Monday, January 21, 2013

Picks of the Week: January 20 - 26, 2013

Website of the Week --  Association for Community Organization and Social Administration
ACOSA is a membership organization for community organizers, activists, nonprofit administrators, community builders, policy practitioners, students and educators. ACOSA will keep you informed of the latest innovations in community and administrative practice as well as provide you with a variety of opportunities for networking and professional advancement. ACOSA sponsors the Journal of Community Practice, the leading peer reviewed journal in this field. Academics and practitioners who are engaged in community practice are invited to submit articles for review and publication in the Journal. For more information, go to: http://www.acosa.org/joomla

Publication of the Week -- How to Make Your Board Dramatically More Effective, Starting Today by Gayle L. Gifford
From the publisher:  A high-performing, diligent board that takes its responsibilities seriously is the Holy Grail of nearly every nonprofit in the U.S. Such a board means more money raised, swifter policy decisions, steady governance, and less Advil for the CEO. But can you realistically get there from here? Can you put your average or good board on the road to greatness? Indeed you can, says Gayle Gifford, and you're closer than you think. Gifford's approach is as fresh as a morning-picked berry. She doesn't lecture, doesn't scold, doesn't harangue. Instead she challenges your board to transform itself by answering a series of probing questions. As your board answers (and sometimes debates) each one, they simultaneously take stock of the overall job they're doing - or not doing. All without delay or the help of an expensive board consultant!

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising
The newly released study UnderDeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising reveals that many nonprofits are stuck in a vicious cycle that threatens their ability to raise the resources they need to succeed. A joint project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the report found high levels of turnover and lengthy vacancies in development director positions throughout the sector. More significantly, the study reveals deeper issues that contribute to instability in the development director role, including a lack of basic fundraising systems and inadequate attention to fund development among key board and staff leaders. To download the report, go to: http://tinyurl.com/bzby9wy

Resource  of the Week – Equitable Development Toolkit
Equitable development is an approach to creating healthy, vibrant, communities of opportunity. Equitable outcomes come about when smart, intentional strategies are put in place to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color participate in and benefit from decisions that shape their neighborhoods and regions. This online toolkit  developed by PolicyLink includes 27 tools to reverse patterns of segregation and disinvestment, prevent displacement, and promote equitable revitalization. To view all tools or by issue area, go to: http://tinyurl.com/3vqok2b

Tech Tip of the Week -- Using Section Breaks in a Word 2007/2010 Document
Section breaks are used to:
·         Change the layout from a single-column to two columns
·         Change the orientation from portrait to landscape
·         Separate chapters/sections of a document to control page numbering
·         Create a different header or footer for a section of your document

To insert a section break:

·         Click where you want to insert a Section Break or select a portion of the document around which to insert a pair of section breaks
·         Click the Page Layout tab on the Ribbon
·         In the Page Setup group, click Breaks
·         Under Section Breaks, click the desired type

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