2009 Governor's Nonprofit Leadership Conference: Seminars
General Information I Speakers I Pre-Conference I Agenda I Seminars I Exhibitors
Seminar Descriptions
Topics are sorted by topic area. Click on the topics below or scroll down to view seminar descriptions. Continuing education units (CEUs) will be offered this year.
Board Development
Emerging Issues
Human Resources
Human Resources/Emerging Issues
Increasing Impact
Leadership
Marketing & Social Media
Sustainability
Sustainability/Emerging Issues
Sustainability/Increasing Impact
Sustainability/Volunteer Leadership
Volunteer Leadership
What Board Members Want
Topic: Board Development Presenter: June Bradham
Research has shown that the top indicator of a nonprofit's success is how much the board gives. Presenter June Bradham's anecdotal research with board members found that the better experience they have on their boards, the more they give. If a nonprofit can provide a stellar board experience, the board will give more, the community will follow suit by giving more, the nonprofit will succeed in raising money and their cause will be supported like never before. Social impact, therefore, is rooted in board satisfaction. June will teach attendees how to utilize this core driver.
Board Liabilities
Topic: Board Development Presenter: Rose Mary Fry
Attendees at this seminar will learn how to communicate the risks and liabilities of being a board member without scaring the member away. They will also learn what actions a nonprofit can take to alleviate some of the risk from the board members. Finally, they will learn about the new issues that board members are facing, such as the new IRS Form 990, the increased need to fundraise and more.
Getting Boards Engaged
Topic: Board Development Presenter: Rose Mary Fry
Is your board working for you, or are they asleep at the wheel? This seminar will cover how attendees can you get their board members more involved and engaged with their organization without asking them to take over the organization's day-to-day operations.
Public Policy and Nonprofits
Topic: Emerging Issues Presenter: Richard Meyer
Attendees will develop a knowledge and appreciation of current public policy, as well as political, legal and regulatory issues affecting nonprofit organizations. The seminar will focus on current events, including the latest public policy developments at the local, state, interstate and national levels. Challenges to be discussed include IRS regulatory developments, Congressional inquiries into nonprofit sector misconduct, policy shifts affecting nonprofits, developments in the Texas Legislature, threats to various tax exemptions enjoyed by nonprofits, shifts in liability and risk management issues, ongoing developments in other states and the difference between informing legislators and lobbying.
The Right Consultant for You
Topic: Emerging Issues Presenter: Ronnie Hagerty
As they face funding cuts in a challenging economy, more organizations are turning to consultants to help them learn how to support their operations more effectively. Learn best practices for engaging with a consultant to ensure that you reach your and your organization's objectives.
The New IRS Form 990
Topic: Emerging Issues Presenter: Cheryl Black
Do you understand the requirements for the new IRS Form 990? What implications does this new form have for your organization? How can this process be used as a tool to enhance your organization? This seminar will cover the IRS Form 990's effects on compensation, reimbursement, governance and more.
FBCOs in Texas
Topic: Emerging Issues Presenters: Chris Bugbee & Erin Brackney
What's new for faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) in this economy? What does House Bill (HB) 492 mean for Texas? How can FBCOs become connected into activities under HB 492? What are the separation issues facing faith-based organizations when working with the government? This seminar will be a great opportunity to learn about upcoming opportunities for FBCOs while also giving attendees the opportunity to ask their questions.
Surviving in Today's Economy
Topic: Emerging Issues Presenter: Cynthia Nunn
Funding is changing, donations are low, volunteers want to help in different ways than before, layoffs may be pending and the needs you are addressing may be increasing. These challenges are difficult for all nonprofits to overcome. Learn tools and tips to help your organization survive, and even thrive, in this turbulent economy.
Ethics
Topic: Human Resources Presenter: Sherra Theisen
Mastering the principles and techniques of professional ethics impacts the whole organization as well as its employees, volunteers, volunteers' friends, families, colleagues and the community. Ethics provide a solid foundation for the trust that is necessary for any business to have long-term success in a highly competitive world. The action, not just the appearance, of being trustworthy is needed to sustain a productive workplace and maintain goodwill and trust from the community, which relies on the organization for services and goods while also supporting the organization with donations.
Conquering Conflict and Recognizing Diversity
Topic: Human Resources Presenter: Sharon Zambrzycki
This seminar will help attendees learn how to manage conflict. The challenges facing nonprofits are constantly evolving. The nonprofit workforce is becoming more diverse, as are the constituents served by it. Understanding these differences can help lead to a shared understanding when conflicts do arise. Attendees will leave the seminar with tools to use at staff in-service meetings or during the orientation and training of their organization's volunteers.
Combating Compassion Fatigue
Topic: Human Resources Presenters: Brenda King & Gary Eagleton
This seminar will explore the nature of stress and how to deal with its complications. Attendees will actively engage in self-exploration activities to assess their current level of stress and will learn how to maintain a healthy sense of self and purpose. They will also discuss the impact the economy is having on staff and volunteers serving in the nonprofit sector.
Sustainable Organization: The Human Factor
Topic: Human Resources/Emerging Issues Presenter: Candyss Bryant
What does it mean to be a sustainable organization? It's more than just generating funds to pay the bills. Defining your mission, setting goals, raising the funds and maintaining good governance practices are important, but finding and keeping the right people to make it happen is essential. How do you get everyone working toward the same goals while keeping them interested in and excited about your work? Where will your organization's next generation of mission loyalists come from? This seminar will focus on the human element of sustainability.
Focus on Evaluations
Topic: Increasing Impact Presenter: Dr. William Brown
Evaluations have become more important than ever. Many nonprofits forgo conducting evaluations because of funding cutbacks. However, evaluations are an essential part of a nonprofit's success. Learn how to take your evaluations to the next level, and see how good evaluations can increase the impact your organization has on your community.
Operating at a 10: Becoming a High Impact Organization
Topic: Increasing Impact Presenter: Cheryle Yallen
This seminar will give leaders a clear direction of what their organization needs in order to operate at its fullest potential. Do they have the right key stakeholders on board? Are they utilizing volunteers in the most effective way possible? Do they have a clear understanding of what they are trying to achieve with their services? This seminar will help them answer these questions and more.
Collaborative Leadership
Topic: Leadership Presenter: Terry Hockenbrough
How can you become the best leader for your organization and its needs? Understanding the leadership needs of your organization is essential to organizational success, as leadership needs to be shared at all levels. This seminar will cover a direct approach to leadership and the hard truths of being a great leader.
A Project Management Approach
Topic: Leadership Presenter: Kathleen McCleskey
Well-managed projects and thorough project management lets organizations serve more clients in a more effective and efficient manner. Any time projects are well developed and handled, it saves the nonprofit time, money and effort, thus enabling the organization to have more of an impact. In order to know if a project is truly doing what it was designed to do, the project must be evaluated and measured as well as managed. If programs are not evaluated with outcomes-based measurements, then the program's impact on clients may not be fully known.
Succession Planning and Leadership Transition
Topic: Leadership Presenter: Ray McLeod
This seminar will help attendees understand some of the major issues that arise during leadership transition and succession. There are many risks to consider when key leadership changes, such as loss of momentum, decrease in staff morale and trust and loss of goodwill by key stakeholders and the community. Having a succession plan for any leader transition is a best practice. The change can be viewed as an opportunity to send a positive message to staff and stakeholders alike. Attendees will take away tools and tips for developing their own succession plans.
Are You Delivering the Right Message?
Topic: Marketing & Social Media Presenter: Carole Rylander
Organizations increase their social impact when their messages are consistent, clear and focused on the needs and interest of the constituents with whom they want to engage. In addition, organizations must understand the real impact of their activities in order to tell a compelling story. This seminar will assist attendees in identifying and creating the right messages for their audiences.
Write, Send, Inspire: Creating E-mail Campaigns and Online Content to Engage Your Supporters
Topic: Marketing & Social Media Presenter: Suzanne Norman
More than ever, great online content can work wonders to engage readers, boost involvement and entice people to act. How can you make the most of your e-mail campaigns, online surveys, blogs and tweets? Join Suzanne Norman of Emma for an example-filled conversation about how solid online content strategy and design can help you craft a fabulous experience for your supporters while freeing up time and money for your staff.
All You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media
Topic: Marketing & Social Media Presenter: Deltina Hay
Are you currently utilizing the various forms of social media? Do you know about social media's best practices? How can you make the most of social media to further your organization? This seminar will cover the myriad social media services available to nonprofits and will offer insightful guidance on how to use them most effectively.
Catalysts for Community Change
Topic: Sustainability Presenter: Brad Carter
How can your organization be a key player in creating real community change? This seminar will cover examples of how organizations became catalysts for collaborations and the resulting increased impact on their communities. Attendees will cover lessons learned in partnerships and collaboration, as well as the effects of the economy on creating and maintaining partnerships. They will receive information, samples, tools and a resource list for creating successful partnerships and collaborations. Finally, attendees will leave the seminar understanding how partnerships can have a greater impact on addressing root causes.
Meaningful Partnerships with Texas Schools
Topic: Sustainability Presenter: Kim Huseman
This seminar is ideal for attendees serving school-aged populations or looking to schools to support their activities through volunteerism or service learning. Attendees will learn how to maximize partnerships with local schools. They will understand how the school environment works and how decisions are made, ultimately helping them make communications with schools more effective while increasing their collaboration opportunities.
Thinking Outside the Box: Social Innovation for Nonprofits
Topic: Sustainability/Emerging Issues Presenter: Nell Edgington
In this seminar, attendees will learn how to employ new models in the social and philanthropic sectors (including social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, growth capital, strategic fundraising and social enterprise) so they can more effectively address the social issues in their communities. If nonprofit organizations are strategic with the resources at their disposal, they will be better able to confront social challenges. Particularly in the midst of the economic downturn, nonprofits need new ideas and models for doing what they do more effectively and strategically.
Using Logic Models to Increase Outcomes
Topic: Sustainability/Increasing Impact Presenter: Charlotte Keany
This seminar will lead attendees in understanding the purpose for and components of a logic model. Attendees will learn how to utilize the logic model to guide their organizations to focus on outcomes, not just outputs, and how to recognize the difference.
Leading Through Service
Topic: Sustainability/Volunteer Leadership Presenter: John Spence
In our haste to help others, we often make assumptions about others' needs that can lessen the impact of our good works. In this session, attendees will learn to use the LEADERS model of service learning to walk through the process of looking at and listening to the needs of others, examining issues, agreeing on and developing a plan, executing the plan, reviewing outcomes and showcasing results. The net result is meaningful service to others and powerful learning for staff, volunteers and organizations.
Ready for the New Volunteers
Topic: Volunteer Leadership Presenter: Armando Rayo
How will your organization be civically engaged in the upcoming years? Donations are down, but volunteering is up. You can capitalize on this and turn volunteer enthusiasm into an organizational asset. Learn how to utilize volunteers to build your internal capacity. Find out if your organization is ready for volunteers, and ensure that it does not miss a great opportunity to engage them.
Best Practices in Volunteer Management
Topic: Volunteer Leadership Presenter: Celeste Sauls-Marks
Attendees will learn about best practices in volunteer management. This seminar is based on the curriculum for the Certificate in Volunteer Administration. The council for the certification has developed 17 specific areas of knowledge for managers of volunteer resources, which will be addressed and discussed in this seminar.
