New workshop series aims to strengthen non-profits

     Non-profits are a critical part of a community’s fabric, providing essential services that governments lack the capacity to deliver and building support for systemic change.

     Yet non-profits often carry out their work with limited resources, which can prevent them from having the impact they strive for.

     That is why the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque is launching the new Nonprofit Strength Builder workshop series in February 2019. Registration is now open for the six-session series, which is designed for non-profit professionals of all experience levels, as well as non-profit board members, to enhance their capacity to deliver on their organizations’ missions.

     “For 15 years, we have been committed to strengthening the non-profits working hard day in and day out to improve the quality of life for people in our region,” said Nancy Van Milligen, Community Foundation president and CEO. “One way we do this is by leading workshops to help professionals in the non-profit field develop their skills, and with the Strength Builder series, we’ve developed our most comprehensive and rigorous offerings to date.”

     All sessions will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Community Foundation’s McCarthy Center for Nonprofit Learning, 700 Locust St., Dubuque. Each workshop will focus on building leadership capacity in a different area of non-profit operations:

Leadership (Tuesday, Feb. 26)

     Participants will enhance supervision skills, including employee and volunteer onboarding and accountability, and strengthen change management capabilities.

Governance (Tuesday, March 19)

     This session will focus on bolstering the relationship between staff and board members to improve organizations health and learning strategies for maximizing board and staff effectiveness.

Vision and Strategic Planning (Tuesday, April 2)

     Through this workshop, participants will learn how to create and deliver on an actionable strategic plan and effectively communicate their organizations’ story.

Operations and Data (Tuesday, April 30)

     Leaders will learn best practices on managing daily operations, including data collection, reporting methodology, and prioritizing resources to achieve goals.

Finances and Budgeting (Tuesday, Mat 14)

     This workshop will focus on strengthening leaders’ fiscal know-how to ensure financial stability and compliance and effectively communicate their organizations’ financial story to board members and funders.

Revenue and Fundraising (Tuesday, June 4)

     Participants will learn how to cultivate partners, sponsors, friends and donors to help reach fundraising goals and strengthen their organizations’ presence in the community.

     Participants will learn from experts in the field. Among the leaders lending their time and expertise to the series is Dr. Beth Triplett, a Dubuque-based non-profit coach, consultant and founder of “Leadership Dots,” who has partners with the Community Foundation to develop the curriculum.

     Participants also will become part of a peer-learning cohort, an opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another throughout the series and serve as a network of advisers long after.

     “Ultimately, non-profits are about people, which means they are as strong and effective as the people running them,” Triplett said. “With new opportunities for non-profit leaders to network, shore ideas and learn best practices, we can better serve people and communities and have a lasting impact on our region.”

     Register for the Nonprofit Strength Builder workshop series at dbqfoundation.org/StrengthBuilder. If you have questions, contact Wendy Sweeney at wendy@dbqfoundation.org.

 

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