Upcoming Courses

Instructor: Amy Nisenson
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA (Room 105)
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $70.00
CEUs: .5
Date: March 12, 2020

This class will address the best practices around board succession planning. Board succession planning is essential to good governance because having the right board ensures high board engagement and performance, as well as successful leadership. This workshop will cover recruitment, nomination, and orientation of board members and practices around this. We will outline the roles of the board officers and committee chairs and how to train potential board members to take on these roles. We will also cover individual and board performance assessment to ensure accountability of board members and board leadership. Participants will walk away with samples, handouts and will also participate in hands-on and group work around these topics.
 
Learning Objectives:

• Gain a clear understanding of board responsibilities.
• Understand what is involved in board recruitment, nomination, and orientation.
• Documents necessary to have in place for successful board recruitment.
• Descriptions for board officers and committee chairs.
• Putting together a board member skills and interest survey.
• Develop a succession grid.
• Why is it important to have committees and what are some of the key committees to have?
• Why are term limits and important.
• How to write and implement a board development plan.
• How to remove a board member?
• No one wants to be the board chair—what do we do?
• What are examples of good governance policies?

**Amy Nisenson is a Certified Governance Trainer through Board Source. She is not a lawyer and materials covered in the class do not constitute legal advice

Instructor: Amy Nisenson & Trina Willard
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 105
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $210.00
CEUs: 1.5
Dates: May 14, May 21, June 4, 2020

WINNING THE GRANT WRITING GAME: A three-part series on writing, researching, evaluating, and reporting grants
(1 CEU in Fund Development/Communication and 0.5 CEU in Organizational Planning, Management, and Evaluation)
 
Grant writing has rules, just like chess or backgammon.  To be successful, you need to learn the rules.  You need to practice your “game,” becoming more expert with each successful proposal. The end result?  A winning strategy!
 
Participants will be asked to sign up for a three-part series of one-day classes that will cover all aspects of successful proposal writing, with a focus on local foundations, corporations, and government funding opportunities.  The classes will review the critical process of researching funders to match funding opportunities with your non-profit’s program and activities, as well as strategies for approaching funders.  In addition, classes will cover the essential elements of the proposal, including case and need statements, program design, evaluation, and the budget, with a particular emphasis on stewardship and reporting.  And because your organization has many different kinds of supporters – not merely foundations, corporations, and government funders – we’ll also look at techniques for writing successful solicitation letters, case statements, newsletters, and similar products.
 
Participants will learn about these topics.
 
 May 14:

• Funding trends
• Different types of grants and the grant process
• The parts of a proposal
• Research techniques

 May 21:

• Trends in corporate philanthropy
• Understanding how and why corporations give
• Understanding different types of corporate support
• How to search for corporate support
• Writing effective proposal elements
• Writing collaterals pieces:  case statements, annual reports, interim reports, and more.

June 4:

• Creating an evaluation plan
• Understanding why and how to measure outcomes
• Creating your final report

Instructor: Leon Seeman
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 105
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $70.00
CEUs: .5
Date: April 28, 2020

Without sound financial Management, a non-profit will not be able to effectively serve its community.  Yet most non-profit leaders have little or no formal training in this area, creating a constant source of stress and crises.

This class is designed for nonprofit managers and board members who want to strengthen their financial management skills.  We will break down the key components of nonprofit finance and teach practical steps to improve your organizations approach to financial management.

Learning Objectives:

• Break down organizational goals into an effective budget
• Best practices in nonprofit budgeting
• Be familiar with standard financial reports and how to read them
• Designing reports that facilitate good decisions

Instructor: Mary Jo Burchard
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 105
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $70.00
CEUs: .5
Date:February 20, 2020

The deepest underlying human need is to belong. In nonprofits, this means helping people know their contribution to the mission AND feel their place on the team, part of the family. This immersive training introduces Belonging as the missing piece to  sustainable inclusion & diversity, effective engagement, and increased innovation. Integrated with activities to awaken participants’ awareness of shared stories and personal belonging, the training explores the real ROI of Belonging. Training culminates with a guided process to help participants assess where “belonging gaps” exist in 5 dimensions within their own organizations, and develop a gap-closing action plan.

Learning Objectives:

• To understand the fundamental meaning of belonging and its significance in a healthy work environment
• To recognize the role belonging plays in effective Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts
• To understand the ROI of belonging in the workplace
• To assess belonging strengths and gaps in your organization in 5 key dimensions
• To identify fitting action(s) to begin to close “belonging gaps” in your organization

Instructor: Meico Whitlock
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 105
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $70.00
CEUs: .5
Date: April 9, 2020

As nonprofit professionals, we work day in and day out to transform society so that everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us, has an opportunity to thrive. But how do we remain grounded and fully present and available for our colleagues, clients, organizations, and families amid the stressors of our personal and professional lives? What to know the answer? Join this interactive course on being a mindful leader. Through hands-on experiences and small group discussions, we will explore evidence based techniques to help us slowdown in today’s busy world, reflect on our highest intention for serving, and practice being a mindful listener and communicator. There will be no case studies or complicated research to unpack. You are invited to bring an open mind and heart to this experiential learning and skills-based course, which will include exercises that encourage you to assess what drives you and to confront daunting concepts like legacy and mortality. Come prepared to pause, reflect, share, and practice being a more mindful leader and leave with practical insights that can be implemented the right way.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand a framework for being a more mindful and intentional leader
• Identify your personal challenges with being a mindful leader and social change agent and possible solutions for addressing these challenges
• Learn how to be a mindful listener and communicator
• Commit to taking at least one substantive, concrete action step to be a more mindful leader and social change agent after leaving the course

Instructor: Liz Scott
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 105
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $95.00
CEUs: .5
Date: March 24 & 25, 2020

This two-day capacity building training provides an in-depth look into the elements that lead to enhanced organizational effectiveness. The purpose of the training is to develop participants’ ability to enhance their organization’s efforts and achieve greater impact. Capacity building (or capacity development) is the process by which individuals and organizations obtain, improve, and retain the skills, knowledge, tools, equipment, and other resources needed to be more effective. The training focuses on elements of capacity such as board development, internal infrastructure, fundraising, evaluation and leadership development. The interactive, hands-on training provides information, tools and resources enabling organizations to a) assess the key elements of capacity building, b) identify which aspects of capacity need to be addressed, c) develop strategies to address specific elements and d) create plans to build capacity.  The training also provides ample opportunity for networking and sharing ideas and experiences among participants.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe why building capacity is important to achieving and sustaining long- term community-level changes
• Assess the key elements of their capacity building including board governance, leadership, and infrastructure
• Identify which aspects of capacity need to be addressed by their organization
• Develop strategies to address specific elements
• Create action plans to assess and build capacity

Instructor: Kim Painter
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 101
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $70.00
CEUs: .5
Date: February 5, 2020

In this beginner QuickBooks class you will learn the basics:

• Learn everything you need to know about running QuickBooks in a small to mid-sized business
• Discover how to set up a chart of accounts, reconcile your checking account, and create estimates
• Learn to create and print invoices, receipts and statements
• Understand how to track payables, inventory, and receivables
• Gain the knowledge you need to generate reports
• Create a new company file
• Establish preferences and defaults
• Set up a chart of accounts
• Set up vendors and customers/jobs
• Identify different payroll options
• Tracking data
• Creating invoices
• Reconciling accounts
• Learn to manage multiple company files, export and import list data from one file to another, and make journal entries
• Find out how to enter price levels and track discounts and credits
• Learn how to track mileage on vehicles you use in your business
• Understand how to create customer statements, assess finance charges on overdue balances, create multiple invoices, and write off past due balances
• Learn how to enter common owner transactions
• Understand how to track loans and use the budgeting feature
• Learn how to prepare for the payroll process with the IRS
• Review all aspects of how to set up and maintain payroll information for your employees in QuickBooks
• Learn how to track work and vacation time and produce job costing reports
• Understand how to generate W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms
• Learn to create paychecks

Instructor: Dionne Clemons
Location: ZOOM, ONLINE
Time: 9:30 to 12:00pm
Cost: FREE
CEUs: 0
Date:January 21, 2020

With Give Local 757 approaching, it is essential for area nonprofits to learn how to maximize online giving through best practices in the days and hours leading up to the giving day and establish a solid social media presence before give day.  Join Dionne Clemons, founder of Clemons Consulting to learn how to use the giving day momentum to catapult gifts received through effective online communications.

This session will dive into the minute details of how to streamline your messaging while using three main popular mediums, including: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with a focus on blogging as the hub of your organization’s online presence . 

The session will include tips on:

• The kinds of images and/or short videos to include in your posts in order to engage your audience
• How to supply the right amount of information (in terms of frequency and length of posts) without overwhelming followers
• The most effective way to use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in conjunction with one another
• How to create social media ambassadors and encourage people to share your messages for you

The session will also provide tips on how to effectively utilize staff, volunteer and board support for social media in general and leading up to and during the giving day.  Participants will be given the opportunity to work in groups and will walk away with a completed planning worksheet to best prepare them for the 24-hour giving day in May.

Instructor: Dionne Clemons
Location: ZOOM, ONLINE
Time: 12:00 to 3:30pm
Cost: FREE
CEUs: 0
Date: January 21, 2020

With Give Local 757 approaching, it is essential for area nonprofits to learn how to maximize online giving through best practices in the days and hours leading up to the giving day and establish a solid social media presence before give day.  Join Dionne Clemons, founder of Clemons Consulting to learn how to use the giving day momentum to catapult gifts received through effective online communications.

This session will dive into the minute details of how to streamline your messaging while using three main popular mediums, including: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with a focus on blogging as the hub of your organization’s online presence. 

The session will include tips on:

• The kinds of images and/or short videos to include in your posts in order to engage your audience
• How to supply the right amount of information (in terms of frequency and length of posts) without overwhelming followers
• The most effective way to use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in conjunction with one another
• How to create social media ambassadors and encourage people to share your messages for you
• The session will also provide tips on how to effectively utilize staff, volunteer and board support for social media in general and leading up to and during the giving day.  Participants will be given the opportunity to work in groups and will walk away with a completed planning worksheet to best prepare them for the 24-hour giving day in May.

Instructor: Amanda Lloyd
Location: 7000 College Drive, Suffolk, VA, Room 101
Time: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $25
Date: May 5, 2020

This short 3-hour workshop will provide the resources and information you need to get started.
  
What’s Covered:

• What to consider before you begin
• What are the required forms
• Fundraising Basics
• Operating and Governance Guidelines

 What’s Included:

• Presentation guide to the required paperwork 
• Relevant online links & resources
• Networking with others with similar passions and ideas

 What’s NOT Covered:

• This is not a complete step-by-step filling out each piece of IRS paperwork, as it may require legal tax advice