SOLUTIONS

Crisis & Turmoil: Signs of Success and Change

Audience: Board Members and Staff
Seminar Length: 1.5 hours

Did you know that crisis and turmoil are natural signs of success? If these uncomfortable signs are recognized and addressed, growth and greater success are soon to follow. If not, the organization will falter and decline.

During this workshop, leaders will explore organizational crisis and turmoil as they relate to four inescapable life cycles. They will be asked to consider their organization's leadership style and structure in relation to these predictable stages of development. By understanding and anticipating challenges of transition through organizational life cycles, leaders can skillfully project future needs, make decisions proactively, anticipate challenges and better serve their constituencies.

Leading Change in Your Organization

Audience: Board Members and Staff
Workshop Length: 3 hours, plus meals and breaks

Nonprofit leaders are visionaries – they see fund development, program and service delivery opportunities and are excited by potential that could be realized. But having a strong sense of the future – although invaluable – does not bring about change. Even the most vivid view of the future can be thwarted by the resistant thinking and behavior of individuals within organizations. In fact, resistance is natural. So, given these realities, how can nonprofit leaders motivate volunteers and staff to leave behind ingrained thinking and behavior and realize the potential they know their organizations are capable of achieving?

This fast-paced, highly interactive workshop examines reactions to change and success factors for change. In addition, participants will explore an eight-step model for change and a four-step change readiness assessment. With an understanding of the dynamics of change and tools for implementation, nonprofit leaders can galvanize energy and excitement to fulfill organizational potential!

As a result of the workshop, nonprofit leaders will understand resistance and normal reactions to change, understand success factors for and how to manage change. know how to use an eight-step model for change and know how to use a four-step change readiness assessment.

You Must Be More Than Ethical To Be A Good Leader

Audience: Board Members and Staff
Seminar Length: 45 – 75 minutes

Every day you make personal and professional decisions based on values that are right and good. You consider yourself to be "ethical" . . . but does this make you an ethical leader? Or does being an ethical leader require more than having an internal "moral" compass? If it does, what does it require? This seminar explores these and other questions about leadership and personal and institutional ethics.

Creating the Most Powerful Tool in Fund Development: The Case for Support

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 7.5 hours including a working lunch and breaks

Vision, mission and values statements are essential, but are not substantive enough to compel a prospect to give. Strategic plans are vital as well, but not compelling to read. How, then, do we talk about our organization to prospects and donors? What materials do we use to give donors what they really want - an in-depth picture of the problem our organization addresses and the impact our work creates? How can we ensure the messages communicated by Board members and staff are consistent? And finally, how do we shape compelling messages that move our diverse constituents to action?

The case for support is the most powerful tool in fund development! It is the future-oriented "A to Z" story, told in a compelling manner with client stories and statistics, of a community problem and the change to be generated as the result of an organization's work. The case statement is the basis for personal solicitations, direct mail campaigns, written proposals, speeches, brochures and even communications with the media.

A compelling case statement:

• Substantiates the value of the organization's mission and impact of its activities to potential board members and volunteers
• Builds synergy & "shared purpose" among board and staff
• Provides board members language to speak eloquently about programs
• Gives prospects and donors a clear picture of the natural state of the problem your programs impact
• Ensures organizational messages are consistent
• Generates targeted messages for diverse constituency groups and sound, compelling proposals for funding sources.

In this hands-on workshop participants craft and present their key message statements. They leave the workshop with an outline and framework for drafting a compelling case for support. As a result, their organizations are on the way to benefiting from this powerful communications and fund development tool!

Creating a Successful Fundraising Culture: 12 Tools for Motivating Your Board

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 75 minutes to 2 hours

Why are so many volunteers and staff members reluctant to participate in approaching prospects and donors? How can board chairs, development committee members, nonprofit CEOs and professional fundraising staff lead their board teams to own - and even enjoy - the essential and ultimately rewarding work of major gifts fundraising?

This workshop provides the concepts, tools, and activities that board leadership and staff can use to:

• Provide a framework for understanding prospect and donor needs
• Increase the comfort level and confidence of staff and volunteers in approaching prospects and donors.

In this practical train the trainer workshop, topics address the needs of nonprofit leaders who want to increase volunteer and staff participation in approaching and engaging prospects and donors.

Eight Proven Strategies for Keeping Development Efforts on Target, Despite the Chaos at Hand!

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 45 – 90 minutes or 3.5 hours, plus one break

The day-to-day demands of building relationships with prospects and donors and minding the minutia of managing a development office pull development officers in many directions at once, and sometimes off target. If you've ever been concerned about staying on target while responding to the everyday demands of managing a development program, this workshop is for you!

Learn how to attend to the many roles of a development officer while staying focused on organizational and fund raising goals. Topics to be discussed include organizational and development planning, working with trustees, establishing an annual campaign, acknowledgments, grants management and income reporting systems as well as personal development and organization. The proven strategies explored in this workshop will keep your efforts on target despite the chaos at hand!

Four Keys to Fundraising Success

Audience: Board Members, Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 75 – 90 minutes

This fast-paced session unlocks the secrets of how board members, volunteers and staff can create and embrace a compelling fundraising campaign using four keys. When these keys are addressed fundraising efforts are focused, appropriate prospects are targeted, compelling messages are communicated and donors are assured of their gifts' impact. Find out how to prepare your organization for raising money, acquaint yourself with the specific tools needed and increase your fundraising success!

Fundraising . . . It's Not About the Money!

Audience: Board Members, Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 4 hours, plus breaks and meals

Is "fundraising" a dreaded activity . . . or is it something all board members, volunteers and staff can easily do? How can volunteers and staff be comfortably involved in fundraising and confidently approach prospects? When they do, how do they know what to say? What is the one thing all volunteers know how to do that makes them essential to the fundraising process? This highly interactive workshop explores:

• Misconceptions about fundraising
• Fundraising essentials
• Volunteers' roles in fundraising
• A practical framework for understanding and engaging prospects

In-depth conversations about the four basic steps to raising money confirm that volunteers and staff have important roles they can comfortably play with each step. Seminar activities include exploring what "no" means and how to overcome objections. As a result of this workshop, volunteers and staff can begin to own – and even enjoy – the essential and ultimately rewarding work of fundraising.

Moving from Annual to Major Gifts: Partners in Prosperity

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 3.5 hours or 8 hours

A successful annual gifts program is the foundation for a prosperous major gifts program. But exactly how is a prosperous major gift program created? How can $50 and $150 donors be turned into major donors? In addition, how can we increase the comfort level and confidence of our partners - board members and volunteers - to engage them in approaching prospects and donors?

This workshop explores the techniques and tools needed to establish a major gifts program and engage partners in its implementation. Practical strategies for identifying giving capacity, cultivating relationships, making the ask and renewing gifts are explored. In addition, you'll leave with eight tools for inspiring board members and volunteers to get involved as partners in prosperity!

Ten Steps to Creating a Comprehensive, Diversified, Donor-Focused Fund Development Plan

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 90 minutes to 2 hours

Successful fundraising requires the professional execution of strategies like special events, direct mail and major gifts programs. However, development planning that focuses primarily on the expansion of fundraising strategies limits the scope and diversification of development efforts and ignores the concept most critical to long-term success: Building and enhancing relationships with prospects and donors to meet their needs and engage them in fulfilling the organization's mission.

This fast-paced session explores the benefits of strategic planning for development as well as the key process steps for engaging strategic thinking. The tools and materials presented in this seminar equip participants to focus strategically on creating a comprehensive, diversified, "donor-focused" plan to achieve long-term fund development success!

Your Elevator Speech: Is It Boring or Compelling?

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 45 – 90 minutes

Are there times when you need to capture attention quickly, or get your point across in a compelling manner? Could you use a format for delivering a compelling message that is "scalable" and can be used to create a concise "elevator speech" or an entire rationale? You may be surprised to learn that the message you are currently communicating may not be what your prospects and donors care about or really want to know.

This workshop defines vision, mission and values statements and explores a method for crafting compelling, scalable messages that capture attention and engage the listener in wanting more information. You will craft and practice your own elevator speech and leave the session with a practical format that has unlimited applications.

Best Practices in Board Leadership: An Overview

Audience: Board Members & Staff
Seminar length: 45 - 90 minutes

This fast-paced workshop provides non-profit leadership with an overview of best practices and plentiful resources for study and deliberation at a later time. As a result of the workshop, participants will understand innovative concepts and tools for enhancing governance practices, board member identification, recruitment and engagement, board meeting participation and the fulfillment of board member responsibilities.

Governance & Management, Board & Staff: Who Does What?

Audience: Board Members & Staff
Seminar length: 75 minutes - 2 hours

Organizations are dynamic entities. They grow when demand for their services increases. To expand capacity and accommodate increased demand, systems and structures as well as leadership roles and responsibilities must change.

At any given point in time within such a dynamic environment, how can we determine effective governance vs. management and board vs. staff responsibilities? How can we ensure leadership responsibilities are aligned appropriately with organizational systems and structures? In short, who has responsibility for doing what?

This interactive workshop presents concepts and tools for assessing organizational dynamics and determining an effective and appropriate board and staff roles. As a result of this workshop, participants will understand the implications of board life-cycles on organizational work, three "pillars" of effective nonprofit leadership, three types of Board and volunteer involvement, twelve strategies for ensuring effective committee work and three types of board work. In addition, leadership will gain perspective on how to determine the most effective division of board and staff responsibilities within their organization's dynamic environment.

Strategies for Effective Trustee Leadership

Audience: Board Members & Staff
Workshop Length: 4 hours, plus breaks and meals

All board members strive to provide effective leadership for their organizations! But, what does that really mean? Besides attending board meetings, how, specifically, can board members bring value to their organizations? What can be done to ensure board members stay engaged and active? How can board meetings engender substantive, meaningful discussions? And, how can committees add to organizational effectiveness rather than burden staff and inappropriately consume valuable time?

Strategies for Effective Trustee Leadership is an interactive, fast-paced workshop which explores these questions, and more! Workshop conversations will help Trustees more fully understand:

• Their roles and responsibilities and how they can bring value to the organization
• The importance of governance to the board and the work of the organization
• Effective trustee recruitment, engagement, and assessment strategies
• How to ensure board meetings are productive and tap the wisdom and leadership trustees offer
• How to create effective, efficient committee structures.

As a result of this workshop, trustees will gain an in-depth understanding of how they can effectively contribute their wisdom and passion toward fulfilling their organization's mission.

ABCs of Grantseeking

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Seminar Length: 75 - 90 minutes

ABCs of Grantseeking covers the steps to prepare your organization for seeking grants, the different types of foundations and grants and the process and principles that lead to successful private and public sector grantseeking. If you are ready to learn or review the basics about grantseeking, this seminar is for you! (Recommended prerequisite: Four Keys to Fundraising Success)

Creating Successful Proposals

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 3.5 hours including one break

This half-day workshop offers an advanced view of successful grant seeking and in-depth exploration of the components of a proposal.

Topics include tips on:

• Where to go to conduct public and private sector prospect research
• How to track the grant seeking process
• What data to gather
• What makes a good proposal

In addition, you'll learn three important questions to ask before writing a proposal and how to complete your proposal. Sample proposal formats will also be distributed and reviewed. If you know the basics, and are ready to gain a better understanding of the complex world of grant seeking, this class is for you! (Prerequisite: Navigating the Proposal Process.)

Navigating the Proposal Process

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 3.5 or 7.5 hours including lunch and breaks

Navigating the Proposal Process is an in-depth workshop valuable for both beginners and for people who would like to review the fundamentals of seeking grants. Types of sources and grants as well as the processes for approaching and submitting requests to private and public sector sources are explored.

In addition, this practical workshop covers how to:

• Prepare to seek grants
• Identify fundable programs and projects
• Establish compelling needs and impact statements
• Develop budgets
• Create practical outcomes
• Conduct public and private sector research

If you are ready to learn or review the basics about grantseeking, this workshop is for you!

Polishing Your Skills As A Grantseeker

Audience: Staff & Volunteers
Workshop Length: 15 hours over two days, including breaks and meals

As the grant arena becomes more competitive, grantseekers must be able to convey mission and programming in clear and compelling ways. Grantseekers must understand funders' perspectives and be prepared to create logic models, outcome measures and use cost accounting data. This highly participative advanced workshop engages participants in exploring the grantseeking process and provides tips and strategies for enhancing skills and strategies.

Topics include:

• Understanding funders' perspectives
• Building strong working relationship with funders
• Creating and using program logic models
• Crafting clear, compelling proposals
• Budgeting and cost accounting
• Conducting effective prospect research
• Establishing and reporting appropriate outcome measures

If you are ready to take your grantseeking program to the next level, this intensive workshop is for you!

Effective Strategic Planning: How? Who? What? When?

Audience: Board Members & Staff
Seminar Length: 90 minutes to 2 hours

Strategic planning has caught our attention. Funding sources are asking whether organizations have strategic plans before accepting requests for donations and nonprofit governance literature present a myriad of planning processes. However, the focus on planning has raised more questions than it has answered.

What is strategic planning and why bother with it? How does strategic planning differ from operational and long-term planning? Do for-profit planning processes work in the non-profit world? When should it be done? How long does strategic planning take and who should be involved? And, what length of time should the plan cover?

This fast-paced session demystifies strategic planning, explores its distinctive nature and benefits and presents key process steps for engaging strategic thinking. Discussions and materials presented in this workshop prepare participants for engaging board and staff in this critical and transformative process.

Tapping the Transformative Power of Vision, Mission, Values & Strategic Planning

Audience: Board Members, Individuals Considering Board Service & Staff
Workshop Length: 4 hours, plus breaks and meals

Vision, values, mission and strategic planning are terms bantered about in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. What do they really mean? How are they distinctive? Why do they matter? Current trustees as well as anyone considering board service will better fulfill their leadership roles with a clear understanding of these important statements, nonprofit planning processes and how both can foster organizational transformation.

This interactive workshop presents organizational change readiness and success factors. Trustees' basic responsibilities concerning mission, purpose and organizational planning are also covered. Discussions and hands-on activities reveal the distinctive importance of vision, mission and values statements and the components of nonprofit planning. As a result of this workshop, board leadership will be better prepared to use these important tools in enhancing organizational effectiveness and mission fulfillment!