NLMI Cohort Group Project Reports

Hello NLMI Participants,

Thank you very much for your enthusiastic involvement in, and contribution to, the team projects. The resulting products will certainly be of high quality and most importantly, useful and useable by you and others in the nonprofit world.

In order for you to keep up with the progress of all cohort groups, not just your own, the project status reporting will be restructured. This will insure that the presentations are more even in content and in style. When we meet this Saturday, December 15, please use format described below, for reporting project status. As usual, the presentations will begin at 9:00am.

Your delivery will still be capped at five (5) minutes. Given the quantity of information to be shared, you may need to prepare to use the entire allotted time.

Here are the items to be covered in the project status presentation:
o The name of the cohort group
o Your name (presenter) and the name of each of your cohorts
o A brief description of the project and the resulting product
o Goals that were set last month or before, that were expected to be met by this time
o Goals that have actually been met as of today
o The estimated percent of tasks completed toward the project product
o Changes in project scope that have occurred since last month
o What will you accomplish by next month’s status update.

Your cohort group advisor will accompany you, the presenter, during the delivery your team’s project status. Don’t hesitate to ask questions.

The table below is a quick review of Groups, Members, Projects and Advisors.

Many thanks, Don, Linda and Marilyn

Barton Springs -- De-mystifying the Strategic Plan -- Linda
Broccoli-Hickey, Maile
Budd, Juanita
Del Valle, Deborah
Graham, Leah
Morris, Keith
Van Cleve, Judy

Lady Bird Lake -- Best Practices in Team Building -- Linda
Gaines, Leslie
Hurewitz, Mike
McCabe, Patti
Sanders, Michelle
Smith, Matthew
Watson, Jamie

Mount Bonnell -- Resource Guide for Nonprofit Professionals -- Don
Biro-Pollard, Wendy
Cannon, Diane
Dowdy, Ann
Goeders, Lillianne
Sartin, Robert
Walch, David
Wise, Debbie

Sixth Street -- Fund Raising -- Marilyn
Almaguel, Ana
Ancelet, Carol
Gaddy, David
Kenny, Carrie
Miller, Carol
Rivers, Lisa
Cueva, Gloria

State Capital -- Volunteer Management -- Marilyn
BeVille Elder, Amy
Caldwell, Darrel
Cueva, Gloria
Fernandez Frank, Ana
Freund, Stephanie
Gonzalez, Elizabeth

Zilker Park -- Marketing Your Non Profit -- Don
Fleming, Sherri
Howell, Tassie
Kitch, Vincent
Majid, Sly
McNabb, John
Shopen, Cecile
Sliter-Hays, Mark

NLMI – Zilker Park - Project Outline

Marketing Your Non-Profit 101: A Sourcebook

November 25, 2007

Sherri Fleming --“Sharing your Vision” Introduction/Overview
Introduction:
• So what about this thing called “the media?”
o How can the media help you
o How can managing the media help you
o What happens (or doesn’t happen) if you don’t
• How do we communicate? (I am thinking an overview of our content here)
o What are the methods
o How do I know what works for me?
• “Survey says….”
Small and large non profits all struggle with communicating efficiently and effectively. Here’s what a few organizations say about their marketing decisions, dilemmas and dynamos.

[The following is a survey to be taken by NLMI Certificate candidates and others outside the organization, compiled by Sherri Fleming and incorporated herein.]

Organization Name:___________________________
I consider my non profit: small medium large
My annual budget (est.) is _______________________

Thank you for answering a few quick questions on your non-profit’s marketing initiatives.

1. Select the best answer that describes your non-profit’s marketing staffing:

___A. We have a marketing department (separate from
Development/Fundraising staff)
___B. We use consultants as needed and for special programs and projects
___C. The Executive Director (or their staff) handles marketing
___D. The Development Director (or their staff) handles marketing
___E. Other_____________________________________________

2. Our annual budget for all marketing/public relations efforts is $______________.

3. Our most successful marketing/public relations project was:

4. Our most challenging public relations dilemma is:

5. If money were not an issue, what would you like to do in your organization
in the area of marketing and public relations?

John McNabb - “Building your Sandbox” - Market Analysis/Research
- Situation analysis
- Market Summary
-- Demographics
-- Needs
-- Stakeholders/Investors
-- Trends/competition/other providers
-- SWOT
-- Critical issues
-- Keys to success
- Marketing Strategy
-- Mission (what are you trying to achieve – link to strategic plan)
-- Marketing and financial objectives
-- Target markets
-- Positioning
-- Strategy pyramid (what goes in order, what done in parallel)
- Financials
-- Break-even analysis
-- Budgeting/forecasts
- Controls
-- Implementation
-- Milestones
-- Marketing organization
-- Contingency Planning
− Summary/links/segueway (Dance off the stage)

“Is it facial tissue or Kleenex” - Branding – Vincent Kitch

Communicating to Clients -- Mark Sliter-Hays

Communicating to Investors – Cecile Shopen
A. Defining and Reaching Out to Investors
1. Good News! The Resource gap may actually be a communications gap
2. The Importance of Mission
3. Sharing the Details – It's All about the Donor
B. What Prompts Communication?
1. Convey or Receive Information
2. Persuade/Invite
3. Acknowledgment and Say Thank You
4. Acknowledge receipt
5. Maintain relationship – Next Steps
6. Recruit potential investors, including volunteers
C. Communication tools
1. Reflect values, vision, and mission
2. Flow from Case Statement
3. Forms
a. Calls
b. Newsletter – web
c. Newsletter – hard copy
d. White Paper
e. Acknowledgment
f. Celebrations
g. Invitations
h. Proposals
i. Transmittal
j. Email
k. Notes
l. The Ask
m. Board Packet
n. Campaigns
o. Planned Giving Materials/Theory
p. Press Relations Sherri Fleming
D. Between the Words
1. Media (web, email, hard copy, advertising, press)
2. About Mailing
3. Importance of database
4.Tone of Communications
5. Writing techniques

Fundraising Events for Non-Profit – Tassie M. Howell

1. Types of Fundraising Events
a. Examples of what has/can been done
“This section will be research that I will have done to see what non-profits have done in the past to raise money. I will hope to have links to different websites for individuals to be able to go to and reference so that they can incorporate old ideas as new ones for their organization.”

2. People
a. Committees
b. Job Descriptions/Roles & Responsibilities
“This section will be about the development and implementations on individuals that will make the event happen. There will be committee titles, job descriptions/roles and responsibilities for the individuals.”

3. Marketing/PR
“This section is about “getting the word out” on your event; ideas and suggestions on where to go, what to do and when to send it.”

4. Timelines
a. Time frame for items to be done
“This section will lay out generic time frames for an event.”

5. Post Event
a. Items to be done post event
“This section is for what needs to be done after the event, i.e. thank you letters, receipts, sponsorship contact.”

6. Software: “This section will be about software that is out there that is used for events; “event software”. I will have links to the websites for individuals to reference.”

Technology – Sly Majid

Mount Bonnell Project Update

Ana Fernandez Frank wins the Starbucks gift card with the first entry sent to Ann's email on November 18. Ana will receive her reward at the next class session. It's not too late for other entries for 2nd and 3rd prize. Remember, we are looking for resources for individuals transitioning into the nonprofit sector in Austin, Texas.
Go to: http://nlmi,robsartin.com/twiki/bin/view/twiki/WelcomeGuest to get a quick overview of this collaboration platform. Study the Twikitutorial which you can get to from the same link.
Or, just email your resource leads and ideas to Ann Dowdy at adowdy@austin.rr.com

State Capitol project: corporate volunteer survey

The State Capitol team has decided to narrow down the scope of our "volunteer management" project to focus on the relationship between corporate volunteers and the non profit organizations that employ them. For that purpose we are in the process of developing two online surveys using www.surveymonkey.com, one for corporations who have corporate volunteer programs and another one for non profit organizations who work with corporate volunteers. We hope to be have a draft available for our next meeting in December so we can circulate it among the class and get your input.

In the mean time we will be collecting names and contact information from both corporations and NPOs to be surveyed early next year, so if you know of someone that we could contact for these surveys, please send these information to anafernandezfrank@yahoo.com.ar Also if someone out there has experience developing surveys and would like to review our initial draft, please let us know by sending an email to the email above.

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

State Capitol team

Sources to Assist in Fundraising

From Marylaine Block, Librarian Extraordinaire ... by way of Marilyn Martin. Thought this might be of interest to you.


• 30+ Charity & Fund Raising Tools
http://mashable.com/2007/11/05/30-charity-fund-raising-tools/
'Tis about to be the season that inspires charitable thoughts and thoughts of tax deductions, so check out Mashable's links to resources for both fund raisers and would-be donors.

Neat New Stuff I Found This Week
http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2007.

I have subscribed to Marylaine's ezine for about 6 or 7 years and her quirky recommendations appeal to my eclectic interests.

Team Projects Overview

Lady Bird Lake - Best Practices in Team Building

• October Deliverable - Status of two month research phase
  
• Best Practices Guide with Activities
• Survey - Forum or Zoomarang
• Interviews with Experts
• Literature Review
• Completion - TBD

Mt/ Bonnell - Resource Guide "Landing on Your Feet"

• October Deliverable - Wiki Framework for Guide Access
• Guide for Non-Profit Startups
• changing careers
• starting careers
• various resources gathered from other participants

• Deliverable Wiki
• functional in October
• piggyback on TANO site
• vet content in January/February

• Options for pdf publishing

Zilker Park - Marketing Your Non-Profit

• October Deliverable - Marketing plan framework
• Branding
• Communicating to clients
• Communicating to Investors
• Market analysis
• Public Relations
• Special events and fund raisers
• Technology
• Deliverable in pdf format with a February/March launch

6th Street - Fund Raising

• October Deliverable - Idea Generation and Capture

Barton Springs - DeMystifying the Strategic Plan

• October Deliverable - List of Current Techniques

State Capitol - Volunteer Management

• October Deliverable - Framework for research information and interview schedule
• Identify and compile existing resources
• Link/Network with other affinity organizations
• Deliverable document of research doen
• Possible recording/YouTube
• Deliver in January
  

23 August 2007 - Induction Ceremony

Welcomes:
• Lamed Vavnik Story
• According to Jewish folklore there are 36 anonymous righteous people living in the world in every generation. Called lamedvovniks in Yiddish, they are responsible for the fate of the world. One of them is considered to be the Messiah.
• The lamedvovnik goes unnoticed by other people because of their humble nature and vocation. At times of great peril, however, the lamedvovnik makes a dramatic appearance, using his hidden powers to defeat the enemies of social justice, after which he returns, as mysteriously as he came, to his wonted obscurity
• Regardless of religious persuasion of members of this group are, we hope, a new cadre of nonprofit practitioners who will work diligently to raise and keep high the level of practice and vision in our Nonprofit Sector
• Here to start a new adventure … for the 36 Certificate participants as well as for the CCBNO & TANO, the Certificate co-sponsors
• Tonight is time to celebrate a milestone in your professional & personal development .. and we are here to honor and support you
• Tonight is an opportunity to get go meet, learn about, and enjoy the company of your program colleagues, the session leaders and our special guests from ACC, County, City, TANO Board, CCBNO Advisory Council, etc.
• Hope tonight is start of some meaningful, fruitful and long-lasting relationships
• Outcomes and benefits of program are largely in your hands .. the participants ….
• Your outcomes will be the product of the collective experiences, personalities, personal motivation, effort, dedication and support of your program colleagues
• Completion will require the application of existing practical common-sense life skills you bring to the program as well as advanced techniques and analytical skills you will learn
o Why folks selected and what we seek to achieve
• Special qualities of this program
• SELECTIONS FROM THEMES BELOW
• Committing to a serious course of study ... reflection of your commitment to your professional development and the betterment of our nonprofit sector
• Hope it is no surprise to any of the select 36 folks who are part of our first class that you will “enjoy” over 130 class hours, in 19 full day sessions, over the next 10 months, leading to a graduation celebration in May 2008
• Possible only because of the visions and hard work of a lot of folks
• Emphasis on COPs and Networking
• Open communication with coordinators, session leaders and among selves
• This is adult program
• Focused on:
• Peer-to-peer help in problem solving
• Developing and verifying best practices
• Upgrading and distributing knowledge in daily use
• Fostering unexpected ideas and innovation"
• Which are the components of Communities of Practice: "groups of people who share a passion for something that they know how to do and to interact regularly to learn how to do it better."

Thank Yous and Greetings:
• Kelly Wagner
• Linda Shafer
• Session Leaders
• Frank Ragan photography
• 10Qs to AFP, Anonymous Donors and City of Austin HHSD & Travis County HHS&VS….
• Tonight’s moderators who designed tonight’s program: Marilyn Martin & Sunni Brown – in for a treat …. And we hope a lot of fun
• Special invited guests
• Thanks to Texas Hillel for donating space
• Rabbi David Komorofsky

• All here to celebrate the start of the Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership & Management being co-sponsored by the CCCBNO ACC & TANO
• So appropriate to begin with brief welcome from Linda Young, Special Asst to the Pres for Governmental & Community Affairs at ACC who will introduce Dr. Stephen Kinslow, ACC President & CEO

What is Certificate?
• Also going to produce a DVD with 1 hour summaries of classes for distribution

Program Details:
• Plenty of time tomorrow to talk re expectations and details, so only the basics here:
• Start Thurs at 9 am in Room 201.0
• For first 2 sessions, we will provide pizza lunches, but thereafter y’all need to bring lunch
• Might consider car pooling …. Maile has raised option … see her if interested
• Will receive binders with handouts for first two sessions and a few others
• Will get other handouts at future sessions
o Linda Shafer, Curricula Evaluator & Integrator for future
o Graphic Recording
o More tomorrow at lunch
o Feel free to contact BS or Don anytime
o Some session leaders may participate in other session



Here's the start - look for more and email me with suggestions - donshafer@tano.org