Website of the Week – Leadership Learning Community
The Leadership Learning Community (LLC) is a national nonprofit organization transforming the way leadership development work is conceived, conducted and evaluated, primarily within the nonprofit sector. The LLC focuses on leveraging leadership as a means to create a more just and equitable society. The LLC combines its expertise in identifying, evaluating and applying cutting-edge ideas and promising practices in the leadership development field, with access to an engaged national network of hundreds of experienced funders, consultants and leadership development programs, to drive the innovation and collaboration needed to make leadership more effective. The Leadership Learning Community also offers consulting services to help programs and foundations optimize their leadership investment strategy. For more information, go to: http://leadershiplearning.org/about.
Publication of the Week -- Leading with Care: How Women Around the World are Inspiring Businesses, Empowering Communities, and Creating Opportunity by Mary Cantando
From the publisher: In partnership with international relief agency CARE, an inspiring look at how women around the world are developing businesses and creating opportunity. In this ground-breaking business book, management expert Mary Cantando examines the stories of women in the developing world who, with help from the non-profit organization CARE, have capitalized on personal and professional opportunities, contributed to their communities, influenced their physical environment, and overcome discrimination on the road to establishing self-sufficiency and building strong lives and strong businesses Structured around these five principles CARE's mission statement, Leading with Care expertly bridges inspiring stories of human endeavor with straight-up business lessons that all of us can apply to our work and organizations. Featuring interviews with top female executives at American companies who devote their own time and resources to CARE, we see just how much we can learn when it comes to growth, opportunity, and community. Each section ends with a discussion and specific questions that will help you integrate the lessons in your own life. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Girls More Likely to Support Charities Using Social Media
According to a new study, four out of five teens (80 percent) use social media, almost half (44 percent) say they’ve become more aware of the needs of others as a result of their use of social media like Facebook and Twitter and about one in three (34 percent) “friend”, “like” or “follow” charitable organizations or causes they believe in. The survey commissioned by World Vision, an international relief and development group also reveals that girls are more likely than boys to say they’ve become more aware of the needs of others as a result of their use of social media (51 percent vs. 38 percent) The study was conducted online in January by Harris Interactive among more than 500 youth ages 13 to 17 years old. Girls are more likely than boys to “friend”, “like” or “follow” charities they support and causes they believe in (41 percent vs. 27 percent). girls more likely to support charities symbolically (43 percent vs. 31 percent) and vocally (38 percent vs. 27 percent). For more information, go to: http://www.worldvision.org.
Resource of the Week – Sample Surveys
Survey Monkey, the online survey tool, publishes a blog. The firm has compiled a number of sample surveys that can be adapted to meet your needs. Go to: http://blog.surveymonkey.com/tag/example-survey.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Clear Recent Documents List in Word 2010
• Click the File tab on the Ribbon
• Click Options in the left pane
• Click Advanced
• Scroll down to the Display section
• Change “Show this number of Recent Documents” to 0
If you want to turn the feature back on at any time, go back to this menu and choose a new number of files to display.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Picks of the Week: February 20 - 26, 2011
Website of the Week – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Go to: http://www.gatesfoundation.org.
Publication of the Week -- The Nonprofit Development Companion: A Workbook for Fundraising Success by Brydon M. DeWitt
From the publisher: A comprehensive workbook covering all aspects of successful nonprofit development. One of the most significant factors in the success of any marketing and fundraising program is the ability and willingness of the organization to take the time to develop an integrated development plan with realistic budgets, timelines, and areas of responsibility. The Nonprofit Development Companion examines all aspects of successful development and includes useable templates and examples that can be adapted for application within any nonprofit organization.
• Covers a specific element in each chapter, including mission, strategic planning, case for support, marketing/communications, use of volunteers, fundraising program, recordkeeping system, CEO, governing board, and development staffing
• Includes templates and samples to provide specific examples to use right away
• Offers a new approach to nonprofit fundraising and marketing
Based on sound development principles, this book gives you the step-by-step guidance you need to build and run a successful development program. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Online Giving Grows 35 Percent in 2010
Blackbaud, Inc. has announced the release of its 2010 Online Giving Report, which provides the most comprehensive review of online giving trends currently available in the nonprofit sector. Key findings include:
• Nonprofits of all sizes continue to see growth in online giving. Year-over-year online fundraising grew 34.5% in 2010.
• Online giving accounts for 7.6% of all total fundraising. Large organizations went from raising the lowest percentage of total fundraising online at 5.1% in 2009 to the highest percentage at 7.7% in 2010.
• Haiti-related online giving shaped 2010 giving trends. January 2010 had the largest percentage of online giving for the entire year. This change can almost single handedly be attributed to giving to Haiti relief efforts. International Affairs organizations had their online giving grow 130.8% compared to 2009.
• Year-end giving still accounts for the largest percentage of online donations. October, November, and December of 2010 represented 31.3% of total online giving during the year.
• Donors continue to make significant gifts online. In 2010, 88% of organizations had at least one online gift of $1,000 or more.
The Report is also the first of its kind to provide directions on how organizations can benchmark themselves against the Report data and guidance on how to improve performance based on benchmark results. To download the 2010 Online Giving Report, go to: http://www.blackbaud.com.
Resource of the Week – Free Online Advocacy Tools
The Aspen Institute's Advocacy Planning and Evaluation Program offers advocates with a series of three free online tools: The Advocacy Progress Planner, Domestic Advocacy, and Global Advocacy. CPSS tools enable advocates to:
• Plan better: make realistic predictions about feasible accomplishments
• Evaluate better: record information to make improvements along the way
• Communicate better: craft messages that create lasting, active engagement
Continuous Progress Advocacy Progress Planner is an online "logic model" for advocates who want to start thinking about planning and evaluation. It's designed to provide an at-a-glance look at the ingredients of advocacy efforts. It can guide you to clarify the elements of your own campaign: goals and impacts; audience; what you bring to your campaign; the activities and tactics you're planning for; and benchmarks along the way to your goals. The Continuous Progress Advocacy Tools provide a step-by-step roadmap for planning advocacy efforts and conducting evaluations before, during and after a campaign. Continuous Progress offers both domestic and global issues advocacy tools. To access the tools, go to: http://www.aspeninstitute.org.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Animation in PowerPoint 2010
Creating animation in PowerPoint is much improved with the 2010 update. TechRepublic's article Five Tips For Creating Animations in PowerPoint 2010 will help you learn how. Check it out.
• Use ready-made animations
• Set triggers
• Use the Animation Painter
• Let the timeline help you out
• See it all in the Animation Pane
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Go to: http://www.gatesfoundation.org.
Publication of the Week -- The Nonprofit Development Companion: A Workbook for Fundraising Success by Brydon M. DeWitt
From the publisher: A comprehensive workbook covering all aspects of successful nonprofit development. One of the most significant factors in the success of any marketing and fundraising program is the ability and willingness of the organization to take the time to develop an integrated development plan with realistic budgets, timelines, and areas of responsibility. The Nonprofit Development Companion examines all aspects of successful development and includes useable templates and examples that can be adapted for application within any nonprofit organization.
• Covers a specific element in each chapter, including mission, strategic planning, case for support, marketing/communications, use of volunteers, fundraising program, recordkeeping system, CEO, governing board, and development staffing
• Includes templates and samples to provide specific examples to use right away
• Offers a new approach to nonprofit fundraising and marketing
Based on sound development principles, this book gives you the step-by-step guidance you need to build and run a successful development program. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Online Giving Grows 35 Percent in 2010
Blackbaud, Inc. has announced the release of its 2010 Online Giving Report, which provides the most comprehensive review of online giving trends currently available in the nonprofit sector. Key findings include:
• Nonprofits of all sizes continue to see growth in online giving. Year-over-year online fundraising grew 34.5% in 2010.
• Online giving accounts for 7.6% of all total fundraising. Large organizations went from raising the lowest percentage of total fundraising online at 5.1% in 2009 to the highest percentage at 7.7% in 2010.
• Haiti-related online giving shaped 2010 giving trends. January 2010 had the largest percentage of online giving for the entire year. This change can almost single handedly be attributed to giving to Haiti relief efforts. International Affairs organizations had their online giving grow 130.8% compared to 2009.
• Year-end giving still accounts for the largest percentage of online donations. October, November, and December of 2010 represented 31.3% of total online giving during the year.
• Donors continue to make significant gifts online. In 2010, 88% of organizations had at least one online gift of $1,000 or more.
The Report is also the first of its kind to provide directions on how organizations can benchmark themselves against the Report data and guidance on how to improve performance based on benchmark results. To download the 2010 Online Giving Report, go to: http://www.blackbaud.com.
Resource of the Week – Free Online Advocacy Tools
The Aspen Institute's Advocacy Planning and Evaluation Program offers advocates with a series of three free online tools: The Advocacy Progress Planner, Domestic Advocacy, and Global Advocacy. CPSS tools enable advocates to:
• Plan better: make realistic predictions about feasible accomplishments
• Evaluate better: record information to make improvements along the way
• Communicate better: craft messages that create lasting, active engagement
Continuous Progress Advocacy Progress Planner is an online "logic model" for advocates who want to start thinking about planning and evaluation. It's designed to provide an at-a-glance look at the ingredients of advocacy efforts. It can guide you to clarify the elements of your own campaign: goals and impacts; audience; what you bring to your campaign; the activities and tactics you're planning for; and benchmarks along the way to your goals. The Continuous Progress Advocacy Tools provide a step-by-step roadmap for planning advocacy efforts and conducting evaluations before, during and after a campaign. Continuous Progress offers both domestic and global issues advocacy tools. To access the tools, go to: http://www.aspeninstitute.org.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Animation in PowerPoint 2010
Creating animation in PowerPoint is much improved with the 2010 update. TechRepublic's article Five Tips For Creating Animations in PowerPoint 2010 will help you learn how. Check it out.
• Use ready-made animations
• Set triggers
• Use the Animation Painter
• Let the timeline help you out
• See it all in the Animation Pane
Monday, February 14, 2011
Picks of the Week: February 13 - 19, 2011
Website of the Week – Learning for Social Impact
The Learning for Social Impact site, part of McKinsey & Company's Social Sector Office. has been developed to help funders, their grantees, and other essential partners achieve social change by offering best practices, guidelines, tools, insights, and practical help in developing assessment plans that drive social impact. A resource of special note is an interactive workbook to help you create an assessment plan for your portfolio of programs. Go to: http://lsi.mckinsey.com.
Publication of the Week -- The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search by Wayne Breitbarth
From the publisher: This simple, user-friendly guide explains how you can access the full power of LinkedIn--including advice on making lasting business connections, building a unique personal brand, and generating significant business opportunities. Breitbarth demonstrates how you can take advantage of all the features of this professional networking platform. He shows you how to create a compelling profile, use keywords to improve your ability to find and be found by others, build a solid base of connections, solicit valuable recommendations, and much more. His 6-week, 2-hour-per-week startup plan and weekly maintenance plan will motivate you to make the most of your time on LinkedIn. Wayne Breitbarth's pragmatic teaching style and engaging sense of humor are on display throughout The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success, and he shares many specific examples, stories, and illustrations that are the direct result of thirty years experience in business consulting and business ownership. Whether you are an entry-level professional, a CEO, or anywhere in between, you can benefit from this practical introduction to a powerful networking tool. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Arts Funding in the Current Economy
Foundation funding for arts and culture grew at a rate roughly consistent with overall foundation giving in 2008, according to a special report prepared by the Foundation Center for Grantmakers in the Arts. Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture: A One-year Snapshot estimates that arts funding did not suffer disproportionately large losses in 2009. The report also identifies top funders and includes analyses by subject, types of support, and grant size. To download a copy of the report, go to: http://foundationcenter.org.
Resource of the Week – The Role of the Board of Directors in Grantseeking
Because the board of directors is often less engaged in grantseeking than in other fundraising efforts, involving the board in developing a grant strategy can be a challenge for nonprofit organizations. This five-part Tracks to Success series from Grant Station, a free flowing conversation between two experienced board leaders, is intended to shed light on the role of the board of directors in identifying and securing grant funding. To read Part One of the series: "Board Myths... and Misconceptions" go to: http://www.grantstation.com.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Quick Navigation in Excel
• To quickly move to the left, right, top, or bottom cell in a range of data, position the cursor at the beginning of the range and press: Ctrl + a cursor arrow
• To select a range of data, position the cursor at the beginning of the range and press: Shift + Ctrl + a cursor arrow
The Learning for Social Impact site, part of McKinsey & Company's Social Sector Office. has been developed to help funders, their grantees, and other essential partners achieve social change by offering best practices, guidelines, tools, insights, and practical help in developing assessment plans that drive social impact. A resource of special note is an interactive workbook to help you create an assessment plan for your portfolio of programs. Go to: http://lsi.mckinsey.com.
Publication of the Week -- The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search by Wayne Breitbarth
From the publisher: This simple, user-friendly guide explains how you can access the full power of LinkedIn--including advice on making lasting business connections, building a unique personal brand, and generating significant business opportunities. Breitbarth demonstrates how you can take advantage of all the features of this professional networking platform. He shows you how to create a compelling profile, use keywords to improve your ability to find and be found by others, build a solid base of connections, solicit valuable recommendations, and much more. His 6-week, 2-hour-per-week startup plan and weekly maintenance plan will motivate you to make the most of your time on LinkedIn. Wayne Breitbarth's pragmatic teaching style and engaging sense of humor are on display throughout The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success, and he shares many specific examples, stories, and illustrations that are the direct result of thirty years experience in business consulting and business ownership. Whether you are an entry-level professional, a CEO, or anywhere in between, you can benefit from this practical introduction to a powerful networking tool. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Arts Funding in the Current Economy
Foundation funding for arts and culture grew at a rate roughly consistent with overall foundation giving in 2008, according to a special report prepared by the Foundation Center for Grantmakers in the Arts. Foundation Grants to Arts and Culture: A One-year Snapshot estimates that arts funding did not suffer disproportionately large losses in 2009. The report also identifies top funders and includes analyses by subject, types of support, and grant size. To download a copy of the report, go to: http://foundationcenter.org.
Resource of the Week – The Role of the Board of Directors in Grantseeking
Because the board of directors is often less engaged in grantseeking than in other fundraising efforts, involving the board in developing a grant strategy can be a challenge for nonprofit organizations. This five-part Tracks to Success series from Grant Station, a free flowing conversation between two experienced board leaders, is intended to shed light on the role of the board of directors in identifying and securing grant funding. To read Part One of the series: "Board Myths... and Misconceptions" go to: http://www.grantstation.com.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Quick Navigation in Excel
• To quickly move to the left, right, top, or bottom cell in a range of data, position the cursor at the beginning of the range and press: Ctrl + a cursor arrow
• To select a range of data, position the cursor at the beginning of the range and press: Shift + Ctrl + a cursor arrow
Monday, February 7, 2011
Picks of the Week: February 5-12, 2011
Website of the Week – Council on Accreditation (COA)
COA is an international, independent, not-for-profit, child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization. It was founded in 1977 by the Child Welfare League of America and Family Service America (now the Alliance for Children and Families). Originally known as an accrediting body for family and children's agencies, COA currently accredits over 45 different service areas. The website contains a Tools Index, a one-stop resource for private organizations and public agencies which contains a wide variety of trainings, webinars, tip sheets, document templates, self-paced trainings, checklists and other tools. The tools contained in the index are designed to help nonprofits better understand the COA standards and successfully navigate the accreditation process. The tools index and other resources will be useful to organizations that are not pursuing COA accreditation as well. Go to: http://www.coastandards.org/tools.php.
Publication of the Week -- Hands-On Social Marketing by Nedra Kline Weinreich
From the publisher: This book shows students and practitioners how to develop social marketing programs through a simple, six-step process of strategic planning and design. Nedra Kline Weinreich starts by introducing the concept of social marketing and then walks the reader through each of the six steps of the process: analysis, strategy development, program and communication design, pretesting, implementation, and evaluation and feedback. The Second Edition incorporates developments in marketing practice over the last 10 years and focuses on how to apply the design approach to campaigns to effect behavior change. All organizations can do social marketing, Weinreich insists, if they follow the steps and start to think from a social marketing perspective. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Trends Impacting Nonprofits in 2011
onPhilanthropy.com, a global resource for non-profit, philanthropy and corporate social engagement professionals, has compiled a summary of trend analyses written by Patrick M. Rooney, Executive Director The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Philip Coltoff, former Executive Director and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society, Matthew Bishop, author Philanthrocapitalism, and Susan U. Raymond, Ph.D. Executive Vice President, Changing Our World, Inc. and Chief Analyst, onPhilanthropy. To access the trend summary, go to: http://onphilanthropy.com/2011.
Resource of the Week – Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool
The Marguerite Casey Foundation Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool is a self-assessment instrument that helps nonprofits identify capacity strengths and challenges and establish capacity building goals. It is primarily a diagnostic and learning tool. Results from the Assessment can also help grantmakers deepen their understanding of the current capacity of their grantees as well as track their growth in capacity over time. Go to: http://www.caseygrants.org.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Help Learning Office 2010
Here are some more resources to help you switch from Office 2003 to the new Office 2010.
How to Find Office 2003 Commands in Office 2010 This is a "how to" article from www.howtogeek.com.
If you scroll to the bottom of this article you will find the following links to free information from Microsoft:
Office 2010 interactive guide
Download Office 2010 reference workbooks
COA is an international, independent, not-for-profit, child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare accrediting organization. It was founded in 1977 by the Child Welfare League of America and Family Service America (now the Alliance for Children and Families). Originally known as an accrediting body for family and children's agencies, COA currently accredits over 45 different service areas. The website contains a Tools Index, a one-stop resource for private organizations and public agencies which contains a wide variety of trainings, webinars, tip sheets, document templates, self-paced trainings, checklists and other tools. The tools contained in the index are designed to help nonprofits better understand the COA standards and successfully navigate the accreditation process. The tools index and other resources will be useful to organizations that are not pursuing COA accreditation as well. Go to: http://www.coastandards.org/tools.php.
Publication of the Week -- Hands-On Social Marketing by Nedra Kline Weinreich
From the publisher: This book shows students and practitioners how to develop social marketing programs through a simple, six-step process of strategic planning and design. Nedra Kline Weinreich starts by introducing the concept of social marketing and then walks the reader through each of the six steps of the process: analysis, strategy development, program and communication design, pretesting, implementation, and evaluation and feedback. The Second Edition incorporates developments in marketing practice over the last 10 years and focuses on how to apply the design approach to campaigns to effect behavior change. All organizations can do social marketing, Weinreich insists, if they follow the steps and start to think from a social marketing perspective. Click to preview this book on Amazon.com.
Trend of the Week – Trends Impacting Nonprofits in 2011
onPhilanthropy.com, a global resource for non-profit, philanthropy and corporate social engagement professionals, has compiled a summary of trend analyses written by Patrick M. Rooney, Executive Director The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, Philip Coltoff, former Executive Director and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society, Matthew Bishop, author Philanthrocapitalism, and Susan U. Raymond, Ph.D. Executive Vice President, Changing Our World, Inc. and Chief Analyst, onPhilanthropy. To access the trend summary, go to: http://onphilanthropy.com/2011.
Resource of the Week – Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool
The Marguerite Casey Foundation Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool is a self-assessment instrument that helps nonprofits identify capacity strengths and challenges and establish capacity building goals. It is primarily a diagnostic and learning tool. Results from the Assessment can also help grantmakers deepen their understanding of the current capacity of their grantees as well as track their growth in capacity over time. Go to: http://www.caseygrants.org.
Tech Tip of the Week -- Help Learning Office 2010
Here are some more resources to help you switch from Office 2003 to the new Office 2010.
How to Find Office 2003 Commands in Office 2010 This is a "how to" article from www.howtogeek.com.
If you scroll to the bottom of this article you will find the following links to free information from Microsoft:
Office 2010 interactive guide
Download Office 2010 reference workbooks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
