VCU hosts a whole bunch of classes for nonprofits in Apr and May

VCU’s Division of Community Engagement is hosting a series of classes for nonprofit leaders. Seriously, the options are many and diverse. Read below for the class schedule and contact info. Tools for Measuring Stakeholder Needs: April 2 & 9 (Call to reserve seat for this week’s class!) Instructor: Angela Taylor You have program goals or intended outcomes, but […]

March 31, 2008; 11:58 PM • by brenda p

VCU’s Division of Community Engagement is hosting a series of classes for nonprofit leaders. Seriously, the options are many and diverse. Read below for the class schedule and contact info.

Tools for Measuring Stakeholder Needs: April 2 & 9 (Call to reserve seat for this week’s class!)
Instructor: Angela Taylor

You have program goals or intended outcomes, but now what? How are you going to measure your program?s success in meeting these goals? This class focuses on just that: data collection and analysis. The class will focus on finding reliable and valid measures (including surveys and testing
instruments), practical means to collect and manage the data and how to analyze and communicate your findings. This workshop is geared toward participants who have a basic understanding of evaluation concepts, and have some experience implementing evaluation activities.

Forces For Good: April 14 & 21
Instructor: Susan Wilkes

What enables the most exemplary nonprofit organizations to have such high levels of impact? How can we incorporate those best practices into our own agencies in a way that transforms goodwill into genuine results? In this class, students will learn about the six powerful practices identified in
the just published book, Forces for Good. The course will review the key factors required to generate successful outcomes and what leaders need to do to create lasting impact. The focus of the class will be on how these practices can be applied by any organization seeking to make a difference
in the world.

Balmy Skies or Stormy Clouds?: April 18 & May 2
Instructor: Lisa Spector

This course is geared towards senior management, board leadership and executive directors. It will provide an overviews or organizational development and provide tools that can be immediately applied to any sized nonprofit organization. Specific topics will include: the growing pains of nonprofit organizations, life cycle and operational concerns, challenges and needs; completing an organizational assessment; managing organizational culture; understanding and developing organizational infrastructure; evolving the board functions; and creating, recreating and preserving organizational effectiveness and culture. Participants will have an opportunity to examine various organizational models and determine which might be applicable to their organization’s future.

Website Redesign Process: April 29 & May 6
Instructors: Susan Martin and Stephanie Saccone

This course helps you set the stage for a successful Web site redesign. You may know that your organization needs a new site, but beyond that lies uncharted waters ? what kind of design is best? What should the categories be? What bells and whistles might be needed? Can your redesign be done in house, or should you hire outside help? If the latter, how do you prepare a request and evaluate potential partners? This course will walk you through a series of steps to answer these questions, leave you with a road map for starting your site redesign process, and help you avoid common
pitfalls along the way. Through discussions and exercises, you will define your Web site’s audiences, research best practices, determine your site’s goals and functions, and find out how to best create the web tool your organization needs.

20th Century Social Movements: April 30 & May 7
Instructor: Dyana Mason

There is no reason to re-invent the wheel when it comes to being a leader in the nonprofit sector. Too often, we forget about the lessons learned by other organizations and movements, many of which have been incredibly well documented. This class will discuss a few of the issue movements in the 20th Century, such as the women?s suffrage, civil rights, and student movements, among others, with an eye towards applying those lessons to today.

Strategic Thinking: May 5 & 12
Instructor: Wally Stettinius

Effective leadership requires not only knowing where the organization is going, but also how it can get there. This course begins with an overview of the role of strategy in an organization?s success and examines models that provide structure for the strategic process. Students will explore
practical methods of assessing an organization’s current situation as well as its future opportunities and threats. Participants also will learn how to use this analysis to identify strategic organizational direction, goals and action steps that will move them forward, and methods for measuring
success.

Employment Law: May 11 & 21
Instructor: Emily Munn

This two-day workshop, directed at those with governance or management responsibilities in their organizations, will explore the legal aspects of the employer-employee relationship in a nonprofit organization. Participants will receive an overview of federal and state employment laws. Additionally, they will learn about the scope of employer liability. The course also will address issues of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.

Grantwiting – New Section Open: May 15 & 22
Instructor: Laurie Rogers

Submitting grant proposals can help agencies to secure funds to start new programs, test innovative ideas or enhance existing services. In this course participants will engage in a hands-on, practical and evaluative exploration of successful grant writing strategies. We will examine how to locate funding sources and make a good funding match, how to succinctly make a case for funding and present a reliable budget, and how to measure outcomes and demonstrate results once grants have been awarded.

Digging for Data – May 16 & 23
Instructors: Gail Harris and Karen Cameron

You know that local data is available on the internet, but where? Do you spend too much time searching the internet trying to find locally-specific data to support your grant proposals, needs assessments and other reports? Do you search for answers to questions like these: What is the poverty rate in your Census tract? What are the SOL trends in your neighborhood schools? Is the teen pregnancy rate in your locality going up or down and how does it compare to other areas? This introductory level, hands-on workshop will be held in a computer lab so that each student can find and explore recommended data sites. Guidelines for evaluating web sites will be discussed. The
instructors will guide the class in locating sites for local demographic and indicator data. In addition to the Census, focus areas will include education, health, crime and housing.

Intermediate Budgeting: May 20 & 27
Instructor: William Cowles

Designed for experienced, nonprofit budgeting practitioners, this course will help participants integrate formal budgeting activities into their organization’s general and specific strategic planning processes. Participants will focus on budgeting as a management tool for achieving goals and plans. Most of the course addresses budgeting for the charitable tax-exempt functions that are generally carried out in a nonprofit agency. In addition, the legitimacy of for-profit activities in a nonprofit
context is briefly addressed. Accounting and auditing tools are not included in this course. Individuals who are interested in budgeting, but have little experience, are advised to take the introduction to budgeting course first.

Call 827-0246 or email nonprofit@vcu.edu for more information.

March 31, 2008 11:58 PM 0