Social media is a hot topic. Nonprofits who are using these tools may feel empowered, overwhelmed, out of control, or all of the above. Learn how to help your organization use social media to make the most of your resources and connect with your audience, including which tools make sense for your needs and find out about the latest trends.

• Listen to the webinar
• View the slides

Garnering the support needed to carry out your mission starts with effective communications. Materials from Attracting & Building Support for Your Mission will help you get started communicating your impact, crafting an effective message, and stewarding supporters up the donor pyramid.

You can apply these practical tools and tactics immediately regardless of your organization’s size or mission.

• Presentation slides
• Handout -  Successful Public Events

“The most radical changes are likely not even on our radar yet.”  How will your board identify and sharpen the skills and resilience needed to govern through change?

Materials from this workshop will give you the know-how to help your board adopt best practices and “next practices.”

• Presentation
• Handouts

It is a delicate balancing act to manage mission and money. As a nonprofit board member, you are ultimately responsible for the governance and financial health of your organization. To provide strategic leadership and make informed decisions, you must first understand your financial situation. This is especially important now, when organizational leaders must be prepared to assess and pursue new financial strategies in response to the recession.

Enhance your leadership and board service by listening to the Boards that Balance webinar.  You can also download the slides and other supporting materials.  These resources will help you review basic nonprofit financial reports and terminology, including the income statement and balance sheet; interpret financial information in context; and learn strategies to effectively participate in financial discussions and decisions.

• Listen to the webinar, Boards That Balance: Mission and Money
• Boards that Balance slides
• Financial Management Self-Assessment
• 10 Step Budgeting Checklist

Handouts from Jean Hammink’s workshop, Resilient Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence, are now available.  Resilient leaders are able to face reality, find meaning, and improvise in their work .  Use these materials to learn more about how emotional intelligence can strengthen your organization and mission.

• Review the presentation
• Go through the worksheet
  

The session will be offered again in Little Falls on May 11^th.  Find out more about this dynamic workshop. All trainings are free and open to all nonprofits.

As we begin 2010, nonprofits are continuing to navigate uncertainty. Throughout this year, the Resilient Organizations Fund will continue to provide learning and capacity building opportunities.  These are free tools you can use to enhance the work you’re already doing.

The Resilient Organizations Fund is offering free, practical webinars that will help you explore new revenue opportunities and enhance your collaborations.

Alternative Revenue Strategies Webinar

Changes in the economy have made many organziations reconsider their business model.  Are there other types of revenue you could, or should, pursue? How can you get started thinking about a different income mix?

Alternative Revenue Sources will help participants build a more diverse and sustainable revenue model for their organization.  Tom Triplett, a consultant with Fieldstone Alliance and an adjunct instructor at the Opus College of Business at the University of St Thomas, will help you identify and evaluate a range of potential revenue sources.  Using this information, you will be prepared to develop a new revenue model.  This webinar is built around a tool and process from Mr. Triplett’s Mini-Masters in Nonprofit Finance.

Register now to explore how new revenue strategies can enhance your business model.

Collaboration: Construction, Repair and Maintenance Webinar

Can we possibly do more with less? Sometimes the answer is yes, with the power of collaboration. But if partners don’t work well together, the goal is muddy, and responsibilities aren’t clear, collaboration can be far more effort than it is worth.

Learn more about Collaboration.  In this webinar, Sandy Jacobsen of Fieldstone Alliance will help you think through:

1. The pros and cons of collaborating during tough economic times.
2. Whether collaboration is the right strategy to reach your goal, and how to build a strong foundation.
3. The three toughest issues in collaboration: building trust, leading successfully, and making decisions.

Through stories and examples, you’ll see you have the power to build, strengthen and repair your collaborative.  Register now to rejuvenate your collaborations.

About the Training Series

You will receive updates from Nonprofits Assistance Fund about upcoming trainings and other learning opportunities from the Resilient Organizations Fund.

We will offer these free trainings in the metro area and Greater Minnesota, complemented by online webinars.  Topics will include resilience, fundraising, working with boards, and more. The trainings will build upon the Resilient Leaders – Resilient Organizations Convening, as well provide resources and guidance on key issues such as governance and finance.  With these tools and frameworks, you will be better positioned to guide your organization through this uncertain time.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has announced the capacity building grants associated with the Resilient Organizations Fund. These grants are “intended to strengthen the long-term sustainability of current Blue Cross Foundation grantees.”

View the full list of grantees.

Keep exploring the idea of resiliency, discussed in the keynote address at the Convenings.