Nonprofit Seminar Series Begins Sept. 17
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SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Nonprofit executives and board leaders throughout the region are encouraged to participate in Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation’s annual “Seminars in Nonprofit Excellence” series, which provides training and professional development to leaders from nonprofits of all sizes in Berkshire County as well as Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County in New York and northwest Litchfield County in Connecticut.
This year’s series, which brings national experts to the region for exclusive appearances, aims to help nonprofits strengthen three of their most important resources: their donors, boards and staffs.
The series begins on September 17, and registration is now open through Berkshire Taconic’s website at www.berkshiretaconic.org/FallSeminars2014. Except where noted, the cost for each seminar is $40. New York State nonprofits receive a 50 percent discount made possible by a grant from the Dyson Foundation.
The series begins with a two-part workshop on Profitable Donor Commumnications.
Part 1, Basics & Best Practices, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and again from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Scoville Library in Salisbury, Conn. Profitable donor communications all have a dozen or so things in common. These secrets to success derive from many fields: marketing, psychology, eye-motion studies, journalism and, of course, fundraising's own vast body of knowledge.
In this session, you'll learn what the world's top communicators know about the subtle science of persuading people to give and stay loyal—and you'll learn to judge your own materials against these very same standards. This session equips you to return to your desk and ruthlessly (but profitably) assess the competence of your donors and prospect communications materials.
Part 2: Making Real Money, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Red Lion Inn and 2 to 5 p.m. at the Scoville Library. The routine of donor communications is simple enough. You ask for my help. You thank me for my help. And you report to me what you did with my help. That — and some extra helpings of flattery — is “all” there is to donor communications. Yet most charity communications are built to fail, not succeed.
In this session, you’ll analyze lucrative direct mail, thank-you tactics and newsletters, print and digital. You will also be introduced to many common mistakes worth avoiding. This session is about making as much money as possible from your donor communications.
The next workshop is "Cultural Proficiency in the Workplace: How Are We Doing and What's Next," to be held Thursday, Oct. 16, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the iBerkshire office on Allen Street in Pittsfield. It isn't news that cultural competence has become essential for today’s nonprofits. To meet the changing needs of the people they serve and remain competitive in the marketplace, nonprofits must learn the methods, practices and values that define cultural competency.
In this engaging, interactive workshop, you'll explore the five dimensions of cultural competence; conduct an assessment of your workplace; learn about local and national demographic trends; and gain tools to evaluate your efforts. Building cultural competency is a continuous journey that nonprofit leaders choose to take, because the end result is a more inclusive, connected and effective organization.
The final workshop is "Purposeful Boards, Powerful Fundraising: A Team Workshop." It’s never been more important for boards and staff to work together effectively to solicit financial support for your organization. Perfect for board-staff teams, this practical session addresses the complementary roles board members play in their organization’s governance and resource development. The session begins with a close look at board recruitment, structure, operations and culture. The second part of the session focuses on how to involve board members in effective fundraising and their role in supporting your bequest and planned giving program.
Topics covered in this day-long session will include:
· Trends impacting governance and fundraising in the nonprofit sector
· How successful fundraising is not about asking for money
· Periodic fundraising exercises you can do with your board
· How to get your board to articulate your organization’s value
· How every single willing board member can be a great fundraiser.
To maximize the benefit of this session, staff members should be accompanied by a minimum of two board members. It will be held Friday, Oct. 31, at the Red Lion Inn. The cost is $100/per group of four (one-two senior staff and two-three board members, limited to four per institution).
Through its Center for Nonprofit Excellence, Berkshire Taconic helps nonprofits in the region think strategically, govern effectively and operate efficiently. In addition to an annual fall seminar series, the center offers scholarships to top-flight academic institutions, intensive training for board and staff leaders, and access to an online national grants database and free use of three conference rooms. For more information, please visit www.berkshiretaconic.org/CNE.
