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
+ "Engaging the Board in the Development Process," FREE webinar, April 13th, 1pm, The Not For Profit Group. The Not For Profit Group is a consultancy dedicated to helping 501(c)(3) organizations build the right donor retention and acquisition strategies. Their philosophy is rooted in 20 years of experience helping for-profit corporations build client loyalty systems throughout North America. The Not For Profit Group's process is designed to help organizations build deeper relationships with existing donors, increase new donor relationships, leverage the strength of the mission to build brand awareness, and enable organizations to become financially viable by increasing donor support. To learn more and to register, click here.
+ Cannon and Company CPAs Offers Second Class 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, which began in March and go 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. Register by April 7th for the April 14th session on Reading Nonprofit Financial Statements.
+ "Starting a Planned Giving Program," Webinar, April 14th, 11 am to Noon, NC Center for Nonprofits, $10 for Center members, $30 all others. You know you should start a planned giving program (even though you've already got too much to do). It's been on your strategic plan for years. Why is it that you never get around to it? Are you allergic to or afraid of large gifts? Starting a planned giving program can seem daunting, but there are ways to begin without getting overwhelmed. Presented by Fred Stang, Vice Chair, Board of Directors, NC Center for Public Policy Research, this webinar will get you thinking and moving toward your first planned gift. Get a colleague to join you, listen carefully, and don't allow yourself to get distracted. It's one hour of your time, but it could be one of the most profitable hours you'll have in a long time. Registration is online.
+ Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Foundation's 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.
+ UNCG Launches NEW Online Certificate Program in Nonprofit Management! UNCG is pleased to announce that their 15 hrs. of academic credit Nonprofit Certificate Program will be offered online, starting in Fall 2011. This post-baccalaureate certificate program can be completed all or partially online, within one year, or as your schedule permits. Some courses can be taken on campus, if you prefer, but the core requirements and many electives can be taken from almost anywhere! The schedule of offerings, the certificate program requirements, and a link to the online graduate application can be found here. For more information, contact Ruth H. DeHoog, Professor,
336-256-051.
Funding
OPPORTUNITIES
+ Target Local Store Grants Supports Arts in Schools and Early Childhood Reading Programs! The Local Store Grants program supports nonprofits that enhance students' classroom curriculum by bringing the arts and cultural experiences to schools, such as in-school performances, artist in residency programs, and workshops in schools. Early Childhood Reading grants support programs that foster a love of reading and encourage young children, preschool through third grade, to read together with their families. Grants of $2,000 are provided in both categories. Online applications will be accepted through April 30th!
+ Be Rewarded with Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative! The Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, the Bank's signature philanthropic program, recognizes, nurtures, and rewards community-based organizations, local heroes and student leaders working to improve their communities in a diverse variety of areas, including education, community development/ neighborhood preservation, arts and culture, and health and human services. The Initiative's Neighborhood Builders category provides grants of $200,000 each to two nonprofit organizations that are focused on local neighborhood priorities in each of the Bank's markets. The Local Heroes category provides grants of $5,000 each to nonprofit organizations selected by five recognized individuals in the targeted markets. Applications and nominations must be submitted online by June 1st!
+ Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation Now Accepting 2011 Applications!
The Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life for children, families, and pets. The Foundation's grant categories include children's health and wellness, domestic pets, and literacy and education. Individual project grants as well as organization program grants are provided. Priority is given to nonprofit organizations located near Build-A-Bear Workshop stores. Visit the Foundation's website to review the funding guidelines for each of the grant categories.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from now through October, 2011!
+ Operation Will Power Seeks to Invest up to $200,000 in Local, Youth Summer Programs Offered by Education-Oriented Nonprofits! Operation Will Power, Inc. wants to support summer programs for youth that local nonprofits may be planning to offer in 2011.They are organizing a meeting with prospective grantees on April 21st at 10 am at the Goler Family Enrichment Center (630 N. Patterson Ave., Winston-Salem.) The meeting will help educate nonprofits on how their organizations can become a recipient of these funds. For more information and to reserve your spot, please contact Rev. Dr. Seth O. Lartey.
+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 + Leadership Winston-Salem Seeks Part-Time Program Director! Leadership Winston-Salem is seeking a qualified Program Director for its Flagship Program. This half-time, salaried position is responsible for the successful planning and execution of an intensive nine-month program for established and emerging leaders. The professional in this role ensures stimulating, rewarding adult learning experiences that effectively ignite community leadership. Successful candidates will have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree. You can view the full position description and application requirements here. Application deadline is April 18th!
+ United Way Now Accepting Applications for Weston Award! The Weston Award honors any local non-profit, health, or human-service organization that has demonstrated exceptional organizational excellence. Each year, the Weston Award Committee, a group of community volunteers, judges the applications, visits each finalist, and determines the recipient of the $10,000 award from the Joel A. Weston, Jr. Memorial Award Endowment Fund. The successful agency is announced during a special event dedicated to highlighting the standards of organizational excellence. The United Way of Forsyth County facilitates the application, review and recognition process of this annual award, but non-United Way agencies are welcome to apply. You can find the application here, and they are due no later than Friday April 15th by 5:00 pm. Please contact Noelle Stevenson, 336-721-9336 with any questions or for more information.
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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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April 2011- Vol 4, Issue 4
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| Greetings! |
I think, just maybe, Spring has finally arrived! A sure sign for us is always the surge in request for group service opportunities, and I want to thank all of those that responded to BB&T's Project Lighthouse and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints requests. These are two of the biggest groups with which we work each year, and your project submission is crucial to their success.
This spring, we've also become deeply engaged in the work to educate our local legislators and the public about the important services that nonprofits provide on behalf of the taxpayers of North Carolina. As I discussed last month, this work led to the successful creation of our first-ever District Day on March 25th. Approximately 50 nonprofit representatives from across our local sector gathered at Senior Services to hear the individual insights of local legislative delegation. We were also able to learn more from David Heinen with the NC Center for Nonprofits, an important partner in this work. While all seven local members were invited, only Reps. Parmon and Womble were able to join us. They provided much-needed insight into the legislative climate that is facing nonprofits and our clients in the coming months. Annette Fuller, the reporter from the Winston-Salem Journal that is dedicated to continuing coverage of this story, was on hand for the event, and you can read her account here. Based on the success of this event, we are tentatively planning on holding a District Day at the beginning of each legislative session going forward. We believe creating the opportunity for continuing engagement is the best way to get nonprofits and our lawmakers comfortable in discussing the important issues facing our state on an ongoing basis. We have a lot to learn from each other.
At District Day, it became clear that the most effective means of communication may be to send small delegations of local nonprofits to Raleigh to meet with key members of the legislature individually. Nikki Beyers, from Imprints, will be helping to organize legislative visits on April 19th. Details are still be finalized, but if you're interested in attending, please contact us. Responding quickly is still important, as just this week, Rep. Brock (R-Davie County) introduced SB 460, which reflects the same language as HB 100, which Rep. Brown pulled earlier last month. Yes! Weekly, which also attended the District Day meeting, has an article about the (re)introduction of this bill in this week's edition and Annette had a follow-up story this week as well. The issues raised in these articles reminds us that we need to remain vigilant about communicating early and often with our representatives. While our sources say that SB 460 will probably not move forward (at least as written,) we all need to remain committed to sharing our success stories. If your board would like to sign on to the response piece created by our local coalition, please let Eric Aft at the United Way know. Later this week, a few of us will also be attending Gov. Perdue's town hall meeting at Winston-Salem State University to represent our coalition.
Despite all the drama going on in the legislatures (both state and national,) we all continue to do the work that benefits our communities. For us here at HandsOn NWNC, this means continuing to connect volunteers to meaningful service opportunities, and one of the ways we're doing that this spring is through the efforts of our AmeriCorps VISTA member, Michelle Bennett, and her Neighboring Collaborative at Forest Park Elementary School and surrounding neighborhood.
 | | YLC Service Project Celebration at Forest Park Elementary |
This work, which seeks to engage students, parents and neighbors in service-based solutions to self-identified local issues, has taken off in the past few months. A Youth Leadership Council, consisting of 3rd through 5th graders at the school, has been created, and they just finished their first service project, which focused on the care and needs of pets and other animals. Working on behalf of the Forsyth Humane Society, (a HandsOn NWNC Supporting Partner,) these students researched animal care, surveyed their peers, created toys for pets at the shelter, and designed a brochure to distribute to other students. They held a celebratory party on Tuesday afternoon, and it was very touching to hear from each student what they had learned, not just about the topic, but about themselves. The also newly-created Neighborhood Outreach Committee, which seeks to engage all of the groups active within the Forest Park Elementary community, is planning a community fair for next weekend, which I know many of you are planning to attend. Thanks for your support of this Collaborative, which is engaging a diverse base of volunteers in new and exciting ways!
May you feel the warmth,  Executive Director |
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Nonprofit Essentials: Evaluation
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Tuesday, April 12th, Noon to 4:30 pm
Location: WFU campus; Reynolda Hall, Autumn 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! (Remember, you can begin the series at any point. Learn more about our Nonprofit Essentials series here.) The cost includes take-home materials and a networking lunch with your peers.
(Not sure if you're a Supporting Partner? You can view the list on our website.)
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Need A Nonprofit Checkup? Attend Our
Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence Presented by the NC Center for Nonprofits
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Wednesday, April 20th, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Location: Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Dr. (see map)
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.
"The N.C. Center's materials have helped us improve our board's effectiveness and our fiscal decision making."
Peter Laroche, President and CEO, Consumer Credit Counseling Service (a HandsOn Supporting Partner)
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. This class will also be informative for board members as well! Remember, Supporting Partners can receive a discount for every person who attends (up to ten people.)
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: $35 per person for Supporting Partners/ $45 all others. The class will include a networking lunch and take-home materials. Note: For this class only, members of the NC Center for Nonprofits may register at the Supporting Partner rate. For nonprofits in Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Yadkin, Surry and Stokes Counties, partial scholarships are available. Contact us for more details.
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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: Salemtowne Retirement Community, Community Center (see map). NOTE: MapQuest directions are incorrect! (click here for driving directions)
Invitations are being mailed this week; please let us know if you don't receive one and would like to be added to our snail mail list for future events. Due to the generous support of our sponsors, HanesBrands and Wake Forest University Baptist Health, all nominees can attend for free! We will be recognizing the important work of all of our nominees, not just celebrating the winners. Reserve a table for eight, and receive a discount. This is always one of the most inspirational, "feel good" events of the year, and we hope to see you there!
Cost: $15 Supporting Partners; $20 All others $140 Table for eight; $130 for table with nominee Free for nominees! (Not a Supporting Organization of HandsOn? Click here to become one today!)
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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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Nonprofit Essentials:
Advocacy and Communication
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Tuesday, May 19th, 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: WFU campus, Worrell Professional Center, room 1124 (Board Room.) Parking is available adjacent to the building, just off of the University Drive entrance. (see map)
Nonprofits play an active role in shaping public policy, allowing them to most effectively serve their clients. This timely class examines successful advocacy strategies used by nonprofits to advance their organization's mission for the public good while considering related legal, ethical and tax issues, and measuring the success of your advocacy. Course includes coaching on how to tell your story in a way that conveys the importance and value of your mission, not just to lawmakers, but to the public and other stakeholders as well. The class will be taught by Steve Virgil, Director of Wake Forest University's Institute for Public Engagement. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the School of Law's Community Law and Business Clinic, where Wake Forest clinical students offer legal services to non-profit organizations and entrepreneurs who create new businesses in low-wealth areas in Forsyth County. Before joining the faculty in 2008, Steve directed a similar law clinic at Creighton University School of Law; practiced law with the Urban Development Office of Cleveland Legal Aid in Ohio and the Kutak Rock law firm in Omaha; and clerked for the Honorable George W. White, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio. He is the founder and General Counsel of the Great Plains Environmental Law Center and a former National Association for Public Interest Law Equal Justice Fellow with the Nebraska Appleseed Center. Cost: $35 per person for Supporting Partners/ $45 all others. $300 for all nine classes! (Remember, you can begin the series at any point. Learn more about our Nonprofit Essentials series here.) The cost includes take-home materials and a networking lunch with your peers.
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Information Session:
The Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll Processing
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Thursday, May 17th, Noon to 1pm
Location: Flex-Pay office, 723 Coliseum Drive, Suite 200 (across Coliseum Dr. from HandsOn NWNC's offices)
Is your nonprofit looking to save money? Have you considered outsourcing back-office functions such as payroll, as a way to do more with fewer resources? Join Donna Smith, District Manager with Flex-Pay, as she demystifies the outsourcing experience and learn why outsourcing your payroll can not only be cost effective, but a pleasurable experience for non-profits. Bring your thorny payroll questions as well! Cost: FREE! This is a "lunch and learn" information session, so bring your lunch and learn for free! We'll provide the drinks. For planning purposes, please register below.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
HandsOn NWNC Launches New
Volunteer Programs Blog!
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Seeking to take further advantage of online outreach efforts, Michelle Bennett, our AmeriCorps VISTA member, has recently created a new blog that will discuss our Neighboring Collaborative, Days of Service and other volunteer engagement efforts. You can find the blog here. Blog entries will also be cross-posted to our Facebook and Twitter feeds. (Not following us? You should!) Learn up-to-the minute information about local volunteer happenings, and other helpful information to strengthen your volunteer programs.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Forsyth and Guilford Counties Rank High in the Rate of Hunger Amongst Its Citizens
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To help strengthen the case about the importance of the services provided by our local nonprofits, the article about our District Day event shared the front page of the Winston-Salem Journal with this story about the high rate of hunger in our community. Winston-Salem ranked third in the nation in a survey of people who say they don't have enough money to feed their families. The survey by Gallup, performed for the Food Research and Action Center, shows that in the Winston-Salem MSA, 25 percent of families said they had trouble in the past year paying for food. Only the Fresno and Riverside metropolitan areas in California were ranked higher. Greensboro ranked fourth, demonstrating that we are facing a hunger epidemic in the Triad. Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC, a HandsOn Supporting Partner, continues to work hard to respond to these devastating statistics. Please consider supporting them during their upcoming Empty Bowls event on April 27th!
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FEATURED CONSULTANT
The Nonprofit Collaborative
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Each month, we feature one of our Consulting/Vendor Partners in our newsletter, to share with you some of the resources that our network of experience consultants and vendors can bring to your organization. To learn more about becoming a Consulting/Vendor Partner, please check out our website.
The Nonprofit Collaborative is a comprehensive network of nonprofit executives and consultants that has been serving nonprofits for just over 2 years. Each Associate who comprises the collaborative has over 15 years of professional experience in his/her respective area of expertise and maintains his/her own independent employment or firm. 
Associates have served on over 75 cumulative nonprofit boards in leadership positions on executive, personnel, human relations, resource development, strategic planning, volunteer management, and special event committees. Fees for services provided by The Nonprofit Collaborative are negotiable and based on project size, scope, assignment, organizational size, and budget. Expertise is provided in strategic planning, development, audits, board retreats, marketing, legal, accounting, capital campaigns, annual giving, special events, technology, public relations, communications and human resources.
The Nonprofit Collaborative has worked with many local nonprofits including these HandsOn NWNC Supporting Partners: Smart Start of Forsyth County, Eagle's Nest Foundation, and Imprints. Recently, The Nonprofit Collaborative worked with Wake Forest University's Institute for Public Engagement and HandsOn NWNC by teaching the Fund Development class as a part of the Nonprofit Essentials series.
For more information, please contact:
The Nonprofit Collaborative
Michelle Speas
Box 2098
Advance, NC 27006
336.998.3009
1-800-419-3009
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We Make it Easy to Make a Difference!
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