Workshop and Plenaries

May 4, 2010

Breakfast plenary

by Bill Pinakiewicz, New England Director, Nonprofit Finance Fund

As director of the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s New England office, Bill sees trends in nonprofits, trends in economic forecasts undefined and the opportunities and disasters that come from their intersections. He’ll provide insight into the financial forecast for the nonprofit sector, what the forecast means to your organization, and how to prepare for it. An engaging session for board and staff at every level.

Lunch plenary

"Don't Go It Alone: Greater Impact Through Collaboration," by Jay Vogt, principal of Peoplesworth

Join in conversation with your peers to share and learn the principles and practices of successful collaboration, based on real successes.  Then reflect for a moment on an actual collaboration opportunity‑ something you could do better with others than alone - and create an action plan for next steps.

Morning Workshops

Please Note: If you are a registered attendee and will be unable to attend a specific workshop session, please let us know so we may include another attendee. If you have any other questions or will miss a session, please email the Institute by clicking here.

“Linking Money to Mission: A Balancing Act,” by Bill Pinakiewicz, Nonprofit Finance Fund

Learn to balance your organization’s mission with its financial realities, and learn how the choices you make impact your organization’s financial health and viability. The session includes a crash course on interpreting your financial statements to reveal the financial reality underpinning your programs, and it discusses how best to communication your financial information to funders and other stakeholders when trying to tell your organization’s financial story and resource needs.  An excellent session for board members as well as executive directors.

“Big Money for Small Groups: Getting Gifts of $500 to $5000” (double session), by Andy Robinson, national presenter and author

More than 85% of charitable funds come from individual donors, not foundations or corporations. Learn how to build a fundraising program that honors your mission.  Andy’s thorough insight into a diverse, solid fundraising program have earned him raves from attendees at his previous workshops in Massachusetts. Valuable handouts illustrate the best approaches for major gifts, personal appeals, and more. Andy's interactive workshop also addresses:

·         why people give

·         the valuable principles of fundraising

·         engaging your board and other volunteers

·         identifying prospective donors

• "the ask"--face-to-face solicitation

“Build a Sustainability Plan That Works,” by Ann Budner, Principal, Non-Profit Practice, Carlisle & Co.

Do you sometimes feel like a little mouse running on a wheel?  Like you’re working so hard but you’re not getting anywhere?  If so, you probably need a sustainability plan.  A sustainability plan is like a strategic plan for survival, a plan to get you off that spinning wheel so that your organization – and you – can succeed.  This workshop will include a case study from Leominster-based Warmer Winters, a step-by-step process for building your own plan, and hands-on exercises to get you started.

“Strategically & Efficiently Recruiting and Engaging Volunteers,” by Lori Tsuruda, president of Directors of Volunteer Administration (DOVA) and founder/president of People Making a Difference

Everyone would like free help, but successfully engaging volunteers is not entirely free, given that relationships can be challenging to start and to manage. In this session, after touching on key trends in volunteerism, we will discuss building volunteer engagement strategically into your organization so that you can expand your community connections and services while addressing your specific needs. Once our organizations have determined what we need, we must plan targeted recruiting/marketing plans and approaches to engage current supporters and other cohorts. And to retain our best supporters, we will cover qualities of inclusive and fair organizational cultures in which our best volunteers will want to stay involved.

“Driving Results with the Balanced Scorecard,” by Laura Downing, Ascendant Management Strategy Group

How do you manage strategy in way that strengthens your organization and positions you not just for sustainability, but for long-term, measurable results? The Balanced Scorecard is the “strategic chart of accounts” for organizations that focus on strategy. It captures both the mission, financial, and non-financial elements of an organization’s strategy, and discusses the cause-and-effect relationships that drive business results.  IN nonprofit organizations, a Balanced Scorecard allows senior management to clearly define results and the key drivers of that impact.

“Earned-Income: Finding the Profits in Non-Profits,” by Stephen Brand, president and chief  imagination officer for New Enterprise Factory

Typically, non-profits have a clear vision of their mission and an incredible passion to deliver, but they don’t have the ability to translate that mission and passion into earned revenue through programs, products or services. Jumpstart your creative thinking and return to your office and organization with specific activities, tools, and inspiration to pursue realistic revenue-generating opportunities that capitalize on your hidden assets and resources, community needs, and the intersection of the two.

“Board Development: Regenerating Your Leadership,” by Susan Nicholl, technical assistance consultant, Institute for Nonprofit Development

It’s hard for board members to understand their roles and successfully execute them, much less  have the energy leftover to focus on bringing in new board members and filling key leadership positions. Regenerating the board is absolutely critical to the organization’s sustainability, yet it usually gets subjugated to day-to-day issues.  Learn what makes undefined and keeps undefined the board and other leaders engaged, high-performing, and focused on long-term success.