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

Picks of the Week: January 13 - 19, 2013

Website of the Week --  Center for Community Change
The mission of the Center for Community Change is to build the power and capacity of low-income people, especially low-income people of color, to have a significant impact in improving their communities and the policies and institutions that affect their lives. The Center for Community Change strengthens, connects and mobilizes grassroots groups to enhance their leadership, voice and power. The Center believes that vibrant community-based organizations, led by the people most affected by social and economic injustice, are key to putting an end to the failed "on your own" mentality of the right and building a new politics based on community values. Founded in 1968 to honor the life and values of Robert F. Kennedy, the Center is one of the longest-standing champions for low-income people and communities of color. Together, Center staff and dynamic partners confront the vital issues of today and build the social movements of tomorrow. For more information, go to: www.communitychange.org

Publication of the Week -- Raising More with Less: An Essential Fundraising Guide for Nonprofit Professionals and Board Members by Amy Eisenstein
From the publisher:  Raising More with Less will take you step-by-step through creating or improving your nonprofit organization’s development program, whether you have no paid fundraising staff members or are fortunate enough to have one full-time staffer or more. It is written for the reader who is in (or will be creating) a small development shop with just one person or only a few to handle fundraising. Amy Eisenstein, MPA, CFRE is also the author of 50 A$ks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop and is a contributing author to You and Your Nonprofit: Practical Advice and Tips from the CharityChannel Professional Community. This book is for you if you are any of these:
·         Just starting a career in fundraising.
·         An executive director or CEO of a nonprofit.
·         Responsible for an organization that has limited or no history or experience with fundraising.
·         A board member or other volunteer who has been charged with the responsibility of leading fundraising efforts.
·         Are a seasoned fundraising professional and want to brush up on the basics and get some new ideas.
·         Have become stale and want to become reenergized and reinvigorated about fundraising.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – Real Time Charitable Giving

Charitable donations from mobile phones have grown more common in recent years. Two thirds (64%) of American adults now use text messaging, and 9% have texted a charitable donation from their mobile phone. And these text donors are emerging as a new cohort of charitable givers. The first-ever, in-depth study on mobile donors—which analyzed the “Text to Haiti” campaign after the 2010 earthquake—finds that these contributions were often spur-of-the-moment decisions that spread virally through friend networks. Three quarters of these donors (73%) contributed using their phones on the same day they heard about the campaign, and a similar number (76%) say that they typically make text message donations without conducting much in-depth research beforehand. Yet while their initial contribution often involved little deliberation, 43% of these donors encouraged their friends or family members to give to the campaign as well. In addition, a majority of those surveyed (56%) have continued to give to more recent disaster relief efforts—such as the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan—using their mobile phones. These are among the findings of a new study produced by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Harvard’s Berkman Center for the Internet & Society, in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the mGive Foundation. To access the study, go to: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/MobileGiving.aspx

Resource of the Week – Nonprofit Organization Board and Staff Training for Nonprofit and Faith-Based Organizations
This comprehensive curriculum, developed by the Southern Rural Development Center, addresses the higher standards of responsibility and accountability of nonprofit boards. It  outlines the typical duties and responsibilities of officers of the organization, board members, organization staff and individuals responsible for volunteer supervision and more. The curriculum also addresses the importance of and methods for building positive board-staff, board-board chair, board-chair and staff and staff-volunteer relations. It touches on guidelines for dealing with fragmented boards and apathetic boards. The curriculum also includes workshop materials. To download the 348 page curriculum, go to: http://srdc.msstate.edu/trainings/educurricula/nonprofit.

Tech Tip of the Week -- Calculate the Days, Months or Years between Dates in Excel
Use the DatedIf function to calculate the interval between dates in Excel. Here's how:

·         Enter the function into a cell

=DATEDIF ( start_date , end_date, unit )

·         For example, to calculate the number of months between two dates, if the start date is in cell D2 and the end date is in cell E2 you could enter this formula into cell F2:

To learn more about this function, go to to the Microsoft website or watch a YouTube video.

This tip works in Excel 2007 and 2010, as well as earlier versions.

Picks of the Week: January 6 - 12, 2013

Website of the Week --  Leading Transitions
Leading Transitions, a consulting firm founded and led by Mindy Lubar Price, strengthens non-profit organizations through assessment, education and empowerment of leadership during periods of transition and change. Leading Transitions uses time-tested, healthy principles to work with executive directors, boards of directors and senior staff to increase their operating capacities. Committed to the future vitality of nonprofit organizations, Leading Transitions recognizes the inherent challenges in leadership succession, fund development and executive support. The practice has been refined to provide the flexibility necessary to adapt to the intricacies and dynamics of any non-profit organization. At the site, the newest and most exciting resources you will find are the Succession Planning Toolkits presented at the Executive Transition Initiative of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation Succession Planning Conference. There is a summary booklet that covers all types of nonprofit succession planning and three toolkits on each specific type: 
·        Departure Defined Succession Planning -- Provides a roadmap through an upcoming and anticipated executive transition in an organization.
·        Emergency Succession Planning -- Provides the information and tools needed to create an emergency succession plan that is unique to a specific organization's needs.
·        Strategic Leadership Succession Planning -- Provides a road through the ongoing and evolving succession planning and leadership development needs in an organization.

To visit the website and access the toolkits, go to: www.leadingtransitions.com

Publication of the Week -- Sleeping with Your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work by Leslie A. Perlow
From the publisher:  Does it have to be this way? Can’t resist checking your smartphone or mobile device? Sure, all this connectivity keeps you in touch with your team and the office—but at what cost? In Sleeping with Your Smartphone, Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow reveals how you can disconnect and become more productive in the process. In fact, she shows that you can devote more time to your personal life and accomplish more at work. The good news is that this doesn’t require a grand organizational makeover or buy-in from the CEO. All it takes is collaboration between you and your team—working together and making small, doable changes. 

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies

A survey of a wide-ranging mix of U.S.-based arts organizations shows that the internet, social media, and mobile connectivity now permeate their operations and have changed the way they stage performances, mount and showcase their exhibits, engage their audiences, sell tickets, and raise funds. These organizations are even finding that technology has changed the very definition of art: 77% of respondents agree with the statement that the internet has “played a major role in broadening the boundaries of what is considered art.” Some 1,244 arts organizations that have received funds from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in recent years took this survey. Key findings include: 

·        81% of the organizations in this survey say the internet and digital technologies are “very  important” for promoting the arts
·        78% say these technologies are “very important” for increasing audience engagement
·        50% “strongly agree” with the statement that the internet “has increased engagement in
·        the arts by providing a public platform through which more people can share their work”
·        65% say digital technologies are “very important” for fundraising
·        A majority of these organizations also agree that the internet is “very important” in
·        increasing organizational efficiency (63%), and for their engaging in arts advocacy (55%).

The survey was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. To read or download the full report, go to: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Arts-and-technology.aspx

Resource of the Week –  Diversity Data Resources
The Diversity Data project, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provides metropolitan-area level data regarding a number of indicators of diversity, opportunity, quality of life and health for various racial and ethnic population groups. This resource is available to a wide variety of potential users interested in describing, profiling and ranking U.S. metros in terms of quality of life. The indicators provide a scorecard on diversity and opportunity, and allow researchers, policymakers and community advocates to compare metro areas and to help them advocate for policy action and social change. The choice of indicators was grounded in recent work on urban inequality and health inequality, which points to the significance of racial/ethnic disparities in health, educational, employment and housing opportunities across metro areas.  The Diversity Data project challenges urban researchers, policymakers and activists to define quality of life and health broadly -- to include opportunities for good schools, housing, jobs, wages, health and social services, and safe neighborhoods -- to compare achievement across metros, and to make continuous changes to keep metropolitan life healthy for all populations. Public policies may enhance or harm the well-being of diverse populations. Important policy areas include neighborhood integration, residential mobility, anti-discrimination in housing, urban renewal, school quality and economic opportunities. To access this resource, go to: http://www.diversitydata.org

Tech Tip of the Week -- Templates for Office

Trying to set up records for the coming year? Microsoft offers free templates for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office programs, which can help you organize your business and your home. Click to download templates

Picks of the Week: December, 23 - 2012 -- January 5, 2013

Website of the Week --  Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities. The Brady Center works to reform the gun industry by enacting and enforcing sensible regulations to reduce gun violence, including regulations governing the gun industry. In addition, we represent victims of gun violence in the courts. The Center educates the public about gun violence through litigation, grassroots mobilization, and outreach to affected communities. The Brady Campaign works to pass and enforce sensible federal and state gun laws, regulations, and public policies through grassroots activism, electing public officials who support common sense gun laws, and increasing public awareness of gun violence. Through its Million Mom March and Brady Chapters the Center work locally to educate, remember victims, and pass sensible gun laws, believing that children have the right to grow up in environments free from the threat of gun violence. For more information, go to http://www.bradycenter.org

Publication of the Week -- The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership: Building High-Performing Nonprofit Boards by Cathy A. Trower
From the publisher: The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership offers a resource that shows how to achieve excellence and peak performance in the boardroom by putting into practice the groundbreaking model that was introduced in the book, Governance as Leadership. This proven model of effective governance explores how to attain proficiency in three governance modes or mindsets: fiduciary, strategic, and generative. Throughout the book, author Cathy Trower offers an understanding of the Governance as Leadership model through a wealth of illustrative examples of high-performing nonprofit boards. She explores the challenges of implementing governance as leadership and suggests ideas for getting started and overcoming barriers to progress. In addition, Trower provides practical guidance for optimizing the practices that will improve organizational performance including: flow (high skill and high purpose), discernment, deliberation, divergent thinking, insight, meaningfulness, consequence to the organization, and integrity. In short, the book is a combination of sophisticated thinking, instructive vignettes, illustrative documents, and practical recommendations. The book includes concrete strategies that can help improve critical thinking in the boardroom, a board's overall performance as a team, as well as information for creating a strong governance culture and understanding what is required of an effective CEO and a chairperson. To determine a board's fitness and help the members move forward, the book contains three types of assessments: board members evaluate each other; individual board member assessments; and an overall team assessment. This practitioner's guide is written for nonprofit board members, chief executives, senior staff members, and anyone who wants to reflect on governance, discern how to govern better, and achieve higher performance in the process.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – African American Philanthropy Trends
Giving Black in Los Angeles: Donor Profiles and Opportunities for the Future is a study of African American philanthropy in Los Angeles. In 2011 the Liberty Hill Foundation commissioned a study of African American philanthropy in Los Angeles for the purpose of moving beyond the question of whether African Americans give in comparable numbers to other racial groups and toward how and why they give their support, particularly for community organizing and social justice. This study of identity-based giving is designed to deepen our understanding of different kinds of identity-based giving among Black donors. Our multi-method analysis revealed three donor profiles and four opportunities for building African American philanthropy. Among Black Angelenos, the “Building the Black Community” Donor, the “Issue Impact” Donor and the “Hardwired To Give” Donor were identified based on their reports of discretionary income allocations, preferred recipients of their giving, motivations for giving, levels of education and religious involvement. In addition to the specific donor profiles, four findings suggest ways in which African American philanthropy, particularly giving focused on social justice, might be grown.  To access the full report, go to: http://www.libertyhill.org/document.doc?id=280.

Resource of the Week – Board Placement: A Candidate’s Checklist
It can be very flattering to be invited, whether the recruitment occurred through a formal process or because someone you know is already on the Board and thought you might like to join them. Often, the knee-jerk reaction is to accept the position. However, once you have been approached about joining a Board of Directors in the Nonprofit Sector it is worth taking a step back and considering the role you may be taking on. The following is a checklist developed by BoardStar of some of the questions to ask yourself and the organization you may be joining. There are no right and wrong answers, here, and there is no magic scoring mechanism that will tell you whether to accept the role of Board Director or not. Instead, this is intended as a process to help you ask questions, and make a considered choice. To download the checklist,  go to: http://www.boardstar.org/assets/Resources/RecruitmentAndOrientation/questions%20to%20ask%20before%20joining%20the%20board.pdf

Tech Tip of the Week -- Add a Drop Cap in Word 2010
A drop cap is used to display the first letter of the paragraph in a large font. To add a drop cap to a paragraph in Word 2010:
·         Click in the paragraph where you would like to apply a drop cap
·         Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon
·         In the text group, choose Drop Cap
·         From the Drop Cap list, click to select the style or choose options for additional choices

Picks of the Week: December 16 - 22, 2012

Website of the Week --  Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO)LANO is a statewide member organization that advocates for the nonprofit community and strengthens the effectiveness of those committed to improving Louisiana. LANO's mission is to be Louisiana’s "go-to” source for:
·         High quality information, tools, resources and member benefits that deepen the impact of Louisiana nonprofits
·         Engaging multi-sector network—both virtual and physical—convening year round to leverage the shared goals and resources of Louisiana’s nonprofits and other stakeholders
·         Written and spoken voice of advocacy for and about Louisiana’s nonprofit sector

For more information, go to: www.lano.org

Publication of the Week -- Social Media in the Public Sector Field Guide: Designing and Implementing Strategies and Policies by Ines Mergel and Bill Greeves

From the publisher: Stocked with real-life examples and case studies, this book explores myriad social media tools and provides step-by-step guidance on how to implement them based on mission, goals, and strategy. Written in a jargon-free and accessible style, the book is a go-to resource for anyone in government who wants to put the power of social media to work for their organization. Ines Mergel is assistant professor of public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the School of Information Studies (iSchool) at Syracuse University. Bill Greeves is the chief information officer for Wake County, North Carolina and has over 12 years of experience in government technology leadership. 

 

Click topreview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – Trends in Corporate Giving

Developed by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy in association with The Conference Board, Giving in Numbers: 2012 Edition is based on data from 214 companies, including 62 of the top 100 companies in the Fortune 500. The sum of contributions across all respondents of the 2011 Corporate Giving Survey (CGS), from which the data is pulled, totaled more than $19.9 billion in cash and product giving. This report not only presents a profile of corporate philanthropy in 2011, but also pinpoints how corporate giving is evolving and becoming more focused. Key findings include:

·         Median total giving in the report sample was $21.02 million
·         60% of companies gave more in 2011 than in 2009
·         83% of companies offered at least one matching gift program
·         85% of companies had a formal domestic employee volunteer program; 47% had a formal international volunteer program
·         82% of companies reported having a corporate foundation
·         Health, education, and community and economic development were top priorities for the typical company
·         46% of total giving was through direct cash

To download the full report, go to: http://www.corporatephilanthropy.org/download/pdfs/giving_in_numbers/GIN2012_finalweb.pdf

Resource of the Week – Calculating The Economic Impact Of Volunteers

How does one put an economic value on the time volunteers give to an organization? The Economic Impact Of Volunteers Calculator created by the Points of Light Foundation estimates the appropriate wage rate for volunteer time based on what the person does, the value of specific tasks according to market conditions as reported by the US Department of Labor. Organizations can use the Calculator to determine the value of the time their volunteers give doing a wide variety of volunteer jobs. http://www.handsonnetwork.org/tools/volunteercalculator

Tech Tip of the Week -- Using IF Functions in Excel
The Excel IF function is a great tool that can be used when the information you want in a cell is conditional. It’s particularly handy if you need to specify two or more different responses for a cell based on specified conditions.  The format for this function is:

=IF("if the condition stated here is true", "then enter this value", "else enter this value")

For example, to see at who passed or failed an exam an IF function could be used. Let’s assume the pass mark is 75 and the marks are in column B, starting from row 5. the formula would look like this:

=IF(B5>75, "Pass", "Fail")

Picks of the Week: December 9 - 15, 2012

Website of the Week --  Serviceleader.org
Serviceleader.org offers specialized resources for volunteers, leaders and managers of volunteers, and instructors and thought leaders. Serviceleader.org is operated by the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Site content is developed by Center faculty, guest authors, and students engaged in the study of volunteerism. Under the direction of Sarah Jane Rehnborg, Ph.D., ServiceLeader.org has been expanded to include useful articles written by leading practitioners and graduate students studying volunteer administration at The University of Texas at Austin. In 2009, Serviceleader.org was extensively revised and updated. The revisions to the site coincided with a new vision for Serviceleader.org as a resource dedicated to a conceptual and strategic understanding of volunteerism.  Go to: www.serviceleader.org

Publication of the Week -- Extreme Facilitation: Guiding Groups Through Controversy and Complexity by Suzanne Ghais

From the publisher: Extreme Facilitation picks up where other books on the topic leave off to present a revolutionary method that helps large, unwieldy, adversarial, and apparently dysfunctional groups achieve consensus and reach objectives on divisive and contentious issues no matter how long the group has been struggling. Throughout the book, expert facilitator Suzanne Ghais shows how extreme facilitation - which puts on the emphasis on creativity, flexibility, and customization - can change how group members interact with one another and how participants view the issues even in the most challenging and exceptionally difficult situations. Extreme Facilitation covers the preparatory phases of the process, including assessment, convening, and contracting. Ghais also offers vital information on process design and tips for handling situations that many facilitators find particularly challenging.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com

Trend of the Week – Engaging Board Members in Fundraising

Nonprofit Research Collaborative (NRC) finds a statistically significant relationship between active fundraising by nonprofit board members and the nonprofit reaching its fundraising goals. Sixty percent of organizations where board members help with fundraising met their 2011 fundraising goals, compared with just 53 percent of nonprofits without board member engagement. This study also debunks a common perception that board members help an organization meet its fundraising goal through their own giving. Board member gifts were required at 57 percent of the responding charitable organizations but these gifts made up 10 percent or less of total charitable receipts at most organizations. To download a copy of the report, go to: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412673-The-Nonprofit-Research-Collaborative-Special-Report.pdf

 

Resource of the Week – Take Root: Volunteer Management  Guidebook

Hands On Network has developed this guidebook to help volunteer service programs explore the basics of volunteer management. It is meant to be a user-friendly resource for developing volunteer recruitment, retention, and recognition strategies and methods of offering projects for diverse audiences. This guide does not prescribe how your programs should be structured; it does, however, provide resources you can adapt to meet your local program needs. The goal of this guidebook is to provide information that will help your program take root, leverage volunteers, and grow. To that end, the guidebook contains action-oriented sections to help you recruit, schedule, retain, and recognize volunteers. In addition, each chapter includes an activities and templates section with tools to assist you in applying the guidebook content to your program. To download a copy of the guide, go to: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/files/resources/GB_TakeRoot_Volunteer_Management_unkn_HON.pdf. You can also access free eLearning courses and other valuable resources in the CNCS Resource Center at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org.

 Tech Tip of the Week -- Run PowerPoint 2010 Slide Show in a Window

Have you ever wanted to be able to run a PowerPoint slideshow in a window?  This can be done by adding a button to the Quick Access Toolbar.  Here’s how:

·         Click the File tab on the Ribbon
·         Click the Options button at the bottom
·         Click Quick Access Toolbar in the left pane
·         Under Choose commands from, select Commands Not in the Ribbon
·         Scroll down and select Slide Show in a Window
·         Click Add to add this button to the Quick Access Toolbar
·         Click OK
 
To run a slideshow in a window simply click screen icon button on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Picks of the Week: December 2 - 8, 2012

Website of the Week --  Capacity Building for Non-Governmental Organizations Portal The Capacity Building for Non-Governmental Organizations portal was created for the eGranary Digital Library by the staff, students, and volunteers of United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD), and The WiderNet Project at the University of Iowa. Funding for the portal was provided by a grant from United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Find tools and resources that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profits can use to learn how to design, implement, and evaluate social change projects; how to raise funds and write grant proposals; how to establish and run an organization and increase the capacity of your organization to influence society. There are some broken links but nonetheless a very useful website. Go to: http://www.widernet.org/portals/index.php?PortalID=28&view=public

Publication of the Week -- Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Facilitator's Tool Kit
From the publisher: Based on the success of the book Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow, authors Jill Friedman Fixler and Beth Steinhorn have written a new tool kit designed to help organizations engage volunteer leaders to facilitate a successful volunteer engagement initiative. This facilitator's tool kit features 28 new worksheets, including meeting agendas, position descriptions, evaluation tools, and more. Together, Boomer Volunteer Engagement: Collaborate Today, Thrive Tomorrow and the new Facilitator's Tool Kit provide a straight-forward, step-by-step guide to harnessing the talents and skills of eager volunteers in your community to help your organization survive and thrive now and into the future.

Click to preview this book on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Boomer-Volunteer-Engagement-Facilitators-Tool/dp/1452015376/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&tag=createthefuturec

 

Trend of the Week – Nonprofits’ Impact on the Economy

The Rebecca Gordon Group has compiled information from Forbes, the Giving USA report the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Atlas of Giving and Johns Hopkins University to create a visual guide to the complex ways nonprofits influence the economy. From the info graphic, one can see that the nonprofit sector has been growing steadily, both in size and financial impact for more than a decade. For purposes of this info graphic, nonprofits are defined as entities exempt from income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We will let the info graphic speak for itself (that's the point of an info graphic!") But here are a few key findings:

·        After two consecutive years of drops in charitable giving in 2008 and 2009, giving is once again on the rise. Giving is expected to increase to 360 billion in 2012.
·        From 2000 to 2010, nonprofit employment increased in all 45 states reporting data, a total of 2.1% overall. During that same time frame, for-profit employment decreased by .6%

To view the info graphic, go to http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/21287-nonprofits-and-the-economy-infographic-style.html.

Resource of the Week – “How To” Guides For Leadership Program Staff
As part of the Leadership for a New Era (LNE) initiative – a collaborative research initiative that seeks to promote more inclusive, networked and collective leadership models – the Leadership Learning Community (LLC) has generated a series of “how to” guides for leadership program staff. The guides are supported by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The guides, which can be read separately or as an interconnected series, offer recommendations on these important topics:
·        How to use action learning to achieve your results
·        How to recruit to maximize the value of your cohort
·        How to cultivate and activate your network

To download the entire report go to: http://www.leadershiplearning.org/draft-download-how-series-webform

Tech Tip of the Week -- Move or Copy Sheets between Workbooks in Excel 2007/2010

·        Open the sheet you want to move or copy
·        Click the Home tab on the Ribbon
·        In the Cells group, click Format 
·        Under Organize Sheets, select Move or Copy Sheet
·        Choose where you want the sheet to be copied or moved to
·        Be sure to select the create a copy box if you do not want your sheet moved