials and a networking lunch with your peers.
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Nonprofit Essentials: Evaluation
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Tuesday, April 12th, Noon to 4:30 pm
Location: WFU campus; Reynolda Hall, Heritage Room. Parking is available in Davis Field, directly across from Reynolda Hall (see map)
Evaluation. We all need to do it, as the nonprofit sector is increasingly under pressure to show meaningful results. Yet, for most of us, this is the one aspect of nonprofit management that we struggle with the most. This class will examine different evaluation models and lead you through the process of designing an approach to measure programs, creating meaningful measures, collecting and analyzing data, generating reports, and communicating results to document impact, improve services, and support fundraising efforts. You'll be able to share your impact in new and powerful ways to those funders who can make or break your organization's budget.
The class will be taught by Doug Easterling, Ph.D., currently Associate Professor with the Department of Social Sciences & Health Policy Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Dr. Easterling previously served as the Director of Research and Evaluation at The Colorado Trust, where he managed the process through which the foundation's community-based initiatives were evaluated. Since returning to academia in 1999, Doug has evaluated foundation-sponsored initiatives designed to promote community-based problem solving, social capital, and improved race relations. Through workshops, presentations, papers and consultation, he has helped a number of foundations develop their strategies for evaluation, environmental scanning, and organizational learning.
Cost: $35 per person for Supporting Partners/ $45 all others. $300 for all nine classes! The cost includes take-home materials and a networking lunch with your peers.
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Save The Date! Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence with NC Center for Nonprofits!
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Wednesday, April 20th, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Location: TBD
The N.C. Center for Nonprofits' Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence: A Self-Help Tool for Organizational Effectiveness offers 11 guiding principles and more than 100 benchmarks to help your nonprofit strengthen its management, governance, and operations, no matter what your mission focus is. It covers everything from planning, boards, and fundraising to strategic alliances, evaluation of results, human resources, and financial management.
This workshop is for new and small to medium-sized nonprofits of all types and the staff, board members, and volunteers who lead them. It will include small group work, and you'll have a chance to focus on the issues most critical to you and your nonprofit. You'll leave with a packet of resources including a complimentary copy of the booklet, a self-assessment checklist, and an understanding of how to move toward specific benchmarks to keep your nonprofit on track.
Presented by Trisha Lester, Vice President of the N.C. Center for Nonprofits, who has worked with Center for over a decade to help nonprofits in a variety of mission areas.
Cost: Will be posted on our website before the end of March. The class will include a networking lunch.Register Now! (All early registrants will be notified of final location and cost.)
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Save The Date! Forsyth County's Governor's Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Breakfast!
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Tuesday, May 3rd, 8:00 am to 9:30 am
Location: TBD
Interested in sponsoring the breakfast? It's a great way to show your support of these fantastic volunteers with a single gift! Contact us to learn more about our sponsorship levels.
Cost: $15 Supporting Partners; $20 All others $140 Table for eight; $130 for table with nominee Free for nominees! (Please put "nominee" in the organization line when registering online.) (Not a Supporting Organization of HandsOn? Click here to become one today!)
Register Now! (Location will be confirmed via e-mail to all registrants)
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HandsOn Board Leadership Development
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Thursday, May 5th, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Salemtowne Retirement Community, Community Center Board Room (see map). NOTE: MapQuest directions are incorrect! (click here for driving directions)
Topics include a review of board officer roles and responsibilities, committee chair accountabilities, attributes of effective board and committee leaders, a self-assessment leadership instrument, advanced Roberts Rules of Order training, planning processes and tools, leading and conducting effective meetings, group communications, appraising board and committee effectiveness, and other topics of interest as identified by workshop participants. If you're new to board leadership, this will be one of the best investments you'll ever make!
Cost: $25 Supporting Organizations; $35 All others
Workshop includes a light dinner and extensive take-home materials.
(Not a Supporting Organization of HandsOn? Click here to become one today!)
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
House Budget Zeroes Out the Corporation for National and Community Service; Includes AmeriCorps, VISTA and RSVP Programs!
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While we dodged the bullet of a federal shutdown with the two-week extension of the federal budget passed this past week, the House's proposed budget for the remainder of the year would immediately eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service. If enacted, this would end national service programs like AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, VISTA, RSVP, Senior Corps, the Volunteer Generation Fund, and the Social Innovation Fund. For us here at HandsOn NWNC, this would probably mean the loss of our AmeriCorps VISTA member, Michelle Bennett, who has been doing amazing work in mobilizing volunteers, youth, and community members in and around Forest Park Elementary. And Michelle is just one of at least two dozen national service members performing vital services in Forsyth County; this does not include the hundreds of RSVP volunteers that are mobilized through the Piedmont Council of Governments. A national coalition has formed to share the importance of national service, and how cost effective an investment in service is for our communities.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
IRS to Publish Nonprofit Revocation List
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Late last month, the IRS announced that they will be publishing the first Nonfiler Revocation List. The list will identify nonprofits whose tax-exempt status had been revoked for not filing the appropriate 990 return for three consecutive years. The law went into effect in 2007, with revocations happening in 2010. From this point on, the list will be published monthly. Check out Guidestar's website to learn more about the list, and who might be on it.
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| FEATURED CONSULTANT
TRP Enterprises
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Each month, we feature one of our Consulting Partners in our newsletter, to share with you some of the resources that our network of consultants can bring to your organization. To learn more about becoming a Consulting Partner, please check out our website.
TRP Enterprises, Inc. is a training company focusing on helping individuals and organizations create cultures of accountability and responsibility, getting rid of the victim mentality, enhancing one's ability to be of service, learning to move from helping to serving others, identifying and committing to purpose and many other areas. The training program was borne out of the experiences of the founders as volunteers caring for the terminally ill and children in a respite program. Over 140,000 people have been trained in this program over the past fifteen years.
Based in Forsyth County, they have worked extensively with many local nonprofits, including the YMCA of NWNC, Goodwill Industries of NWNC, Forsyth Technical Community College, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC, and Wake Forest University.
For more information, please contact:
Thomas White
Co-President
TRP Enterprises, Inc.
3978 Old Greensboro Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-777-1947
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We Make it Easy to Make a Difference!
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