Special 4-Day Bonus Issue from the Blue Avocado

A special 4-Day Bonus Issue from the Blue Avocado

Free Webinar! Google Analytics for the Enthusiastic Beginner
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 3:00 pm eastern /12:00 noon Pacific

Speaker:  Bonnie Massa, Massa & Company

Wonder what all the hype is about around web analytics? Thanks to Blue Avocado and American Nonprofits, you can join this overview of Google Analytics, a free web analytics tool that shows you how visitors are using your site. We will start with how to capture data on visitors and then hit the highlights of using Google Analytics to improve your website. This overview is for beginners and executives that want to know the value of the tool but not necessarily how to operate it . . . Click here to register free . . . offer closes March 15, 2013.

Another Free Webinar! Nonprofit Sustainability:  Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability 
April 12, 2013  12:00 pm eastern/9:00 am pacific

Speakers:  Jan Masaoka, Blue Avocado and CEO of CalNonprofits, and Steve Zimmerman, Spectrum Nonprofit Services

Too often program goals are discussed separately from financial means, although we all know that both must be discussed together. Jan and Steve will present the methodology for doing so from the book they co-authored with Jeanne Bell: Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability. This model can be used as an adjunct to or substitute for traditional strategic planning. Click here to register free. Offer ends March 15.

Board Recruitment Time? Learn the Blue Ribbon Nominating Committee Technique
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 3:00 pm eastern/12:00 pm pacific

Speaker:  Jan Masaoka, Blue Avocado and CEO of CalNonprofits

Board recruitment discussions usually start with the tired question, "Who do we know?" Instead, let's start with "What are the three most important things for the board to accomplish this year, and what kind of board members do we need in order to do so?" Tested successfully with hundreds of nonprofits, we'll also tackle some difficult questions such as whether and how to recruit people of different races or educational backgrounds, whether to have clients or parents (or other direct beneficiaries) on the board, and whether to have fundraising or donation requirements. Based on the tested and popular Blue Ribbon Nominating Committee technique. Click here to register free . . . through March 15 only.

Free "Gift of Learning" online courses from Cornerstone

This was such a hit in the last Bonus Issue, we’re pleased to offer this again. And we’re grateful to Cornerstone to offer this once more to Blue Avocado readers and American Nonprofit members!

The Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation established the “Gift of Learning” program to over 40 classes of downloadable e-learning content -- such as leadership training, effective communication, project management, and desktop product tutorials -- to nonprofit professionals at no cost.

The Foundation is offering this to five individuals per organization...and 300 organizations will be selelcted to receive the access to the Gift of Learning library. How do you become eligible? The first 300 Blue Avocado readers that respond on March 15, 2013 (starting 9 am Pacific/12 noon Eastern) are eligble.  Send an email to Blue Avocado's Susan Sanow at blueavocado@hotmail.com with the subject line "Gift of Learning” will be awarded the opportunity to access thousands of courses. Your e-mail must include the following information:

• Your organization's name
• Nonprofit tax ID number: you must have U.S. 501(c)(3) status to qualify
• Name of the contact person, and contact person's e-mail address and phone number

Once we reach 300 interested organizations, this offer will expire.

If your organization is chosen to participate, you will receive an introductory email directly from the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation no later than March 29, 2013. Selected nonprofits will have access to the Gift of Learning for a three month period (April 1, 2013-July 1, 2013.)

(And if you were awarded the "Gift of Learning" last fall, please step aside and let another organization benefit!)

April 1? No Foolin'… It’s a Blue Avocado Contest!

As April Fool's Day approaches, we wonder what our best April Fool's joke news headlines would be for the nonprofit community. So give it a try. Submit your headline with a 2-to-3 sentence opening paragraph. Here is a sample to get you started:

AmeriCorps to Exclusively Serve Businesses in 2014
The AmeriCorps program announced that beginning in 2014, AmeriCorps Volunteers will only be placed in small for-profit businesses.  While historically placed with nonprofits, it is clear that nonprofits are better managed and there is a greater need to support the small business community.

Submit your April 1 headline and 2-3 opening sentences tosusan@blueavocado.org.  Use the subject line April Fool's. Send in your entry by Friday, March 22, 2013.  You may be featured in our special April Fool's Day issue!  What's in it for our top 10 favorite/funniest entries? You'll win a copy of Jan Masaoka’s book, The Nonprofit’s Guide to Human Resources. Good luck!

New Benefits & New Webinars for Members

NYCON Member Benefit Spotlight: Budget & Cash Flow Toolkits! Every fiscal staff persons' best friend... Learn More on February 27th at 10:00am Just in time for budget and cash flow planning, NYCON has developed a new benefit for our member that will truly be the "best friend" of every fiscal person who uses it!  Designed with the needs and resources of the smaller to medium sized nonprofit in mind, NYCON's Chief Fiscal Officer and staff have designed a "fool proof" tool for developing a streamlined, compliant and easy to understand budget.   The features of the Budget Toolkit include:   Built in instructions on "Getting Started" and"How to Develop Your Budget" Built in formulas and linked spreadsheets Definitions & Glossary on types of budgets, frequently used budgeting terms & more Helpful notes that 'pop up' as you create your budget spreadsheet  Quick and easy allocations (for shared costs like space and supplies, etc.) Templates that your organization can utilize to customize for your own organization's budget and salary and fringe expenditures. And more! You have to see all the features to believe it!   Experience the Budget Toolkit for yourself. Learn More on February 27th at 10:00am  On this webinar we also featured the new "Cash Flow Toolkit" which, just like the Budget Toolkit, will be a great addition to any nonprofit fiscal office.

Pros and Cons of  Restructuring a Nonprofit: What it Means for your Staff and Board February 13th, 2013   10:00am to 12:00pm Doug Sauer, CEO, NYCON Last Chance to Register This thought provoking, insightful event will provide you with knowledge gleaned from decades of Doug's work with hundreds of nonprofits in various stages of formal restructuring, shared service models and, certainly, merger. Doug, perhaps more than anyone on the national nonprofit "scene," knows first-hand that merger (or any type of structural "re-engineering" of your organization) is a serious solution to the very complex issues facing today's nonprofits. Join us and learn from Doug's real world and very practical experiences. Doug will be talking about the variety of options available for restructuring a nonprofit, what the potential benefits and very real risks are -- as well as what the process of going "beyond collaboration" is really like.There will be time for Q&A at the end of the online session so make sure you take advantage of having our resident expert available to you. Last Chance to Register

Free Tour of the GrantStation Website for NYCON Members Thursday, February 28th   10:00am to 11:00am  Register Today Join Ellen Mowrer, GrantStation's Business Development Advisor, for a free webinar that offers a short tour of the GrantStation website. This tour will provide tips on the most effective way to use all of the valuable resources the website offers; including the extensive funder databases that can help you identify the right grantmaker for any program or project. During this webinar we will also introduce GrantStation's new interactive Grants2020 visioning tool! There will be plenty of time for questions. This webinar will be held Thursday, February 28, 2013.Did You Know? As a NEW Membership Benefit of NYCON, ourprogram now also allows a discount on Grantstation Membership - which gets you full access to GS.com - for only $75! Click here for more information.

New Ideas for Board Recruitment: Consider Youth

As more of our organizations face recruitment and engagement issues with our Boards of Directors, it is time to think outside of the box and take new approaches. One such idea is to consider youth serving on our Boards. Below is a great overview and info from the National Council of Nonprofits, the umbrella organization for the NYCON, for your consideration.

You’re only as old as you feel

By Jennifer Chandler

When a question landed in my inbox last week about youth serving on nonprofit boards, my thoughts turned to our society’s attitudes towards age and the role that charitable nonprofits can play in bridging the “generation gap.” The question in my inbox was: “Are there any programs that prepare youth to serve on nonprofit boards?” The question prompted me to think about the distance between young and old, and how nonprofits bridge what I think of as a“perspectives gap.”

But first, let’s clarify a threshold issue relating to the question posed. While seven states (Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah) prevent anyone under the “majority age” (usually 18) from serving as a board member of a nonprofit corporation, most states are silent about the age of board members. This leaves the decision about what age is appropriate for board members up to the individual nonprofits. (To our knowledge there are no state laws that restrict older individuals from serving on boards.) If you are curious what your state law says about the age of board members, you can research the statutes that govern nonprofit corporations in your state at LawForChange.org.

The post "Youth Board Members: Can minors serve on nonprofit boards?" by Emily Chan, co-author of the Nonprofit Law Blog, gives an excellent overview of the legal issues raised when young people serve on boards. Chan raises many important questions nonprofits should tackle before inviting youth to take on decision-making roles, and she offers several alternatives to board service. Chan’s post is very comprehensive (and we always appreciate Nonprofit Law Blog’s carefully researched resources). My own view is that whether someone under 18 should serve on a nonprofit board should not turn on whether the“youth board member will feel isolated” or “what skills or training the youth board member needs that the organization currently does not provide?”Isolation, preparation for taking on the fiduciary duties that board service requires, and other issues are equally relevant across the age spectrum. What we are really exploring when we ask the age question is whether this particular individual has skills and experiences that will add value to the board’s work and/or whether placing that person on a governing board is necessary to fulfill other goals, such as growing the bench of leadership for the organization, or creating ambassadors to segments of stakeholders that are important for the nonprofit’s work.

Conscious of the need for continuity of leadership, many nonprofits cultivate talent, whether young or old, to make sure that multiple perspectives are represented on their board and that when one generation steps aside, another is ready to take its place. “It’s something the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits advocates, as we want to see nonprofits grow their leadership and ensure that other generations are ready to serve,” explains Trisha Lester, Vice President of the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits.“Authentically engaging young people as partners and decision-makers is a crucial and challenging topic for youth-serving nonprofits (and other groups). Service on governance boards can be a powerful way to do this, but there are other ways to accomplish the goal of giving this particular constituency voice,” says Molly O’Connell, Resources and Advocacy Coordinator at the Maine Association of Nonprofits. Looked at another way, we all need mentors, and when seasoned seniors can pass their wisdom and insights on to younger generations – whether defined as under 18 or under 30 – everybody wins over time. (If you think that working with board members is a little like herding cats, this 60 Minutes story about the importance of role models for elephants may suggest a different analogy!)

Moreover, a board that boasts a diversity of perspectives is simply better-poised for scenario planning. Different life experiences not only help board members see around the organization’s corners, but also help the organization see challenges in the community more clearly. Such added perspective can lead to more effective problem-solving and greater impact. When the work of charitable nonprofits reflects diverse perspectives, this is a perfect example of a“triple bottom line” ROI because it benefits the nonprofit, volunteers, and the community.

At the National Council of Nonprofits we are strong believers in the value of proactively preparing leadersand diversifying governing boards (and staff) of nonprofits. We also believe in the important role that charitable nonprofits play as places where people in communities, young and old, of all shapes, sizes, and colors, come together to learn from each other and collaboratively solve problems.

So what does age have to do with it? Age, like any other characteristic, adds meaningful texture to our own perspectives. And the perspectives of charitable nonprofits are really all about the perspectives of individuals in communities, coming together through nonprofits, to affect change and improve their worlds.

Resources about diversity on boards (National Council of Nonprofits)

Resources on board development (National Council of Nonprofits)

Resources about cultural competency (Bridgestar and BoardSource)

Resources

Boards and governance issues (National Council of Nonprofits)

Next Generation and Governance(BoardSource)

Plan A – How Successful Nonprofits Develop Their Future Leaders (Bridgestar)

Youth Advisory Committees (Michigan Community Foundation Youth Project)

Creating a Teen Board/Ambassador Program (United Way of Central New Mexico)

Case study on board diversity (Maine Association of Nonprofits)