Picks of the Week: October 25 - 31, 2009

Website of the Week -- The Meyer Foundation

The Meyer Foundation supports capable, community-based organizations that foster the well-being of all people in the Capital Region with a focus on low-income people and creating healthy neighborhoods. The Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that serve the people and communities of Greater Washington. The Foundation supports visionary and talented nonprofit leaders, seeks to strengthen the management and infrastructure of nonprofits in the region and works to build partnerships to foster the nonprofit sector’s work. All nonprofits, regardless of geographic location will find a wealth of useful resources by clicking on “Resources for Nonprofits” link. Go to: http://www.meyerfoundation.org/resources.


Publication of the Week -- Mission-Based Management: Leading Your Not-for-Profit in the 21st Century by Peter C. Brinckerhoff

From the publisher: As a nonprofit manager, you have to be more effective and more efficient than ever to win funding and support to ensure your organization pursues its mission, meets community needs, and maintains its budget, while juggling the demands of funders, clientele, boards, staff, and community. Written by a nationally recognized expert who has trained thousands of nonprofit managers in hundreds of seminars on the best practices in nonprofit management, this Third Edition of Mission-Based Management provides comprehensive, hands-on guidance, addressing:

· The unique concerns of today's managers in nonprofit organizations
· A refreshed set of priorities for the mission-based manager
· Revised characteristics of a successful mission-based organization
· Updated predictions for the next ten years
· A new chapter on ethics, accountability, and transparency addressing organizational transparency, the effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, new technologies, technology planning, and disaster planning
· Updated discussion questions at the end of each chapter, allowing you to generate better conversations with your staff and board about which parts of the book most apply to your organization's unique needs

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week -- Business Valuing Employee Volunteer Programs

According to a new research study “Motivating Volunteering in Tough Times” from LBG Associates and LBG Research Institute, during these challenging economic times, companies are looking to employee volunteering to help enhance their images as good corporate citizens—-and in many cases, replace declining contributions. This growing importance of employee volunteering, combined with the accepted business case in support of it, makes getting these programs “right” a business imperative. But when it comes to motivating volunteering, what resonated with employees in 2007, or even last year, will not necessarily work today. The downturn has wrought serious changes in business, and it has taken a toll on employee trust and morale. Anxious, cynical, or depressed employees need much more support, reassurance, and information than they did in the past in order to feel comfortable participating in company sponsored volunteering efforts. And companies need more feedback from employees about what matters most to them when they volunteer. LBG's new research report is unique in that it includes both the voice of the employee volunteer manager AND the employee. By comparing research from both groups, this study provides a much-needed and robust view of today's volunteering landscape There is only one solution to this dilemma: better and more frequent communication. To download an executive summary of the study, go to: http://www.lbgresearch.org/8.php.


Resource of the Week -- Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds

Grant makers tend to be cautious about funding advocacy, and for good reason — yet advocacy can play a crucial role in advancing a foundation’s mission. In this Grantcraft guide, contributors explain that advocacy includes a lot of opportunities to improve public policy through work that is well within the limits of the law. Whether your purpose is to advance an idea, argue a position, or enrich the policy debate, the guide offers resources and strategies for planning your work, reaching your audience, assessing impact, and more. Go to: http://www.grantcraft.org.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Turning Photos into PowerPoint 2007 Slide Shows

To turn your digital pictures into PowerPoint 2007 slide shows:

· Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon
· In the Illustrations group, click Photo Album
· On the Photo Album dialog box, click the File/Disk button to Insert pictures
· Click the Create button