Nonprofit Support Center

Keep Your Donors: Building Profitable Relationships That Last

Tuesday, February 28, 9:30-12:30
Audience: Staff and board with responsibility for fundraising

Fee and registration: Program is presented in cooperation with TDC. Visit www.tdcorp.org/training for fee and registration information.                      

The key to successful fundraising is creating donor-centered relationships. Do it well and you'll significantly improve donor retention. But where do you start? This workshop will show you the essentials of building lasting donor relationships. You’ll learn how to upgrade your fundraising program from one that is merely "transaction-based" to one that is profitably "relationship-based" and avoid counter-productive – yet common – donor indifferent behaviors. You'll also take a guided tour of the eight steps that guarantee good relationships.

Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE, is an internationally recognized leader in the philanthropic profession—as a consultant, volunteer, writer and teacher. She provides consulting services in fund development, board and organizational development, and strategic planning. Clients, located around the U.S., include all types and sizes of nonprofit organizations. Her book Strategic Fund Development: Building Profitable Relationships That Last continues to receive rave reviews from executives in the field. She serves regularly as a board member of various organizations, locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Real Evaluation Story

Tuesday, March 6, 9-12
Audience: Anyone who is responsible for assessing the effectiveness of a project
Fee: $25
To register: Send your check payable to NSC/Greater Worcester Community Foundation to NSC/Greater Worcester Community Foundation, 370 Main Street, 6^th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608, no later than February 27.

 Yes, program evaluations help determine if your programs “work.”  But there is so much more to evaluation than that!  Evaluation is really about being able to make a judgment for the purpose of decision-making about questions like these:

• Are we focusing on an important problem?
• Are we reaching the appropriate target population? 
• Is there any rationale to believe our strategy is the right one to use in this situation, and if so, are we implementing it as designed?
• Are we producing the intended impacts?
• Are the benefits produced worth the cost?

This training will provide basics about this hierarchy of evaluation questions.  Then, we will shift into workshop mode to problem-solve your evaluation dilemmas. Please submit a brief paragraph about your evaluation dilemma or question one week prior to the workshop to LRoss@Clarku.edu.

 Laurie Ross, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Community Development and Planning in the Department of International Development, Community, and Environment at Clark University, teaches field research methods, project evaluation, and community needs assessment. She has also been engaged in community based participatory research projects and evaluation research in such areas of youth development as youth employment, gang violence, and public education. Ross coordinates the HOPE Coalition, a youth-adult partnership, and is project director for a Clark grant that is carried out in collaboration with the Worcester Police Department, Juvenile Probation, Boys and Girls Club, Worcester Youth Center, and Worcester Community Action Council to understand and intervene in the cycle of youth and gang violence in the city.  She is co-project director on Compass project, funded by the Health Foundation of Central Mass., which aims to address youth and young adult homelessness in Worcester.  

Looking for Results? Think Like a Coach.

Energizing Conversations for Executive Directors

Wednesday, March 14, 8:30-10:30
Location: Kneller Athletic Center, Clark University
Campus map: http://www.clarku.edu/campusmap/index.cfm#top

Each session in the conversation series is limited to 12 executive directors. To register, email nsc@greaterworcester.org. There is no charge to attend any conversation series program but if we do not receive 24 hours notice of a cancelation, you will be billed $15.

Sports metaphors are used frequently in management. From building emotional investment to giving feedback, a sports perspective has much to offer nonprofit leaders. How does a coach create and support buy-in, carry out a new initiative, or sustain change with a team whose members have different skills, personalities, and backgrounds? Whether your challenges are with staff or board, fundraising or team building, you’ll benefit from this conversation with Clark University’s Sean Sullivan, Director of Athletics and Recreation.

Sean Sullivan oversees the 17 intercollegiate teams that Clark University sponsors in NCAA Division III as well as intramurals and wellness programs. He began his career as head coach of men’s soccer at his alma mater, the University of California-Santa Cruz, where he was named male coach of the year in 1996. Sean has held positions at University of California-San Francisco, Boston College, and York College. Now, in addition to overseeing Clark’s athletics program, he’s pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University.

Your Development Plan: Get Organized, Get Going

Wednesday, March 21, 9:30-12:30  
Audience: Staff and board with responsibility for fundraising
Fee and to register:  Program is presented in cooperation with TDC. Visit www.tdcorp.org/training for fee and registration information.                      

Discover step-by-step guidelines to assess and draft your annual development plan and optimize your fundraising, starting with a basic psychology for philanthropy, clear development goals, and techniques for achieving them. Assess whether you put the bulk of your energy into development activities that generate the most funds or if you put too many eggs in one fundraising basket. How do you measure impact and set benchmarks to evaluate your success? Attend this workshop…and get going!

Griet Dehandschutter is principal of an international fundraising consultancy based in Acton. She specializes in helping transatlantic nonprofits, museums and universities raise funds in the US as part of their global strategy. She then uses this international experience and knowledge to assist local nonprofits in the US. 

Crisis Communications

Tuesday, March 27, 8:30-10
Audience: Those who serve as organizational spokesperson
Fee and to register: There is no charge to attend this program but if we do not receive 24 hours notice of a cancelation, you will be billed $15.

It can seem like a CEO’s nightmare – members of the press calling about a rumor or crisis involving your organization. What should you do before you take the calls? What should you do after?  And how can you possibly prepare? Attend this session to hear from a pro about what makes for a good crisis communications plan and tips for getting through those calls with grace and goodwill.

Mark L. Shelton is the associate vice chancellor for communications at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Since 1995 he has been the medical school’s principal media relations and scientific communications contact, a role that has had him directing media relations in circumstances as varied as a nursing strike and a Nobel Prize announcement – in the same week. A professional journalist prior to his arrival in Worcester, he is the author of two books of nonfiction, Working in a Very Small Place: The Making of a Neurosurgeon and The Next Great Thing: The Sun, The Stirling Engine and the Drive to Change the World.

Energizing Conversations for Executive Directors:

What’s Life Like on the Other Side of the Table? Think Like a Funder.

Wednesday, April 11, 8:30-10:30

Each session in the conversation series is limited to 12 executive directors. To register, email nsc@greaterworcester.org. There is no charge to attend any conversation series program but if we do not receive 24 hours notice of a cancelation, you will be billed $15.

In the nonprofit world, many say they’d “like to sit on the other side of the table” – meaning that the opportunity to give away money would be a nice change from regularly having to ask for it. What is it like to be there? What’s on the minds of community based funders right now? What would you like to know from them or suggest to them?

Facilitators are Ann Lisi, President & CEO of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and Dr. Jan Yost, President of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.

The Chair-CEO Relationship: Setting Expectations, Getting Results   

Thursday, May 24, 9:30-12:30
Audience: Executive Directors and Board Chairs
Fee and to register:  Program is presented in cooperation with TDC. Visit www.tdcorp.org/training for fee and registration information.                    

A key partnership in any nonprofit is the effective relationship between executive director and board chair. When they’re in synch, meetings are productive, thoughtful discussions occur, and board and staff work together to advance the mission. When communication or other issues get in the way, conflict and organizational paralysis can result. This workshop will use a quick diagnostic to identify the source of the conflict (it’s not always just “personality differences”), and then provide techniques to help the board and executive director work more successfully.  Get your questions answered, discover useful techniques, and find strategies for addressing  challenges that are more common than you may think.

Susan Nicholl is immediate past chair of the MetroWest Nonprofit Network and a technical assistance provider for the Institute for Nonprofit Development. She specializes in governance issues.