A growing trend among nonprofits is to open retail stores and other "for profit" ventures as a way of driving revenue to support their mission. Using case studies of those who have done so successful (and not-so-successfully), this program will examine:

• When such activities should be operated through the nonprofit versus a for-profit subsidiary
• The fiduciary duties of using nonprofit resources to develop a for-profit activity versus the funding of service delivery
• The governance and operational challenges of a nonprofit board and staff operating a for-profit business line
• Dealing with unrelated business income taxes and understanding the legal limits of how much unrelated business income can be generated without jeopardizing the organization’s tax exempt status

This workshop introduces participants to scenario planning as a helpful tool for:

• Understanding the broader and complex ecosystem in which each nonprofit organization operates
• Imagining plausible future worlds in which they will be challenged to find success
• Developing and implementing effective long-term strategies.

The presentation covers basic steps and questions that typically guide scenario planning processes and opens eyes and minds to the power of scenarios to heighten the impact of strategic planning exercises and to sharpen the ability to tell a compelling organizational story. Thoughtful consideration of the pressures, forces and events (collectively, the “drivers”) facing an organization enables identification of the critical uncertainties and their implications that will likely shape an organization’s future. Through an engaging and participatory process, this workshop will enable participants to begin practicing the art of scenario planning.

With a focused brand strategy, nonprofits have an opportunity to connect with their mission, build strong relationships with key stakeholders and highlight their U.S.P. (unique selling proposition) for donors, sponsors and partners. Many nonprofits today say they have a need for “better branding” – but they are unsure what perceptions or misperceptions exist in the minds of their target audiences. Good branding is based on solid research, and therefore a key question to answer is:  are you known for what you want to stand for? This workshop will explore:

• The 4 steps to building a reputation
• Options for conducting “known for/stands for” research on a shoestring budget
• Techniques for defining and communicating your brand once you have established your U.S.P. and core messages

In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an Accounting Standards Update that affects nonprofit organizations for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. 

The changes are meant to help nonprofits tell their story more transparently through their financial statements. While the changes are comprehensive, the areas most significantly affected are:

• Classification of net assets
• Presentation of expenses
• Reporting of liquidity and availability of resources

The time has come for all nonprofits to implement the new reporting standard. Join our presenters from BerryDunn to review how these changes, along with the new revenue recognition requirements, will impact your nonprofit’s financial statements. Take a dive deeper into topics such as:

• Determining if your grants and contributions are within the scope of the new revenue recognition standard and whether they should be accounted for as contributions or exchange revenue
• Exploring how the new liquidity and cash management disclosures will impact your financial statements

The #MeToo Movement has pushed sexual harassment back into the forefront and recent court decisions have clarified the obligation to prevent and effectively respond to reports of harassment. Organizations, including nonprofits, that fail to respond to the changing landscape risk distraction from their mission, loss of reputation and/or financial support and a significant damage award. This workshop will lay the groundwork for an effective response to reports related to employees and will address the issues associated with responding to the conduct of board members and/or volunteers who are not under the employee umbrella.

This workshop will bring organizational leadership up to speed on the current law, help them identify risk within their current practices and procedures and provide examples of practical steps they can take to minimize risk.  For example, attendees will be able to compare their current training and reporting mechanisms with those that were the subject of recent court cases. Attendees will also gain a better understanding of how to effectively respond to reports of harassment in the current context.

A strong board can be the greatest asset a nonprofit has when it comes to raising gifts, but most board members are reticent when it comes to raising funds. This session will help staff and volunteers understand how to give boards the tools they need, inspire them to want to be a part of raising money for your cause, and even get them excited about getting out there and building philanthropic support for your mission.  You will come away from this session with a host of ways to assure your board members that they are the best ones to be out there engaging your potential donors.

A positive organizational culture is critical not only for employee productivity, but also for employee recruitment and retention as well as customer/client satisfaction, development, advocacy, and more. If your culture suffers, employees suffer. When employees suffer, business suffers. Communication is the blood running through the veins of your organization, keeping it healthy and productive. This workshop will explore:

• Methods for researching how communication flows in your organization and where the roadblocks are
• How to improve communication flow and identify priority problem areas and 
• Techniques for teaching communication skills to leaders to make them as effective as possible.  

We know that having the right individuals on the Board is essential to the viability and sustainability of a nonprofit organization. Yet, in the study conducted by Boardsource; Leading with Intent 2015: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices, we learned that only 73% of chief executives believe that they have the right Board members to effectively govern their organization. The Leading with Intent 2017 study indicates that 52% of Board Chairs report that it is difficult to recruit new Board members.  

In this session we will take a systems approach look at the full circle of a nonprofit Board member life cycle.  Together, we will explore best practices for determining strategically who and what is missing from your Board “table”, cultivating and recruiting new Board members, orienting, engaging, and developing those new Board members, and transition or exit planning as terms of service end.

This interactive workshop is ideal for Governance Committee members, Board Chairs, and Executives.  Bring a team to the conversation and leave with an action plan for strengthening your practices and building a Board of the right individuals for your organization.

Technology is exponentially expanding and is becoming more integrated in our organizations and our individual lives with each passing day. While this expansion brings advantages and efficiencies, it also opens us up to many kinds of threats to our privacy and security. This seminar will provide an understanding of the various ways these threats and security breaches can occur, the associated risks, and a method for systematically mitigating those risks for your organization and in your own personal life, as well.

The goal of this workshop is to both educate and equip organizations and individuals with knowledge and tools needed to recognize areas of vulnerability and mitigate risk. Attendees will be able to take preventative steps to securing personal information, and receive a method for systematically reducing risk for their organization.

In today’s workplace, where time is a precious commodity, managers and leaders often believe they don’t have the time to help employees navigate conflict. More often than not, however, it takes more time not to address conflict than to constructively intervene. But before managers can successfully guide others in managing disagreements, they must be able to manage their own mindset and behaviors through centered presence, clarity of purpose, and skilled communication.   

This workshop presents a coaching intervention process to use with employees in conflict—a guide for managers, HR professionals, and leaders to coach conflicting employees back to a professional, effective working relationship, while simultaneously changing their lives for the better.   

Attendees will walk away with skills and practices to reinforce their ability to:

• Be calm and centered in conflict situations. 
• Manage their own emotions and those of others in order to help employees resolve conflict. 
• Know how to work with conflicting parties individually and when and how to bring them together. 
• Sense when employees are willing and able to move forward from the conflict

An organizational assessment provides your nonprofit with the framework and data to think thoughtfully about the organization’s current state, its trajectory, and its long-term stability. If done correctly, the assessment can help prioritize strategies and practices that your nonprofit may want to put in to place to further its effectiveness. 

This workshop will explore how to obtain valid information about the performance of their organization and its leadership.  We will discuss various tools, ways in which data is collected/utilized, and answer these questions:

• Who leads the charge for an Organizational Assessment?
• What is the role of the Executive Director and the Board in an Assessment? 
• What opportunities and challenges present themselves when conducting an Assessment?
• Who sees the results, how do you share the information, and most importantly what do you do with information?   

We will also discuss accountability and how information gathered can impact individual and organizational performance standards and what this means for your nonprofit.