Nonprofit Spark - Renee McGivern

It's National Volunteer Week in Canada and so I speak this week with the leader of an organization that has transformed the way it thinks about and manages volunteers. The show isn't just about volunteers, though. You'll hear how about an honest-to-goodness transformation in how this agency serves its members, and how the board and staff function. This conversation ties in beautifully to the Interview with Paul Schmitz of Public Allies (http://webtalkradio.net/2012/03/05/nonprofit-spark-–-everyone-leads-building-leadership-from-the-community-up-030512/)a few weeks ago. Paul is the author of a new book, Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up. In our conversation the week of March 5, 2012, he shared passionately that nonprofits need to give up a programmatic model of operation to focus instead on causing lasting social change. It requires seeking out and nurturing leaders in their communities. Paul is a thought-provoking change agent, and he manages a dozen offices throughout the country. So after the interview I wondered, well, where can I find a smaller, local nonprofit that is actually shifting from a programmatic model of service to focusing on causing social change? Lo and behold, I discovered Keenan Wellar an Executive Staff Co-Leader of LiveWorkPlay (http://www.liveworkplay.ca), an Ottawa, Canada nonprofit that supports people with intellectual disabilities to have a good life. Keenan is co-founder of the organization with his wife, Julie Kingstone. He has a background in teaching and special education, he is a master at social media, and he is learning to be a marketing genius. Keenan describes how LiveWorkPlay used to serve its members, tap into volunteers, and operate day to day. And he then contrasts that with what is happening now because of their renewed commitment to the original intention of the organization: Changing how the community views people with intellectual disabilities. Here's a real, on-the-ground example of organizational reinvention that's beginning to cause lasting social change in Ottawa. I hope you enjoy it.

April is National Volunteers Month so I want to revisit the topic of volunteer management. Earlier this year, I had Susan Ellis of Energize, Inc, on the show, and she made an excellent Case for strategic volunteerism in nonprofits (http://webtalkradio.net/2012/01/23/nonprofit-spark-–-the-case-for-strategic-volunteerism-in-your-non-profit-012312/). That interview aired the week of January 23, 2012. Now here's a new twist: Have you ever heard of an NFL team that manages some 6,000 volunteers for local nonprofits? That's what the Miami Dolphins organization does for nonprofits in South Florida. Last April, I had them on the show to talk about the one-year anniversary of what they call the Miami Dolphins Special Teams by Chevy program (http://www.dolphins.com/specialteams). The Dolphins organization initiated the volunteer management program in 2010 after they heard the news that South Florida ranked last in the nation in percentage of volunteers, and volunteer hours per capita. They developed an online system that lists volunteer opportunities in the area, and makes it easy for residents to sign up for them. And then the staff sends out the confirmations and instructions, and afterward, thank yous. They also track volunteer hours and offer incentives for philanthropic volunteering. On this week's show, I speak with Leslie Nixon, manager of volunteers for the Miami Dolphins, who predicts a two-year total of 100,000 hours of donated time by the end of this month. Leslie describes in detail how the Special Teams staff communicates with nonprofits and volunteers so they keep coming back and spreading the word about their good experiences. She and her staff have volunteer management down to a science. I love this program.

This week, we get an eagle’s-eye view of the nonprofit sector from Bob Ottenhoff, CEO of Guidestar (http://www.guidestar.org), an online service where you can find detailed information about your favorite nonprofits. We discuss what’s happening in the non-profit sector, what his concerns are for it, and what opportunities he sees for nonprofits, particularly in light of continuing uncertainty about government funding. He urges nonprofit leaders to see this as a great period of liberation and to embrace change. You’ll be inspired! Bob is leaving his job later this year after 10 years in that role. During his tenure, he and his staff have made Guidestar a national model for nonprofit sustainability, generating sufficient earned revenues to cover operating costs while still providing most services for free.

Many nonprofits run on a tight budget and will love to hear that there's an organization of very bright undergraduate students who are eager to provide pro bono consultation to local non-profits. Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations (http://www.scnonational.org/) has a growing number of chapters on college and university campuses. SCNO members apply their personal skills and coursework knowledge toward complex issues facing nearby non-profits. Not all students can join the chapters, only the ones who are very bright and demonstrate the ability to work with a team and devote the time to consulting. I speak with two guests this week. One is Michael Gallagher, who serves on the national volunteer board of SCNO and has the primary duty of expanding the number of campus chapters. He is a 2008 graduate of Michigan State University where he participated in the SCNO chapter and consulted with nonprofits. The other guest is Julie Ufford, an environmental engineering major at Johns Hopkins University who founded an SCNO chapter on campus this year where three projects with nonprofits have just kicked off. Their enthusiasm for making a difference is infectious and the nonprofits who've worked with SCNO student have been thrilled.

Every month, I see at least one story in an American newspaper about an employee of a nonprofit who has stolen money from the organization. Theft happens across a spectrum of large and small, national and local, efficient and inefficient nonprofits. In every story, the leaders say they were completely shocked that a person they trusted, worked beside, shared lunch with, and thought they knew was stealing from their non-profit. So what is it like to discover fraud and how would you handle it? Recently, there was a story in the newspaper about Open Arms of Minnesota (http://www.openarmsmn.org), a nonprofit that delivers meals to the chronically ill. The organization's leaders had just discovered that a trusted employee had set up arrangements with several agencies to deliver meals to their constituents. Unbeknownst to the agencies, their payments for the meal deliveries were being pocketed by the employee. The incident is still under investigation but early on, it looked as though the theft involved more than $100,000 in less than a year. When I read the newspaper article, it was clear to me that the organization, Open Arms of Minnesota (http://www.openarmsmn.org), was doing everything right in how they were handling the situation. I am so pleased to have on the show this week, Jennifer Van Wyk, deputy director of Open ARMS of Minnesota, who generously shares how they have been dealing with this crisis and in particular, communicating about it. I suggest you read the letter they sent their constituents to get context for the show: View Letter (http://www.openarmsmn.org/agencyupdates)to constituents on their website.

Most leaders of active non-profits produce a monthly balance sheet and income statement. However, many don't produce a cash flow projection which tells executives and board members if they'll have enough cash in the bank to cover the bills every month. On this week's show, my guest and I discuss why managing cash flow and using a projection is so helpful. For instance, you won't panic when you see a deficit on your next income statement. You'll anticipate when you'll need to borrow cash and you'll know how much your line of credit needs to be at the bank. And you won't operate under the illusion that you're rich when most of the money in your bank account is not for general operating expenses. Jon Hoffmeister is a CPA and partner with CliftonLarsonAllen (http://www.cliftonlarsonallen.com), our Nonprofit Spark sponsor. He has more than 20 years experience assisting nonprofits, colleges and universities, and closely-held businesses. Jon has been serving on the board of a community youth service agency for more than 10 years, and has been treasurer and finance committee chair much of that time. His financial leadership of the agency earned him statewide recognition for outstanding dedication in helping youth and for his appreciation for the challenges facing non-profit managers. On this show, Jon uses his practical experience with this agency to highlight his key points about managing cash flow. Even the most financially-phobic non-profit leaders will understand this show! Two great companion Nonprofit Spark episodes are Understanding a Balance Sheet (http://webtalkradio.net/2011/02/21/nonprofit-spark-–-understanding-a-nonprofit-balance-sheet-022111/)and Nonprofit Budgets and Financial Outsourcing. (http://webtalkradio.net/2011/12/26/nonprofit-spark-–-nonprofit-budgets-and-financial-outsourcing/)

The non-profit sector excels at meeting community needs and is becoming masterful with non-profit best management practices. But are these enough? To solve the problems of our day, my guest this week asserts that the job of nonprofits is not to provide services but to develop leaders. he even redefines the concept of leadership: that it's an action for the many, not a position held by a few. Paul Schmitz is the CEO of Public Allies (http://www.publicallies.org), which works in 21 communities in the U.S. with a mission to advance new leadership to strengthen communities, non-profits and civic participation. The organization identifies diverse young Americans who have a passion to make a difference and helps them turn that passion into careers working for community and social change. Paul also is the author of a new book, Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up (http://everyoneleads.org). He often writes and speaks on topics about national service, civic engagement, community building, diversity, nonprofit workforce development, and social entrepreneurship. In December 2010, he was named to the White House Council for Community Solutions. He also serves as Chair of the Nonprofit Workforce Coalition and is a blogger for The Washington Post. He's a thought-provoking change agent and he'll inspire you to view your nonprofit efforts through the new lens of finding and developing leaders.

On this week’s show, Christine Durand of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (//www.minnesotanonprofits.org)and I focus again on her website redesign project. Christine is the communications and marketing director for that organization. Non profit leaders may be wondering why I’d do a show about websites when those projects often have little to do with my target audience of executive directors and boards. Here’s why: You almost always underestimate the time that’s required to create a useful website that supports your goals, and helps you raise more money. And then you think when the project’s over, the work is over. Nothing could be further from the truth. You will want to keep adding fresh content to your non-profit website to reflect how you're growing and changing. The other thing is that you have to know enough about website redesigns to ask great questions to determine which website designer is best for you, and if their fees are reasonable. Finally, you need to know enough to hold your staff accountable. On our January 30 show, Christine and I talked about her RFP process, how to involve staff and volunteers, and the early stages of working with a web design company. On this show, we discuss branding, working with a site map and wire frames, organizing pages and content, and alpha and beta testing. Also, after the interview, I realized I had forgotten to ask about the project costs, so I followed up later with her to find out. I share information about that at the end of the show, after the final commercial break. Our conversation here is as nuts and bolts as it can be and I warn you, you’re listening to two communication geeks who love talking about this stuff! You'll want to take notes on the key ideas.

There's nothing that makes newer non-profit leaders more nervous than asking for money, especially from individuals. Their hearts clench. Their eyes glaze over. Their bodies freeze like deer looking into headlights. I'm not sure what all that's about but perhaps you'll feel better when I tell you that the experience is universal and automatic. You're not alone. I can also tell you that thousands of leaders have made a conscious choice to overcome that first reaction and fear by learning about fundraising, writing and using a fundraising plan, and then meeting with donors again and again. The more you do this, the more natural it feels. On this week's show, my guest and I talk about four elements of a fund development plan and help you think like a professional about donors and raising money. There's no magic bullet here, just common sense ideas. Simone Joyaux (http://www.simonejoyaux.com)is a top-ranked speaker and trainer, and fundraising, planning and governance consultant. She is recognized internationally as one of the most thoughtful, inspiring, and provocative leaders in the non-profit / NGO sector. Simone is a faculty member for the Masters Program in Philanthropy and Development at Saint Mary's University, Winona, Minnesota. She also is the author of the book Strategic Fund Development, 3rd edition (http://www.simonejoyaux.com), and co-author of the book Keep Your Donors. Finally, she writes a column for Nonprofit Quarterly about fund development.

Almost every day, we read about passionate people who want to solve a big problem and they do so in myriad ways. We hear about social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and for-profits and non-profits, all working toward social change. Clearly, we are long past the days when non-profits are the only do-gooders in the world. In 2008, a student at Stanford University designed a machine that punches holes in plastic tubing. His idea has turned into the company Driptech, which makes affordable drip irrigation systems for small farms. Three partners in a New York design firm founded Hello Rewind, a company that makes custom sleeves for laptops out of old t-shirts. Its mission is to help sex trafficking victims prepare for jobs and the partners work closely with a non-profit to hire workers. Then there's the example of the Pennsylvania environmental non-profit which spun off a for-profit, BlackGold Biofuels. That company knows how to chemically turn sewer grease into biofuel. What are we talking about? Why does one person start a for-profit and another a non-profit? What models are being used to solve world problems? For that matter, why the heck are for-profits operating in what has been traditionally the non-profit do-good domain? On this week's show, I speak with Jon Carson, a social entrepreneur and CEO of BiddingforGood (http://www.biddingforgood.com)who describes why some people start companies while others start non-profits. He also gives examples of the types of organizations that are being created. Any way you look at it, according to Jon, they are being founded by social entrepreneurs with the intention of doing good. A great companion to this show is my interview with Dan Pallotta (http://webtalkradio.net/2011/09/05/nonprofit-spark-–-in-depth-with-nonprofit-sector-innovator-dan-pallotta-090511), author of Uncharitable. He talks about the constraints we place on non-profits that prevent them from "growing to scale" and therefore, from solving world problems. That interview took place the week of September 5, 2011.

The Traveling Guitar Foundation (http://www.travelingguitarfoundation.org)is a rising nonprofit star. It was founded in the New York tri-state area less than three years ago by Damon Marks, a guitarist and songwriter. Damon has performed and recorded with notable musicians including Bret Michaels, Beyonce, Melanie Fiona, and Marco Mendoza and was a touring guitarist on Alicia Keys' Freedom Tour. The Foundation travels to schools whose music programs are in jeopardy and gives music education clinics and concerts, and donates guitars, amplifiers and cables to the schools from major music industry sponsors. The Foundation has already impacted some 40 schools in California, Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania reaching an estimated 20,000 students and giving away $50,000 in musical equipment. The Traveling Guitar Foundation is a true grassroots organization: musicians, sponsors and parents are spreading the word and even lining up more schools on behalf of the Foundation. Damon is quick to give credit to the team he's assembled who make it all work. He also is not shy about using traditional and social media every chance he gets. It's an inspiring nonprofit start-up story. Also on the show is Heidi Jackman, chief marketing officer for SlideRocket (http://www.sliderocket.com), an online presentation platform. Heidi describes a fun presentation contest that's going on right now for nonprofits that's designed to inspire your creativity using their elegant, online presentation software. The top four winners will get $5,000 each so you'll want to stay tuned to learn more later in the show.

One of the most daunting projects every non-profit has to face at some point is a website redesign. It is time consuming, has great potential for complications and cost overruns, and requires both big picture thinking and attention to the smallest details. The redesign requires lengthy conversations and lots of work by many people, all happening on top of their day to day work. On this week's show, I speak with Christine Durand, communications and marketing director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) (http://www.minnesotanonprofits.org). She recently led a massive website redesign project for her organization. In fact, her team and the website design company were working on three sites at the same time, if you can imagine that. This is the first of a two-part case study and it focuses on the early stages of the redesign process including planning, assessments, and the Request for Proposal (RFP). In a few weeks, we'll delve into content development, branding and costs. MCN worked with Browser Media (http://www.browsermedia.com), a website design company based in Bethesda, Maryland with extensive experience working with associations. I follow up the interview about the website redesign project with a conversation focused on finding resources about nonprofit websites. My second guest is Laura Quinn, executive director of Idealware (http://www.idealware.org), a non-profit that tests and researches non-profit software. She talks about training, articles and reports about websites that are available for free on her website. This is a fun show, packed with ideas, and you'll want to take notes.

Why is it that volunteer involvement and management is rarely given the same amount of attention that non-profit leaders give to fundraising and programs? Let's be honest. What most leaders do is give a kindly pat-on-the-head to volunteers and the staff who manage them. But what if we considered volunteers as the brains of the organization who are fully capable of supporting all managers and fulfilling the mission of the organization? My guests this week make a compelling case for being as strategic about volunteerism as you are about other management issues. My first guest is Susan J. Ellis, the president of Energize, Inc (http://www.energizeinc.com)., which is a training, consulting, and publishing firm that specializes in volunteerism. She founded the Philadelphia-based company in 1977 and since that time, has assisted clients throughout the world. Susan is the author of 12 books, including From the Top Down: The Executive Role in Successful Volunteer Involvement. My second guest is Nikki Russell, volunteer initiatives manager at the United Way of King County (http://www.uwkc.org), which serves the Seattle, Washington area. She has developed workshops and trainings for local nonprofits and in particular, Nikki inspired and influenced the development of her agency's Volunteer Impact Program (VIP). It's a free program that is designed to strengthen local non-profits' ability to deliver services through effective volunteer involvement. You'll be amazed by the increases the nonprofits have experienced in volunteerism after going through the VIP in-depth assessment and planning process. The assessment, by the way, was created by my first guest, Susan Ellis.

You know how you're having a problem with your board? Consider that at the root of it is weak and possibly, worthless board orientation. All those complaints you have about how board members meddle or misbehave or don't "get" the organization could disappear with thoughtful, ongoing board learning about what good governance is, how big picture the board needs to be, and how the board can best support the staff. On the show this week, Dr. Debra Beck (http://www.boardlearning.org)and I describe best practices in board development, drawing upon our adult education backgrounds. We turn the typical board orientation process upside down and describe the 70-20-10 adult learning process that makes direct experience a priority, allows for observation and mentoring, and last of all, focuses on formal training. Debra is a non-profit blogger and consultant, and an adult educator. She has more than 25 years experience serving on boards. This experience has given her a strong understanding of the special challenges and rewards of board governance. She also is an award-winning distance educator with more than 10 years experience teaching online courses about non-profit management for universities in Wyoming and Pennsylvania. You know how you're passionate about the work you do for non-profits? Well, designing effective learning is our passion and we could have talked about it all day.

On this week's show, I speak with John P. Langan CPA, managing partner of CliftonLarsonAllen (http://www.cliftonlarsonallen.com), a top 20 national accounting firm with 225 professionals serving more than 5,000 not-for-profit organizations in 18 states. John has served the non-profit sector for more than 25 years and worked with all sizes and types of non-profits and trade associations. John talks about the things that concern him about non-profit finances. CliftonLarsonAllen is the primary sponsor of Nonprofit Spark. Joining the conversation is Lori Derkay, the chief operating officer of University Professional & Continuing Education Association. (http://www.upcea.edu/) She was hired in February 2011 to help create a new infrastructure and modernize the operations and governance of the association. She has years of hands-on non-profit financial management experience and she generously shares from that on the show. We cover a lot of topics here: The IRS 990, cloud computing for non-profits, outsourcing, non-profit reserves, and non-profit retirement plans. I'm certain you'll hear a few things that you'll want to improve upon in 2012.