​Our colleague was awarded the Certificate in  Nonprofit Management.  ​Please join us in congratulating Anna on her accomplishment.  

​Welcome  to the C4NPR alumni community!

Anna Toney
​Leadership Toledo

We added three new on-demand training videos to the Nonprofit 101 Fundamental series.to help you in the area of grants.  This collection will give you a great knowledge base on this topic.

• ​​An Introduction to Grant Writing
• Before You Seek a Grant:  A Checklist for New Nonprofits
• Introduction to Finding Grants
• Introduction to Proposal Writing

​The Center is offering a workshop Creating a Grant-Ready Budget on September 5, 2018.  Click here for more details.

​Imagine you are in a car. Your vehicle is – unsurprisingly – on the right hand side of the road. Suddenly, you see an oncoming vehicle in your lane. In the wrong lane! Your mind is racing, what should you do? Feelings of fear, anger, and your survival instinct cause you to change lanes. As you cross paths, you lay on the horn to demonstrate your disgust with the other driver. They do the same. Neither driver stops to ask of the other why they were on that side of the road, no one questions if they may have been on the wrong side. You both drive on.

Now, what if I told you the other driver was from Mauritius, where the ‘right side’ of the road is the left. If you had just stopped to ask why they were driving as they were, you would have quickly learned that, and been able to help them learn the rules of ‘our roads’. Alternatively, what if I told you that you were driving in Mauritius and therefore, you were in the wrong lane. If the oncoming driver had stopped to talk to you, you would have quickly adjusted.

Our cultural identity, much like the road rules, paves a logical path for people within a community to follow. In context, and absent of other cultures, you can travel easily along life’s path. However, in our increasingly globalized world, different paths cross more and more often. These interactions are, like in the story, inevitable. The question is if you will be prepared to stop and learn something from them, or as in the case of our imaginary drivers, just drive on. 

The first step in learning about cross-cultural communications is to learn about yourself and your culture. Only then can you accurately identify that which is different. Only then will you know if you are driving in the US or Mauritius.

The second step is to learn how to communicate about your culture, and then ask, and learn about others. It is how to engage once you have stopped the car.

Finally, cross-cultural communications is a life-long journey. You have to keep driving and you will encounter different drivers in oncoming traffic. At each crossing, you have an opportunity to learn something new and further your cross-cultural communications journey.  

Think of our Cross Cultural Communications workshop offered by The Center like the driver’s education of cross-cultural communications. We will provide you with the tools to be a good driver on our globalized roads. With our tools and your practice, you will become a better driver. We encourage you to take the wheel and begin your cross-cultural communications journey today!

​Two of our colleagues were recognized for completing the Nonprofit Management certificate program.  ​Please join us in congratulating both of them on this accomplishment.  

​Welcome  to the C4NPR alumni community!

When friction is reduced between the Board of Directors and the Executive Director, nonprofits honor their mission and deepen the impact.

​Nonprofits produce their most effective work when leaders on the board, within the staff, and within the community are connected and communicating well.  Keeping these relationships fluid and open is important. This is easier said than done, however.

​Like those dinner parties when there are too many cooks in the kitchen all trying to craft their own menus, Boards and EDs may run into communication, structural, or relational barriers as they work to achieve the best for their nonprofit. If approached with intentionality, honesty, and interest in developing a collaborative relationship, EDs and Board Chairs can work together to align their structural processes and practices with their strategies and tactics to move the organization forward.

​The relationship between Board Chair and Executive Director is critically important for setting the tone of how the board and staff will work together to advance the nonprofit. Beginning with open conversations, consider discussing why each person is working and advocating for the organization, what work styles they prefer, and establish clear expectations of each other regarding communication and areas of leadership and responsibility. From deepening the relationship to revisiting board functions and structures, board chairs and ED’s can find ways to effectively communicate and thrive.

A major gift is different at every organization and to every donor.  My career in fundraising illustrates this point.I started my career in fundraising at the battered women’s shelter. We rarely received gifts over $1,000. Our first $10,000 gift was cause for major celebration! That was a MAJOR Gift. Any personal gift over $1,000 was a major gift there.
​
Rutgers University was my next stop. There a major gift was $25,000 or more. Just down the road was Princeton University where Major Gifts didn’t start until $100,000 or more. I’m certain it’s $1 million or more now.

If you’re at a small organization, just getting started with personal giving and major gifts is enough of a challenge. It would be ridiculous to hold you to the standards of Princeton University.

​Let’s set some parameters for determining the size of major gifts at your organization.

​There are three important reasons for knowing how much a major gift is at your organization.

1. Donor Recognition
Special Donors get special recognition. Setting the Major Gift amount focuses your recognition efforts.
Knowing what a major gift is determines who gets recognition on things like Donor Walls.

Major Donors get personal recognition, like calls from a board member and a handwritten note from the executive director.
It’s nice to think that every single donor to your organization will receive a personal call and a handwritten note, but sometimes that’s simply not practical or even possible. Knowing your major gift levels will help you determine who must get the royal treatment.
You’ll want to acknowledge all donors, of course, but your major donors should always get VIP treatment.

2. Time Management 
Setting a major gift size helps you manage your time.  If it makes sense to go meet with a donor to ask them for $1,000, then that’s a major gift at your organization.
If you’re thinking, “No way!” then how about $10,000?
It’s a matter of time management. I don’t know many development directors who wouldn’t make time to visit with a donor to ask for $10,000.

Leadership level gift managers spend their time focused on donors who could give $1M or more, but we’re not quite there yet.

3. Accountability
The third reason for setting a major gift size is for accountability and tracking metrics. If your major gift levels start at $10,000, then you will be able to easily track how many $10,000 plus gifts you received this year.

​Now that we know some benefits of setting a major gift size, let’s determine what works at your organization.

Remember, gifts don’t have to be over six figures to be considered major, and they aren’t only for capital campaigns. There’s no better way to skyrocket your annual fund than to infuse it with some major gift power.
​
This week’s action item will help you determine what constitutes a major gift at your organization.

Step 1: Run a list of your top donors.The simplest way to determine a major gift level is to run a list of your top 10 donors for the last 12 months. Exclude any foundations or corporations on the list. Let me say that again — you’ll want to eliminate any foundations or corporations from the list. (However, if you have donors who give from their family foundations without grant applications, it’s fine to include them.)

Also, exclude any extreme outliers or one-time gifts. In other words, if you received $100,000 from a bequest or in honor of someone, but it’s unlikely you’ll receive another gift of that level this year, don’t include it in your top 10.
Total up the donations from the top 10 donors (they may have given multiple times throughout the year – use their total giving in your calculation). Now divide by 10.

Step 2: Average your top 10.Take the average of the top ten donor’s totals from last year. Now round up to the nearest $5,000. If your average major gift level is $8,500, then round up to $10,000.

Remember, fundraising is an art and a science. In this case, there are no hard rules to determining what you consider a major gift at your organization.
​
Be realistic yet optimistic when picking an amount. Be optimistic, because you’re growing your major gift program and you don’t want to play it too safe or small. Consider where you want to be 3 years from now, not simply where you are today. However, if you’ve never received a gift of over $1,000, then $25,000 is probably too high. Start with a more realistic number like $5,000.

LuCynthia Jones
​Leading Families Home

​Our colleague was awarded the Certificate in  Nonprofit Management.  ​Please join us in congratulating Gary on his accomplishment.  

​Welcome  to the C4NPR alumni community!

Gary Wiegand
​DECA Health

Leadership skills aren't stagnant. Different generations moving in and out of the workforce dictate changes to the ways people lead.  If you're wondering what skills have come into play lately for the modern leader, click here for insights from 13 professional coaches of Forbes Coaches Council.

Program Brochure
Click here

Click here to apply now!

The online application closes March 16 at 11:59 pm
​

In its entirety, the 101 Series provides an essential body of knowledge for nonprofit professionals who want to strengthen core competencies.  

​​Benefits:

• no-cost training
• on-demand 24/7
• great refresher for the seasoned nonprofit professional
• content supports six competency tracks in the Nonprofit Management Certificate program:
  • Board Governance
  • Financial Management
  • Fundraising
  • Leadership & Human Resources
  • Marketing & Media
  • Operational Management

Click here to start your training now.

We are excited to announce the C4NPR 2018 Programming schedule.  In this short video, Associate Director Toni Shoola provides an overview of the opportunities  Click here to download the schedule one-pager and/or the full course catalog.

Questions about professional 
development opportunities?
Our Associate Director, Toni Shoola, can help you determine the best options available through The Center to reach your professional development goals.  Email Toni or call 419-241-9513

​​Two of our colleagues were recognized for completing the Minority Executive Leadership Program.  ​Please join us in congratulating them on their accomplishment.  

​Welcome  to the C4NPR alumni community!

Kendra Smith
​Preferred Properties, Inc.

Regina Russell
​Area Office on Aging

​​​A Blog in Pictures (and some words, too)
​Most nonprofit leaders agree that we need a new way to communicate about the true costs of our programs and the vital importance of strong organizational infrastructure.  But we have not yet developed a simple, consistent message when sharing our view with potential supporters and investors. We are stuck with old terms and old images.

The following series of images and descriptions is really a blog in pictures. How we visualize our understanding of nonprofit structure and programs shapes the overhead debate.  It’s time to get graphic about our new ideas – to deploy fresh images to help educate ourselves, the public, and our funders. 

It’s Time to Retire This Pie Chart

​When nonprofits are viewed this way, no matter how hard we try to think differently, we imagine important infrastructure of our organization as taking a slice out of the pie – as diminishing the “real” work of our mission.
​
Strategic financial functions, good governance, and the development of key funding partnerships are vital to strong organizations.  We need a new way to communicate this truth.

We Need a New Image
Rather than thinking of our investment in key infrastructure as diminishing our programs, it should be seen as valuable Core Mission Support.

​When funders support only direct expenses, they deny funding for Core Mission Support. This leaves a Gap at the center of our organization.  Not only is one program affected, but the health of the entire organization is at risk.

Invest in the Core to Grow the Mission   

The growth and effectiveness of our mission work depends on having a solid core at the center of our organizations.  Investing in our infrastructure is savvy, prudent, and absolutely necessary.​ ​

​Every day, we are bombarded with so much information that our senses – our vision in particular – exist in a state of constant overload. Being able to identify, interpret, and act upon visual information – a skill-set known in the art and communication world as visual literacy – is more crucial than ever in an increasingly competitive, complex and interconnected world.

​​On June 29, 2017, three community partners came together to teach visual literacy competencies to our local nonprofit community.   The Center collaborating with the Toledo Museum of Art and Tom and Betsy Brady supported 26 nonprofit professionals as they moved among the world-renowned collections to land the learning.  Visual literacy is the new language and participants aspire to be literate.

Didn't get the chance to join us for our Visual Literacy workshop?  Curious to learn more?  Check out these resources.

Looking for a Visual Literacy workshop?  The Toledo Museum of Art offers a public series. ​Click here to learn more. 

Looking for videos, training and other resources? This VL website is a great place to start.

Bonita Johnson
(Neighborhood Heath Association)